Six Connecticut National Guard soldiers were hospitalized on Monday with heat-related injuries after participating in a training march.
A total of 116 service members were on a 6-mile trek where soldiers carried heavy backpacks in an event known as a “ruck march” when medical attention was needed for some members, Maj. Dave Pytlik, a spokesman for the branch, told the Washington Examiner in an email. Personnel, including a doctor, were on hand during the exercise at the Stone’s Ranch Military Reservation in East Lyme, Connecticut, and the injured service members were brought to local medical facilities for observation.
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Pytlik said the incident may have erroneously been described as “mass casualty” by some outlets, though all of the soldiers are in stable condition, contrary to reports that suggested a person was unresponsive.
“Someone on radio may have used the term ‘Mass Cal’ or ‘Mass Casualty,’ but there is no indication anyone is in critical condition or that any medical systems are overwhelmed,” he said. “Reports of an unresponsive patient are inaccurate.”
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The event began at 6:30 a.m., and it has since concluded.
The soldiers participating in the event were “vying for the opportunity to become commissioned officers,” Pytlik told the Associated Press.
