Nineteen soldiers in basic training zapped by lightning at Ft. Benning

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Nineteen soldiers in basic training zapped by lightning at Ft. Benning

Posted: 8/17/2005 5:26:46 PM EDT

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/08/17/lightning.soldiers.ap/index.html

19 Fort Benning soldiers struck by lightning
Troops treated at hospital

FORT BENNING, Georgia (AP) -- A lightning strike amid a drenching rainstorm Tuesday sent 19 Fort Benning soldiers to the hospital.

Most of the soldiers were treated at Martin Army Community Hospital and released, although four remained hospitalized overnight for observation.

The soldiers, who are in basic training, were on their last day of a field exercise and preparing to head back to their barracks because of the weather.

The soldiers were injured even after they spread out as a precaution against lightning, Fort Benning spokeswoman Monica Manganaro said.

The trainers "had them ground their equipment so they weren't holding weapons," she said. "They did all the right things."

The storm brought between 2 and 3 inches of rain to the area.

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistribute

Posted: 8/17/2005 5:28:23 PM EDT

[#1]

After taking Basic there in the Fall of '80, there is plenty of hard storms there.

Posted: 8/17/2005 5:29:50 PM EDT

[#2]

That sucks, and Mothers of America is going to shit their pants.

Posted: 8/17/2005 5:40:52 PM EDT

[#3]

I still remember those storms. I was there 16 years ago. Nothing like being in the field and eating spagetti soup. And then, in the morning, we got egg and bacon stew.

Posted: 8/17/2005 5:45:07 PM EDT

[#4]

This Just in: Michael M**re blames Bush for lightning storm...

Pete

Posted: 8/17/2005 5:48:45 PM EDT

[#5]

Winter of 82/83. We watched ice form over everything while we did PT. Went on a run with an inch of ice covering the roads and buildings.

Is there anytime during the year Ft. Benning does not suck? Fire ants in the summer, lightning and storms in the fall/winter. Heat stroke in the spring.... Did I mention the mud? I miss Ft. Benning.....

Posted: 8/17/2005 5:52:07 PM EDT

[#6]

Maybe Cindy Sheskank could add lightning to the evil US doctrine on hurting the troops.

Posted: 8/17/2005 5:52:54 PM EDT

[#7]

isnt this how the X-Men got started?

Posted: 8/17/2005 6:10:27 PM EDT

[#8]

Hell we had 5 Drill sgts and a CPT hit with lightning while in a GP small tent.

They should have been sitting on something other than steel ammo cans.

All were we ok except for a few burn marks.

FREE

Posted: 8/17/2005 6:17:34 PM EDT

[#9]

I remember in 91 when I was there just getting POUNDED. Most amazing storm I have ever been in, to include the infamous wind storm in Bosnia of 1996.

So hot, so humid, by the end of the day, something has to give.
Good to see the drills did the right thing, probably saved a life or two.

OTH, those pansies got out of the final march home. (18 miles in the sand after the week field problem)

Posted: 8/17/2005 6:23:18 PM EDT

[#10]

Quoted:
Winter of 82/83. We watched ice form over everything while we did PT. Went on a run with an inch of ice covering the roads and buildings.

Is there anytime during the year Ft. Benning does not suck? Fire ants in the summer, lightning and storms in the fall/winter. Heat stroke in the spring.... Did I mention the mud? I miss Ft. Benning.....

Cripes, I was at Ft McClellen Alabama when that one hit. Southerners can't drive for s--t in anything slippery. Musta seen 50 T/As in 2 hours. Laughed my butt off. Yo, it's ICE, slow the hell up!!

Posted: 8/17/2005 6:28:34 PM EDT

[#11]

i was there in 1995 doing basic. i don't remember the name of the hurricane that hit. nice little storm.

Posted: 8/17/2005 6:32:51 PM EDT

[#12]

Quoted:
Winter of 82/83. We watched ice form over everything while we did PT. Went on a run with an inch of ice covering the roads and buildings.

Cripes, I guess no one had their Hasty Risk Assesment card on them, eh?

Posted: 8/18/2005 9:30:24 AM EDT

[#13]

When about to do a gunnery in Yakima two winters ago in preparation for an Iraq deployment, the weather was absolutely horrible. The NCO who was doing the risk assessment gave it such a lousy rating that it had to get signed off by at least the Bde Commander, if not higher.

Well, they decided not to do that, and instead instructed a 2LT to redo it with the 'correct' outcome.

It was done, they went to Yakima, and froze. I've got photos of the -inside- of the tank frosted over. One tank even slid down a cliff after losing traction on the icy road. Fortunately, no casualties.

NTM

Posted: 8/18/2005 9:33:53 AM EDT

[#14]

God is against us.

Posted: 8/18/2005 9:35:07 AM EDT

[#15]

Man I remeber some storms in basic at Benning. They put us in the "lightning hold" area. I was positive we were gonna get nailed everytime.

This report does not surprise me at all.

Posted: 8/18/2005 9:36:44 AM EDT

[#16]

Damn. I'll be there in October. I can't wait.

Posted: 8/18/2005 9:43:01 AM EDT

[#17]

Sometimes you just cant beat nature I guess. There was so much "lightning lockdown" that we built it into our planing in ranger school.

Posted: 8/18/2005 9:53:41 AM EDT

[#18]

CPT Sobel hates Easy Company.

Posted: 8/18/2005 9:59:12 AM EDT

[#19]

I was in 45th Co. at Ft. Benning of August 1979 and a Sergeant Airborne yelled at me and made me beat my boots!

Posted: 8/18/2005 10:06:19 AM EDT

[#20]

Double post

Posted: 8/18/2005 10:15:06 AM EDT

[#21]

Quoted:
I was in 45th Co. at Ft. Benning of August 1979 and a Sergeant Airborne yelled at me and made me beat my boots!

Did you ever get zapped?

Posted: 8/18/2005 10:47:19 AM EDT

[#22]

had many a storm at benning-

Glad i wont be back.

mega storm on grenade throwing day

did not throw grenades

cant count the times it mega stormend when we were there.

Posted: 8/18/2005 11:48:13 AM EDT

[#23]

Quoted:
CPT Sobel hates Easy Company.

No he doesnt!

He just hates you.

Posted: 8/18/2005 11:58:04 AM EDT

[#24]

I just hope the kid from up the street wasn't one of the ones zapped!
(there as split training doing Basic. )

Posted: 8/18/2005 2:43:54 PM EDT

[#25]

Quoted:
i was there in 1995 doing basic. i don't remember the name of the hurricane that hit. nice little storm.

Opal.

I was there too.

We were sleeping in the field in poncho hootches when the leading elements of that bitch came in. Hoooo boy!

Posted: 8/18/2005 2:55:22 PM EDT

[#26]

Holy shit

My kid just went to Benning last week.

I don't need this already!

Haven't heard anything.

I think I will wait on telling the wife about this.

GM

Posted: 8/18/2005 2:58:09 PM EDT

[#27]

God got tired of picking on Boy Scouts.

Posted: 8/18/2005 6:31:31 PM EDT

[#28]

Ooo Yeah!

How this brings back memories having to sit out in a wet firing range with a poncho on my head, and 3 inches of rain on my butt. Good old FT Benning Georgia with million dollar ranges, and 12 mile road marches it all seems as I was going through basic Training all over again.

Sure hope all 19 soldiers recover fully and are back up on there feet. Woot!

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Nineteen soldiers in basic training zapped by lightning at Ft. Benning

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