Wind slams parachuting soldiers into Mississippi trees, where they were left dangling
Paratroopers were left dangling from trees after wind blew them off course during a training exercise in Mississippi.
The soldiers were part of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division from Alaska, which is training at Camp Shelby this month, the Sun Herald reported.
As a training exercise, 87 soldiers parachuted from a C-130 airplane Wednesday night, but the wind blew them off course and into the trees, according to a Facebook post from the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment.
A few of the paratroopers were left dangling in the trees so high it required “significant recovery support” to get them down, the post said.
All of them have since been rescued, according to the Thursday morning post.
Most of the 87 soldiers weren’t injured, but 18 of them needed medical attention and are expected to recover, according to the post.
Emergency vehicles were on standby during the operation and a nearby hospital was notified of the jump and a possible “influx of patients,” the Mississippi National Guard wrote on Facebook.
“Airborne Operations all bear an inherent risk,” the post said. “We strive to mitigate this risk as much as possible.”
The National Guard thanked the units on Camp Shelby and first responders for their help with the incident.
“The entire community has come together to ensure that we are able to provide expert treatment to any soldiers who were injured during the Airborne Operation,” it wrote on Facebook.
The soldiers will continue training after the equipment is recovered over the next few days, the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment said on Facebook
“Despite the difficulty of this training jump, the battalion performed well and will recover well to continue our training mission,” the post said.
