Posted on 11/30/2022 7:09:03 AM PST by Red Badger
Around 8,000 soldiers of Fort Carson’s 4th Infantry Division (ID) were tear-gassed by mistake during a physical morale event Nov. 23, according to a spokesperson for the military base.
U.S. Army recruits are routinely exposed to gas during basic training in order to experience the painful effects of the gas on their skin and eyes, Insider reported in 2020. Exposure for 4th ID troops deviated from standard training, however, when division leadership apparently did not inform soldiers of the use of tear gas prior to the event, Military.com reported.
The division devised the large-scale event to simulate the Battle of Dak To, a Vietnam War engagement that involved 4th ID units and resulted in the death of 361 U.S. soldiers, according to the outlet.
The event included boundaries marked by tear gas, but the wind that day caused the gas to move onto the course and settle onto soldiers who were unprepared for its effects, Military.com reported. The soldiers were also allegedly lacking standard protective equipment at the time. Standard Army guidance advises soldiers to remove contact lenses before being hit with tear gas, since exposure can cause a painful reaction when gas is trapped between the lens and the eyes, the outlet continued.
“The purpose of this event was to build unit cohesion. Leaders at echelon participated in this event with Soldiers,” Fort Carson spokesperson Dee McNutt told Military.com. “The limited use of CS [gas] was not intended to interfere with the formations but to deter participants from leaving the course.”
The 1967 Battle of Dak To lasted 20 days, during which time 4th ID soldiers endured 110 hours of fighting, according to Task and Purpose.
“These events are meant to have aspects of the unknown, replicating historical combat events in previous battles,” McNutt said of Wednesday’s simulation, according to Military.com.
Your morale will improve, even if we have to gas it out of you.
The tear gassing will cease when the morale improves!
SecDef Austin
This “Morale Event”, was it meant to improve or decrease the morale?
It's military training.
Things happen. It's never entirely "safe", and if it were it would be useless.
Morale event for whom? The troops or the NCOs?
Everyone IS relieved to get out of the CS gas. Also helps clear the airways. Clears the nasal cavity better than a neti pot. And yes, team building in a way as everyone suffers but survives.
I don’t remember any Morale boosting exercise in the Air Force. There was a Morale, Welfare, and Recreation department. You could rent sporting goods...I guess that was supposed to be good for morale. It was the Welfare part you had to watch out for. They were apparently authorized to raid the dorms a couple of times a year. For your own good, of course.
Soldiers and hippies have something in common!
Well let's hope the enemy conforms this advice before their next attack......
Interesting screen name, considering the topic. You would seem to be uniquely qualified to comment!
I got raided once,
Not gòod.
> the wind that day caused the gas to move onto the course <
Sounds to me like this is a Climate Change problem.
Somebody ought to notify Al Gore about this.
I came out of my office next to the hangar and walked right into a cloud of tear gas - never knew a human body could produce that much mucus that fast.
When I was in the Marines we had to do the ‘gas chamber’ every year!.............
FTA
“...aspects of the unknown ...”
How about “ass specks from the known suspects”?
We are in more trouble than previously thought.
Good training!
You have to be prepared for the unexpected. ;-)
The whole dorm was raided, once in tech school. Everyone rousted at 3 AM, stand in the hall in your skivvies while they ran the dogs through, searched your stuff. I’m not sure what motivated that one. Just because they could, maybe. I lived in the Animal House dorm at Homestead. People came in from other dorms and we got trashed a lot. I guess they were just cracking down. Some guys had girls living in their rooms, and it was getting out of control.
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