Posted on 06/07/2004 6:59:39 AM PDT by Brian Mosely
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - A U.S. soldier serving in Baghdad died after collapsing while on guard duty, the American military said Monday.
The soldier in the 1st Cavalry Division lost consciousness and stopped breathing around 11 a.m on Sunday. Medics attempted to resuscitate him and took him to a military hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The soldier's death is under investigation.
Daytime temperatures are already over 100 degrees in Iraq.
May he rest in peace. And may God send comfort to his family.
Heat Stroke?
No doubt. Probably hadn't been drinking enough water....
Appears that way.
Daytime temps are over 110* F right now.
Can't wait for summer to start!
Classic heat stroke.
So sad...not all of our heros are on the battlefield...
Damn, my late nephews unit sure has taken some ugly hits as of late. This one, I'll with hold further comment until we find out why this honorable young man as fell at his post.
Sarin Gas?
God bless your late nephew, and protect your surviving one.
I got a lesson in that yesterday. Felt weak, dizzy, headachy and out of it and found out I was mildly dehydrated. Got a lecture from the medic about staying hydrated and NOT to drink Gatorade when I've been outside for a while. (Didn't know about that one...I do now.
I wish this poor guy had had the warning I did yesterday. I'll be sucking down plenty of water from now on.
It hit 118 here yesterday.
Stay safe !
It's sad this soldier died. Water is your best friend over there.
During the Stryker testing at Ft Knox last summer we had a 26 yr old soldier suffer a heat stroke that almost did him in. His core temperature was 106 when he arrived at the University of Louisville Medical Center. His kidneys shut down along with other internal organs such as his pancreas. He also had some liver problems and they were afraid of a heart attack. He made a 100% recovery and the latest I heard of him was from his battalion XO in Afghanistan. Doing fine.
One of the biggest hassles in the early days of Nam was the fact that the Army had traditionaly issued canteens on a one per soldier basis. The troops realised early on that one canteen was totally insufficient and started to scrounge an additional canteen and carry two. This resulteed in a supply and logistics nightmere somewhat simular to the body armor problems lately.
An interim measure was taken which involved the issue of a soft sided 2 Quart canteen that had a cover that could be wet down to allow for evaporative cooling of the contents.
The soft sided canteens really never caught on with the troops because of the weight and the problems with balancing the load.
Anybody who ever had to hit the groung fast an hard has a story to tell about the effect a hard sided canteen has on body parts in a fall. Thanks to the folks at the Natick Soldier's center troops are now issued back pack canteens (commonly called camels) that hold between two and three quarts of water and have tubes that extend over the soldier's shoulder allowing him to drink without pulling out a canteen. THe same tube can be used with the protective mask.
Those camels are great as they center the load of water on the back and torso allowing the soldier more freedom when humping a heavy ruck. You still see soldiers carrrying standard canteens as well.
From experience as a 1SG one of the hardest things to do is impose water discipline on troops they simply will not drink enough.
God Bless our troops.
And this is why we're on your case, Missy! Now drink up and get in the shade. :)
Don't lose your sun block!
The weird part is that at the Festival, we get lectured about how water won't do it alone and we need Gatorade or some other sports drink. I don't drink nearly enough water out there, but I irrigate myself with Propel every chance.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.