One more thing, blanks can be lethal as well. If there is debris in the barrel it can be fired out and kill a person (Brandon Lee) the blank it self may have wadding in it which could kill too. Anyone with a lick of common sense knows you never point a gun at anything that you don't intend to shoot.
Exercises may be done in the military to simulate combat situations, but in this case it is soldiers against soldiers who both have much training and know what they are doing.