Posted on 07/24/2011 4:50:45 PM PDT by chargers fan
WEST POINT, N.Y. — U.S. Military Academy officials were investigating Friday how an apparently healthy, athletic 18-year-old West Point cadet died during a land navigation exercise. Cadet Jacob D. Bower of Fairmont, W.Va., was found unresponsive Thursday by fellow cadets in a largely wooded area used for training. Attempts to revive Bower were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead at 6:05 p.m. The incident and cause of death are under investigation. Temperatures in the Hudson Valley were in the 90s Thursday, but West Point's Lt. Col. Sherri Reed said it was not clear if high temperatures were a factor.
(Excerpt) Read more at pittsburghlive.com ...
We used to have a group of six to nine soldiers who used to run starting at 1500 in the Texas heat. The Chief of Staff even told us he thought we were crazy, but we all maxed our runs in Oct or Nov. Still. it is a sad RIP for the cadet.
I went through in August of 88 during the heatwave that killed so many people throughout the south. Unbelievable heat, humidity, and blisters! The blackhats kept us hydrated with 1 canteen every 30 minutes and amazingly enough I don’t remember any heat casualties. We had a few guys finish jump week with fractures though.
When were you at Ft. Polk? My son was there in ‘93 and ‘94; I visited him there...it was such a beautiful drive from Lake Charles to Leesville.
You weren't at Aberdeen PG in 1988 in the ANOC 63Z prep course, were you? You sound like my roommate.
No, I went through Jump School in 1972.
I was a road guard on the ten mile march in basic.....carrying a full pack w/ shelter half n weapon. After the last soldier past the road crossing..had to run..back to my place behind the squad leader. The pitfalls being tall...but it helped me in Vietnam.
The column kept extending..and extending..
I was at Polk for Basic in February, 1972, it was a great base for that, with Little Vietnam, and a great POW camp for training and such.
Heat stroke; someone’s career is in jeopardy for not monitoring his fluid intake.
**********************************
My first thought too.
The column kept extending..and extending..
Tell me. I'm 6'1" and was 6'2" in basic and in the 4th platoon. I was road guard on many marches too. We kept bitching about the slow troops in front. One day they decided to let 4th platoon lead the march. We stayed in formation and the rest was strung out for hundreds of yards. That was the only time we ever led a march.
For someone looking for a home for a family it would be bad, but for soldiering it was great, it was a very hard core base during the war.
Prayers sent....
My neighbor’s son graduated this year from West Point. I hardly recognized him when he came by to visit. They made his a true man among men.
He was single during his stay at Polk, and even gave Ft Hood a thought, since he was an expert on the M1 series MBT.
Probably not ... it was an unfortunate incident but basic military training is arduous and occasionally a death does occur. I survived 13 weeks of basic at Parris Island, I was there April into July. Recruits arriving in June & July were always more at risk ... even though training was adjusted allowing them to acclimate ... most summers the rigorous schedule and heat claimed a victim or two, in spite of reasonable precautions.
I remember going AWOL to party in Leesville with my best friend, who had a pass, there were pimps, hookers, a Madam that pulled a gun on us some hard partying, dodging MPs who seemed everywhere and then I returned totally wasted and reported for Arms room guard, shot the breeze with the Sergeant for a while, and then went in, shut the door, pulled out some cardboard for a bed, and went to sleep in the arms room.
By then my friend and I had a good reputation as hard charging trainees but hard partiers, and nothing came of it, as I knew it wouldn’t, I still left basic as an E-3.
When I was going through Quantico in 68, the SNCOs were still having nightmares about the decade prior episode where where some DIs marched a platoon through the swamp and several died of exposure.
When I played ball in HS and college..coaches wouldn't allow us to drink during practice....it was a mark of weakness. Bear Bryant was famous for that. It's amazing that half of the SEC football teams of the 50's didn't drop dead during summer camp.
We lost a guy from heatstroke in basic, and nothing came of it. Back then the big deal (nationally) was an occasional nut flipping out on the firing ranges and trying to kill people, I don’t know how many times it happened around the nation, but cadre used to keep their pistols ready and stay very alert.
That sounds like Ft Belvoir when I was there in the early 70s.
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.