EL PASO, TEXAS- A Fort Bliss Soldier was seriously injured
Wednesday night in a training accident at one of the installation's ranges.
The Soldier is in critical, but stable condition at William Beaumont Army
Medical Center.
"Our thoughts are with this injured Soldier and we wish him a speedy
recovery. The doctors and nurses at William Beaumont are doing everything
they can for the Soldier," said Major Joe Buccino, Fort Bliss spokesman.
The Soldier is a member of the 1st Armored Division's 3rd Brigade, which was
conducting a Fire Coordination Exercise. The accident involved an artillery
round that exploded in the vicinity of a group of Soldiers involved in the
training. The injured Soldier sustained shrapnel wounds to his torso and
left hand. He was airlifted to William Beaumont and went straight in to
surgery.
No other Soldiers were injured. Operations at the range where the accident
occurred have been suspended. The Range Safety Office is investigating the
cause of the incident.
"Fort Bliss and the 1st Armored Division work very hard to avoid training
accidents. Safety is always a top priority during these exercises. When an
accident does occur, it is a tragedy. The installation is very focused on
determining a cause of this accident and will do everything we can to keep
this from happening again," said MG Sean MacFarland, Fort Bliss and 1st
Armored Division Commander.