4 US Marines killed in Osprey crash during NATO exercise

4 US Marines killed in Osprey crash during NATO exercise in northern Norway

STARS AND STRIPES
BY PHILLIP WALTER WELLMAN
MARCH 19, 2022

U.S. Marines prepare to take off in a MV-22B Osprey at Norwegian Air Force Base Bodø during Exercise Cold Response 22, Norway, Wednesday, March 16, 2022. Four Marines were killed when their Osprey aircraft crashed Fricay in a Norwegian town in the Arctic Circle, authorities said Saturday. (Elias Pimentel III/U.S. Marine Corps)

BJERKVIK, Norway — Four U.S. Marines were killed when their MV-22B Osprey crashed in northern Norway on Friday during a NATO training exercise, Norway's prime minister and Norwegian police said Saturday.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere posted on Twitter at about 4 a.m. Saturday that the Marines died in the crash, following initial reports of them being missing. The Marines were participating in the multinational Cold Response exercise when the Osprey crashed in Beiarn, a remote coastal area about 725 miles north of Oslo.

The four Marines were assigned to 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, II Marine Expeditionary Force, and continue to be listed officially as missing, according to a IIMEF statement Saturday.
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Airman Killed in New Mexico Training Accident

Air Force base: 1 killed, 1 injured in New Mexico training
FOX News
February 1, 2017

A pair of F-16 jets struck two members of a ground-control party -- killing a civilian contractor and wounding an Air Force service member -- after a training exercise went awry on Tuesday night, officials said in a Wednesday statement.

The F-16s were using unspecified munitions when the incident occurred at a range that's part of the White Sands Missile Range complex near Holloman Air Force Base in southern New Mexico.
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Fort Campbell Soldiers Hurt After Helicopter Caught Fire

Helicopter Training Incident Injures Four Fort Campbell Soldiers
WKMS News
By NICOLE ERWIN and MATT MARKGRAF
JAN 31, 2017

Tuesday Afternoon Update: The helicopter caught fire during a training exercise and was extinguished by Fort Campbell Fire and Emergency Services personnel.

Soldiers from the 1st Brigade Combat Team aided in the extraction of the aircraft personnel. The soldiers suffering injuries were transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Blanchfield Army Community Hospital. Their families are still being notified.
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Twentynine Palms Marin Killed in Training, Another Wounded

The next time you hear anyone say that most of the suicides occur without being deployed, remember this,

One Marine killed, second wounded in training accident
Marine Corps Times
By: Jeff Schogol
January 15, 2017

One Marine was killed and a second Marine wounded while conducting small arms live-fire training Friday at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms in California.

Both Marines’ names are being withheld pending next of kin notification, according to a news release from the combat training base. An investigation into the accident has been launched.

The incident happened at 5:05 p.m. Friday as the Marines were preparing for the start of Integrated Training Exercise 2-17, the news release says.
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Training itself is dangerous, as you have just read, and it should be a factor in any report on the rise in suicides among servicemembers.

Then add in the fact that every member of the military, regardless of branch, has received training in what they have been told will prevent PTSD and stop suicides. 

Now add in the simple question we have never heard and explanation for. If that training was not good enough to prevent suicides in non-deployed, then how the hell did they think it would work for those deployed into combat multiple times?

Airman Died During Training

Air Force Says Airman Dies During Training in Texas 
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SAN ANTONIO — Jul 13, 2016  

The U.S. Air Force says a 21-year-old airman has died while training in Central Texas.

Airman 1st Class Kenneth Sturgill of Livermore, California, was attending Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Selection School when he was found unresponsive during a safety check by an instructor. That was on the second-to-last day of a 19-day SERE course. read more here

Months of Training To Serve, Worse Than None To Go Home

When Will the DOD Train Them To Live?
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
June 11, 2016

Suicides tied to military service are always complicated.  While lives always end for the same reason, loss of hope tomorrow will be any better, how they get to that point is a series of events complicated by human encounters.

Men and women decide to take the hardest, most demanding jobs.  It isn't just about the low pay, endless hours, rules and regulations.  It isn't just about the unknown they are willing to accept, such as being deployed, but all the hardships that come with the job.  They are even willing to be killed, sacrificing their lives for someone else.

So how do they go from being like that to someone unable to live one more day?

We can keep finding the easy villain to blame and usually folks simply blame the VA. Yet if we actually think about all of this, it all begins with the Department of Defense itself. That is where they transition from civilian to servicemember and where they are supposed to transition from servicemember to veteran. Unfortunately, the DOD has not been interested in that part.

The new Army training is 10 weeks. For the Marines training is 12 weeks. The Air Force training is 8 weeks and so is the Navy training. While the DOD considers all physical conditions for recruits, they also consider mental health issues. In other words, they are supposed to be of "sound mind" when they join.

The DOD also started addressing prevention around 2006, which was supposed to be training their brains to become mentally tough and avoid PTSD. (Yep, like that would work since they were already mentally tough to being with.) While there is no evidence anyone can be trained to be resilient, but plenty of evidence this did not work, the military continued to push it. Suicides went up and so did suicides in the Veterans Community.

As a matter of fact, the newer veterans are committing suicide triple their peer rate.  Veterans are double the civilian rate of suicides with the majority over the age of 50. So that clearly shows the DOD efforts in prevention failed. It also shows that after all these years, the VA has not done enough.  None of the new charities with all their "awareness" talk have done enough.

With all that in mind, then consider the other thing the DOD has been reporting. They point to the fact that suicides are high for the non-deployed forces. The following is from the story of one of them.  A young Marine who only wanted to be a Marine since the age of 6.

"Thompson, the VA's deputy director of suicide prevention, said recent studies found that more veterans who have never been deployed and have never seen combat die by suicide than those who have been deployed — a fact that surprises most people."

If all that training was not good enough for the non-deployed, how did they expect it to work on those with multiple deployments?

A mother mourns; the VA promises to do more to prevent veteran suicide
Springfield News Leader
Jackie Rehwald
June 10, 2016

When he was 6, police caught Kindall Johnson trying to cross Sunshine Street by himself. The Marine-obsessed child had discovered the recruitment office, then located in the Elfindale Center.

His mother, Kathy Davis, seemed to enjoy sharing that memory.

"One night I'm cooking dinner and there was a knock at the door. It was two police officers and Kindall was standing there smiling," she said. "He had bumper stickers, lanyards, pencils, pads of paper. And he goes, 'I found this really cool place and they give you all this free stuff.'"

Johnson stayed in touch with the recruiters and never wavered on his plan to enlist.

A strong runner, Johnson was invited to train with recruits who were getting ready to ship out. He was just 15 years old.

A few days after high school graduation, he was sent to boot camp.

Five years later he died of a gunshot wound. The Marine was not killed by enemy fire.

Shortly after attending a Missouri State University homecoming tailgate party on Oct. 17, 2015, Johnson drove to the police station on Chestnut Expressway. He sent several messages to friends and family, apologizing and saying goodbye.

He then called 911 before shooting himself twice.
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UPDATE
Here is General Peter Chiarelli talking about suicides in February. "It is the highest we've seen in any single month since we've been keeping track."

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Fort Carson Soldiers Evacuated from Rocky Mountain

Fort Carson soldiers evacuated from Colorado peak by helicopter
FOX news
June 3, 2016

North Face of Longs Peak, May 2016
(National Park Service)

Several military personnel were rescued by helicopter Friday in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park after some had trouble climbing one of the state's highest peaks.

Defense officials told Fox News that 11 Green Berets from Fort Carson in Colorado Springs were involved in a climbing training exercise Thursday on 14,259-foot Longs Peak, but a few of them had trouble continuing.
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Fort Stewart Army Ranger Killed During Live Fire Training

Afghanistan veteran Army Ranger, 21, dies after being 'seriously wounded during a live-fire exercise'
By ASSOCIATED PRESS and DAILYMAIL.COM REPORTER
PUBLISHED: 14:15 EST, 11 December 2015

Cpl Andrew Aimesbury was injured during in southeast Georgia on Wednesday
The 21-year-old elite Army Ranger from Strafford, New Hampshire, served one tour of duty in Afghanistan
He died after being rushed to a hospital

The military is investigating the death of an Army Ranger who was injured during a training exercise in southeast Georgia.

The Army said in a news release Friday that 21-year-old Cpl Andrew Aimesbury was training with his squad at Fort Stewart when he was 'seriously wounded during a live-fire exercise.' He died after being rushed to a hospital.

Tracy Bailey, a spokeswoman for the Army's 75th Ranger Regiment, declined to provide more details on how Aimesbury was injured in the incident Wednesday, citing an open investigation by the Army.
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Fort Carson Soldier Died in Training Accident

Fort Carson soldier dies after California Stryker training crash 
The soldier was a member of the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team
The Denver Post
By Jesse Paul
09/30/2015

A Fort Carson soldier died Wednesday after a California training accident last week, Army officials said, becoming the second GI from the Mountain Post to die in a Stryker armored-vehicle crash this year.

The soldier, a member of the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, was injured Sept. 24 in a Stryker rollover crash at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, Calif.

Fort Carson officials say the soldier was taken to Riverside Community Hospital in Riverside, Calif., for treatment before his death.
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UPDATE
Fort Carson ID's soldier killed in California Stryker training crash
Staff Sgt. Christopher Popham was assigned to the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division and was injured in a Stryker rollover during training Sept. 24.

Army Widow Forgives Soldiers After Fort Bliss Training Death

Soldier negligence cited in death of Army captain
Army Times
By Kevin Lilley, Staff writer
September 21, 2015

Less than a day after rejoining his unit in the middle of a training exercise, a 27-year-old officer lay dying in the dark, the victim of what an Army investigator called “the intersection of multiple deficiencies.”

Capt. Jonathan Wynkoop, back with Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, after attending a wedding, had led an advance party from a training area to an assembly area about 30 kilometers away as part of Operation Iron Focus, a 10-day exercise involving more than 6,000 1st Armored Division soldiers at Fort Bliss, Texas.

The field artillery officer from Maumee, Ohio, helped set up camp and, around 12:30 the morning of March 31, went to sleep on a cot next to his vehicle.

Four hours and 15 minutes later came disaster. Operating in near-pitch black conditions, with a ground guide using the wrong type of illumination and a driver with the wrong type of license — both soldiers working on about two hours’ sleep — an MATV entered the unit’s unmarked sleeping area. It rolled over Wynkoop as he slept, crushing his chest.
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This is the last photo taken of Capt. Jonathan Wynkoop. It was March 28, a few days before the training accident at Fort Bliss, Texas.
(Photo: Courtesy of Rachel Wynkoop)

Army widow forgives soldiers cited in her husband's death
Army Times
By Kevin Lilley, Staff writer
September 21, 2015

Days after learning Capt. Jonathan Wynkoop had died in a training accident, his family members had a request — they wanted to meet the soldiers involved.

So, on an April Monday at Fort Bliss, Texas, Rachel Wynkoop found herself in a room at her husband’s brigade headquarters, speaking with the driver of the MATV that rolled over the father of three while he slept on a cot next to his vehicle in the early morning hours of March 31.

Rachel Wynkoop wasn’t there to press for answers, to express rage, to impart or release any of the suffering she’d undergone in the six days since her husband’s death.

Instead, the officer’s widow had a simple goal.

“My mission was to help him,” Wynkoop said of the driver, in one of a series of emails to Army Times. “He offered apologies, and I offered forgiveness, and told him that the kids and I would be OK. I also ensured that even though he faces a difficult road ahead, that he would take care of himself in the best manner possible.”
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Joint Base Lewis-McChord Died After Parachute Accident

JBLM paratrooper dies during training exercise
KING 5 News
Alex Rozier
September 12, 2015

A soldier who went missing after a parachute jump in Mason County was found dead Friday night.

The jump happened during a training exercise that began around noon on Friday. After a search of the area, the body was found at approximately 10 p.m. that day.

The soldier was part of the 1st Special Forces Group based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. The unit was training over a wooded area in Mason County.

The soldier's name has not yet been released.
read more here
Linked from USAToday

Female Marines Pulled Their Weight Plus 220 Pound Dummy

They Survived Training, Now Female Marines Await Word On Ground Combat
NPR
Tom Bowman
JULY 07, 2015

Marine Lance Cpls. Julia Carroll (left) and Paula Pineda lift "Carl" — a 220-pound test dummy — during training in March in California. Female Marines have completed months of training and are now waiting to hear whether they will be allowed to serve in combat roles.
David Gilkey/NPR

Lance Cpl. Paula Pineda relaxes at a picnic table not far from her barracks in Camp LeJeune, N.C. She's in a crisp uniform and has a ready smile. It's one of the few breaks she's had in months — and she can finally laugh about Carl.

"Carl — our special, heavy, unique dummy," she says.

It was back in March, in the heat of the Mojave Desert in California, that Pineda — sweaty and grimy and just 5-foot-2 — struggled to help pull Carl the dummy out of her armored vehicle, along with another Marine, Julia Carroll. It was part of an exercise to rescue an injured crewman.

Carl weighed 220 pounds.
They also changed tires weighing 170 pounds on the armored vehicles, and hitched up heavy chains and hooks to simulate a towing operation.

The women proved something in their months of tough training, says Pineda, who wore a helmet with the words "Mad Max" taped on the back.

They're ready to serve in ground combat.

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Vehicle Accident At Fort Hood: Soldier Killed, 3 Injured

Soldier killed in vehicle wreck at Fort Hood training area 
By The Associated Press
June 18, 2015

FORT HOOD, Texas — Military officials say one soldier has been killed and three injured when a vehicle rolled in a Fort Hood training area.

Authorities at the Central Texas post did not immediately release the name of the soldier who died Wednesday or conditions of those hurt. The injured were transported to Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center.

Officials also didn't immediately say what type of vehicle wrecked.
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North Carolina Soldier Killed in Training Accident in Alaska

Soldier killed during Fort Wainwright training exercise 
Associated Press
June 13, 2015

FAIRBANKS -- The U.S. Army says a 23-year-old soldier died during a training exercise at Fort Wainwright. The Fairbanks News-Miner reports that the soldier was killed in a single-vehicle rollover accident on Wednesday.

The Army says Spc. Tyrice Weaver died from injuries caused when his 5-ton tactical vehicle rolled while conducting a platoon convoy at the Yukon Training Area. read more here

Soldier From Longwood Died in Training At Fort Bragg

Paratrooper dies during airborne training at Fort Bragg
Army Times
By Michelle Tan, Staff writer
April 30, 2015

A paratrooper from the 82nd Airborne Division died Tuesday during an airborne training operation at Sicily Drop Zone on Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Spc. Nicholas Roberts died Tuesday in an airborne training accident at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

(Photo: Army)

Spc. Nicholas Roberts, 27, of Longwood, Florida, was an infantryman assigned to C Company, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, officials from the 82nd Airborne said Thursday in a statement.

"Spc. Roberts was a tremendous young man," said Col. Curtis Buzzard, 3rd BCT commander, in the statement. "He had only recently joined us, but he brought with him experience and leadership qualities we seek in our paratroopers. We were all saddened to hear of this tragedy, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends."

The incident, which took place during a nighttime operation, is under investigation.
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Two Navy SEALs Died in Training Accident

2nd Navy SEAL dies after accident in Little Creek pool 
Pilot Online
Virginia Pilot
Lauren King
April 7, 2015

A second Navy SEAL involved in an accident at a Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek pool has died.

Petty Officer 1st Class Brett Allen Marihugh, 34, of Livonia, Mich., died Sunday afternoon of his injuries, according to Lt. David Lloyd, a Naval Special Warfare Group 2 spokesman. Marihugh and Petty Officer 1st Class Seth Cody Lewis were found unresponsive Friday in a swimming pool on base while doing physical fitness training.

Both belonged to Naval Special Warfare Group 2, and Lloyd said in a news release that the two men were discovered at the bottom of the pool by service members assigned to the Combat Swimmer Training Facility, which is used by members of the SEAL team for regular fitness training.

Lewis was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at Sentara Leigh Hospital, the news release said. Marihugh had been in critical condition and was transferred to Sentara Virginia Beach General, where he later died.
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Linked from Military.com

Fort Bragg Soldier Killed in Training Exercise

Fort Bragg soldier killed in training exercise at Louisiana base 
WRAL.com
April 18, 2015

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — A 19-year-old soldier stationed at Fort Bragg died Thursday during a training exercise at a base in Louisiana, base officials announced Saturday.

Pv. Joshua D. Phillips, of Las Vegas, was participating in a training at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk when he was killed. 

The death is under investigation, Fort Bragg officials said.

Phillips, who was assigned to Alpha Company, 37th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, joined the Army in August 2014. read more here

Fort Bliss Army Captain Died After Vehicle Ran Over Him

Army officer dies in tragic training accident
Army Times
By Kevin Lilley, Staff writer
April 2, 2015

Capt. Jonathan F. Wynkoop, 27

died Tuesday during an exercise

at Fort Bliss, Texas.

(Photo: Army)

A 1st Armored Division officer died early Tuesday during a training exercise at Fort Bliss, Texas, after a mine-resistant vehicle allegedly rolled over him in his cot while he slept, the base announced in a Wednesday news release.

Capt. Jonathan F. Wynkoop, 27, was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, Division Artillery, and was participating in Iron Focus 2015, a two-week, division-level training exercise that began March 23.

A mine-resistant, ambush-protected all-terrain vehicle, or M-ATV, allegedly backed over the cot around 5 a.m., according to the release.

Wynkoop was pronounced dead about an hour later; the incident is under investigation.
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Naval Recruit Andrew Adams Died After Training

Naval recruit dies one day after completing training
"Recruit Andrew Adams, 20 years old, of Sarasota, Fla passed out and hit his head," said Lt. Matt Comer, spokesman for Naval Service Training Command at Great Lakes.
UPI
By Danielle Haynes
Dec. 3, 2014

Naval recruit Andrew Adams.
Photo courtesy the U.S. Navy.

GREAT LAKES, Ill., Dec. 3 (UPI) -- The U.S. Navy is investigating the death of a 20-year-old recruit who died Monday one day after completing his training.

Andrew Adams was undergoing training at Naval Service Training Command at Great Lakes at the time of his death.

"Recruit Andrew Adams, 20 years old, of Sarasota, Fla passed out and hit his head," said Lt. Matt Comer, spokesman for Naval Service Training Command at Great Lakes. "His recruit division commander responded with first aid until medical personnel could arrive, but neither could not revive the recruit."
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Camp Pendleton Marines Taking Over LA

UPDATE

Dodger Stadium was site of simulated raid by Marines from Camp Pendleton

If Marines deploying next year are ordered to assault an enemy stronghold and capture a high-value target, they can say they practiced at Dodger Stadium.

Dodger Stadium was the site Monday night of a simulated raid by Marines from the Camp Pendleton-based 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

A “raid force” of 75 Marines arrived on MV-22B Ospreys and other aircraft from Fort Hunter Liggett near Monterey, Calif., about 170 miles from Chavez Ravine. The aircraft landed in the stadium parking lot and Marines stormed the stadium, primarily through the stadium tunnels.
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Camp Pendleton Marines To Conduct Training In Downtown LA
CBS News
December 5, 2014

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com/AP) — Residents in and around downtown Los Angeles could hear helicopters or other military aircraft over the coming days as Marines and sailors from Camp Pendleton train in preparation for a deployment.

The training is part of a two-week military exercise that starts Friday and extends through Dec. 16 and involves about 2,400 members of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, according to the Associated Press.

While residents could see as many as six military helicopters buzzing over the downtown area over the next week, raids being held at several undisclosed locations in the city will be off limits to the public for safety reasons, Capt. Brian Block told the Associated Press.

“It’s not going to look like ‘Apocalypse Now’ by any stretch of the imagination,” Block said. Dozens of Marines will raid buildings and shoot paintballs from modified M-15s as part of the exercise, but no residents live in the spots where the pseudo-combat will take place, according to Block.
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