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Two soldiers die on Brecon Ex.

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  • #16
    Rest In Peace Steelback.

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    • #17
      While it's always sad to hear of troops who have died in combat, there's something particularly bad about hearing of troops dying in a training environment.

      On here and other places, you hear talk of a "Warrior ethos" and what not... Well, both those men possessed a warrior spirit. They were willing to put it all on the line, to follow their dreams.

      RIP Warriors.

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      • #18
        A very fit participant in a 50k run from Athy to graignomonna collapsed due to heatstoke last sat and got a liver transplant on Weds and not out of the woods by any means yet,it seems any form of extreme exertion presently is not just a danger on selection courses.

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        • #19
          Soldier deaths: Third 'SAS' training reservist dies

          A third Army reservist has died after taking part in an SAS selection training exercise in the Brecon Beacons earlier this month.

          Edward Maher, 31, and Craig Roberts, 24, died after temperatures reached 29.5C during the training regime on 13 July.

          The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said on Tuesday a third reservist has died.

          Defence Secretary Philip Hammond has announced a full inquiry into what happened.

          In a statement on Tuesday, the MoD said: "It is with great sadness that we can confirm that a third Army reserve soldier injured during a training exercise in the Brecon Beacons has died of his injuries.

          "The family have asked for a period of grace before he is named and request that this is respected by the media."

          The soldiers had taken part in a four-week trial for the Territorial Army's SAS reservists ending in a 40-mile (64km) hike over the Brecon Beacons in Powys.

          An inquest in Brecon, which opened and adjourned last week, heard the cause of Mr Roberts' and Mr Maher's deaths remains "unascertained".

          Powys coroner Louise Hunt warned that the MoD could face investigation under the Human Rights Act.

          She said "right to life" will play an important part in the inquest.

          "The state has a duty to protect an individual's life," she said.

          "The importance of looking into the wider circumstances of these deaths is that Article Two of the Human Rights Act will come into play."

          Before adjourning proceedings, she said a full inquest would examine all the circumstances leading up to the deaths, and any failings.

          Aptitude training

          L/Cpl Roberts, 24, of Penrhyn Bay, Conwy, had served with the Territorial Army for around five years and is understood to have served in Afghanistan and Iraq.

          The soldiers were among six men rescued during the hike.

          Witnesses on the day described coming across two soldiers "clearly in distress" who pleaded with them for drinking water.

          The pair were understood to be taking part in the aptitude training element of the course to become SAS reservists.

          The Brecon Beacons is home to the Infantry Battle School and makes up one of Britain's largest military training areas.

          http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-23511938
          RIP Warrior.

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          • #20
            May they + Rest In Peace +

            Sympathy & Condolences to their Family, friends & Comrades.

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            • #21
              RIP. Very sad news
              'He died who loved to live,' they'll say,
              'Unselfishly so we might have today!'
              Like hell! He fought because he had to fight;
              He died that's all. It was his unlucky night.
              http://www.salamanderoasis.org/poems...nnis/luck.html

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              • #22
                RIP. Tragic news.

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                • #23
                  Well, the Coroner was not impressed.

                  Three reservists who died on an SAS selection march would have survived if the hike had been stopped when other soldiers fell ill, a coroner says.


                  . SAS selection deaths: Coroner delivers neglect conclusion

                  Three reservists who died on an SAS selection march would have survived if the hike had been stopped when other soldiers fell ill, a coroner has said.

                  Coroner Louise Hunt ruled L/Cpl Edward Maher, L/Cpl Craig Roberts and Cpl James Dunsby died as a result of neglect on the 16-mile march.

                  All three suffered the effects of hyperthermia. The Brecon Beacons march was held on one of 2013's hottest days.

                  Ms Hunt said a failure of basic medical care contributed to their deaths.

                  The inquest in Solihull, West Midlands, had heard that had organisers strictly followed the Ministry of Defence's (MoD) code of practice, the march would have been cancelled after two men - not among those who died - were withdrawn from the exercise shortly after midday due to heat sickness.

                  Controversially, Army personnel had told the coroner they were not aware of the contents of the MoD guidelines and had been told not to bother reading them.

                  The Army said it accepted it did not carefully manage the risks involved in the exercise.

                  All three men were on course to complete the march within the allocated time but were found in three separate locations at different times.

                  The hearing had heard Cpl Dunsby, 31, of Bath, would have been suffering signs of heat illness when he passed the penultimate check point but staff missed it.

                  He was found collapsed near the finish, and died in hospital two weeks later.

                  Delivering her conclusion on Tuesday, the coroner said: "Those running this march were fundamentally under-briefed. They did not fully understand the risk of heat illness, and the emergency plan was inadequate.

                  "I consider the briefing to those running the march to be inadequate as it failed to include weather conditions, the risk of heat injury and the reporting of reasons for medical withdrawals should they occur.

                  "It also failed to include plans to evacuate any casualties," she said.

                  Ms Hunt said the medical plan for the July 2013 march had not been good enough, water supplies had been insufficient and the risk assessment had not identified the correct hospital for treatment.

                  A lack of water contributed to 31-year-old L/Cpl Maher's death, the hearing was told.

                  There should have been closer liaison with emergency services to avoid multiple 999 calls and signal problems meant calls were cut off, leading to delays in getting to casualties, Ms Hunt said.

                  The coroner said there was a lack of understanding by the march's directing staff of soldiers withdrawing with heat illness and some staff were unaware some were ill.

                  She said that had the MoD's own guidance on heat illness been followed, the march would have been called off by 12:40 BST - more than four hours before the first victim, Cpl Roberts, 24, was found convulsing on the mountain.

                  GPS trackers used to monitor candidates were not fit for purpose - something the MoD had known since 2009, the hearing was told.

                  "No measures were put in place in this march to mitigate that risk. This is concerning because it appears lessons have not been learned," Ms Hunt said.

                  She added there was a lack of understanding of an "individual's will to succeed" and there was "complacent" attitude to risk.

                  The failure to recognise the three men had stopped moving via the GPS tracker was a gross failure, which amounted to neglect, she said.

                  "In the case of each soldier there was a failure to provide basic medical care which contributed to their deaths."

                  The test was the second time L/Cpl Roberts, from Penrhyn Bay, Conwy, and L/Cpl Maher, of Winchester, had attempted SAS selection.

                  In a statement after the hearing, the family of L/Cpl Maher paid tribute to the "humanity and skill" of the police and SAS family liaison officers who supported them through the "most difficult two years of our lives".

                  They said while they supported the work of the special forces to produce "magnificent soldiers", training methods "must be fit for purpose" with differences between training and operational activities.

                  "Our son was not on active service in July 2013; he was undergoing selection training on a Welsh hillside, and it is unacceptable that he paid for that training with his life," the statement added.

                  Cpl Dunsby's widow, Bryher Dunsby, said at times during the inquest the MoD had displayed "no responsibility, no accountability and no humility" in acknowledging the "vast catalogue of errors which were so clearly made".

                  "No part of the armed forces can be beyond scrutiny or above the law but unless and until those at the top acknowledge and accept responsibility for the failing of their organisations cultures will not change and mistakes will be repeated," she added.

                  Brigadier John Donnelly, the Army's director of personal services, apologised for the deaths of "three fine soldiers" and said the Army would make sure everything possible was done to prevent it happening again.

                  "It is necessary to train our soldiers to the highest standards to meet the security challenges that we face both in this country and overseas. To do this requires our individuals to push themselves and take some risk," he said.

                  "However, we must ensure that those risks are carefully managed. In this case, we did not do this and accept responsibility."

                  After the hearing, Health and Safety Executive said its investigation into the circumstances surrounding the reservists' deaths was continuing.
                  'He died who loved to live,' they'll say,
                  'Unselfishly so we might have today!'
                  Like hell! He fought because he had to fight;
                  He died that's all. It was his unlucky night.
                  http://www.salamanderoasis.org/poems...nnis/luck.html

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    No one wants those GPS trackers to work anyway.

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      It sounds like quite a toll. I wonder is it avoidable:

                      Figures going back to 1984 reveal almost one soldier has died every two years during fitness and endurance tests in the Brecon Beacons


                      Twenty soldiers have died in Welsh mountain SAS selection training sessions

                      Figures going back to 1984 reveal almost one soldier has died every two years during fitness and endurance tests in the Brecon Beacons

                      As many as 20 soldiers have died during SAS selection in the Brecon Beacons, defence chiefs have admitted.

                      According to figures, almost one soldier has died every two years during SAS tests in the Welsh mountain range since 1984.

                      Twice a year regular military personnel attempt to pass Special Forces selection in the Brecon Beacons.

                      Now, calls are being made for a memorial in honour of those who have lost their lives, The Mirror reports.

                      The proposal for a permanent monument has been put forward by a friend of one man who died during the selection process.

                      The unnamed soldier, who was a friend of a colleague who died while taking part in training has asked the Ministry of Defence how many have died.

                      In a written letter to the MoD he said: "I’ve had some discussions with local councillors and politicians about a memorial for service people that lost their life in the Brecon Beacons.

                      "I lost a close friend and colleague there while he was training for special force selection some years ago and it is a topic close to my heart."

                      Among those who died were Cpl James Dunsby, 31, L/Cpl Edward Maher, 31, and L/Cpl Craig Roberts, 24 , who died near Pen y Fan mountain in the Brecon Beacons in 2013.

                      Roberts and Maher died from heatstroke during a 16 mile dash and Dunsby died from organ failure during extremely hot conditions.

                      Cpl Joshua Hoole, 26 died in 2016 during another fitness test, triggering calls for an enquiry.

                      The training takes place twice a year, with an average of 100 personnel from units all over the armed forces facing a four week long intense test, the most notorious being a 16-mile march carrying a 45 lb back pack and rifle over Pen y Fan.

                      The majority of military deaths in the Brecon Beacons are thought to have taken place during SAS selection or training.

                      A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: "Our deepest sympathies remain with the families and friends of those who have tragically lost their lives.

                      "The health and safety of our personnel is a priority and we continually review training environments and methods to ensure they are as safe as possible."
                      'He died who loved to live,' they'll say,
                      'Unselfishly so we might have today!'
                      Like hell! He fought because he had to fight;
                      He died that's all. It was his unlucky night.
                      http://www.salamanderoasis.org/poems...nnis/luck.html

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