Alaska Training Fatalities
Light Medium Tactical Vehicle
Two 11th Airborne soldiers killed, a dozen injured in LMTV rollover
By Davis Winkie
Two soldiers assigned to the 11th Airborne Division at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, were killed and a dozen more were injured Monday afternoon when their truck rolled over near the Yukon Training Area, according to local media reports.
According to Alaska News Source, 17 soldiers were riding in a Light Medium Tactical Vehicle on a dirt road near the training area outside the town of Salcha, when the driver lost control of the truck. It then flipped, killing two of the soldiers and sending as many as a dozen more to hospitals around the state.
In addition to the two deceased soldiers, a pair of troops suffered injuries severe enough that they were evacuated nearly 300 miles by air to Providence Medical Center in Anchorage, the state’s largest city, the report said. The less-injured soldiers were evacuated by ground and air to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital.
Condolences to the families and friends of the fallen. The injured troops remain hospitalized, no further word on the extent of the injuries. The tragic accident is of course under investigation.
Category: Army, Fair Winds and Following Seas, Training Incidents
How is it both light and medium?
Medium is a designation for the family of vehicles that it belongs to. Inside that family there are light and medium vehicles. Kind of the same way you would call a steak medium, medium rare, medium well. Medium light probably would have made more sense.
The light and medium versions of the FMTV can be explained as replacing the previous 2 1/2T and 5T trucks. Had serious doubts about them when we got them, but they turned out to be pretty good trucks.
They do have a higher center of gravity (can be/feel tippy) and only four wheels on an LMTV makes a blowout interesting.
Military service can be quite dangerous no matter the MOS.
Wartime or peacetime.
Condolences to the families of those fallen or injured.
Training can be as deadly as war.
Pohakuloha Training Area mortar deaths in 1988, we put the HMMV back together they were standing by.
May these fine soldiers rest in peace.
Was going to expand on this but, really, the steak sauce answer is far better than o was going to say!
Damn! Last thing we need is more Gold Star Families. And soldiers in a body and fender shop. Sympathies to the families and Squad Mates.