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1 Soldier Killed, More Service Members Injured In 2 Training Incidents

One soldier was killed and seven wounded Thursday during a training incident at Fort Bragg, N.C. It came just one day after a separate incident at Camp Pendleton, Calif., left 14 Marines and one sailor wounded.
Gerry Broome
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AP
One soldier was killed and seven wounded Thursday during a training incident at Fort Bragg, N.C. It came just one day after a separate incident at Camp Pendleton, Calif., left 14 Marines and one sailor wounded.

Updated 9:15 p.m. ET

One soldier has died and 22 other military personnel have been injured in incidents on consecutive days during training operations on military bases at opposite ends of the country.

The Army says a Special Forces soldier, Staff Sgt. Alexander P. Dalida, 32, of Dunstable, Mass., died after he and seven other soldiers were injured during demolitions training at Fort Bragg, N.C., Thursday morning, according to a statement by the Army Special Operations Command. The service says Dalida's death is being investigated.

The injured soldiers were taken by air and ground transport to "multiple hospitals."

It happened at the base's John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, which teaches some 3,000 students "warfighter skills."

"We will honor Staff Sgt. Dalida and help his family in their time of need," said Col. Michael Kornburger of the center in a news release.

Details about what happened were sketchy. "We are looking into the incident," spokesman for Army Special Operations Command Lt.Col. Rob Bockholt told NPR.

It comes on the heels of another military training mishap. On Wednesday an amphibious assault vehicle caught fire at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. The Marines initially said 15 Marines were injured but now the service has clarified that one of the 15 was a sailor.

Fourteen Marines and one sailor were wounded when an amphibious assault vehicle caught on fire Wednesday at Camp Pendleton during a combat readiness evaluation.
Denis Poroy / AP
/
AP
Fourteen Marines and one sailor were wounded when an amphibious assault vehicle caught on fire Wednesday at Camp Pendleton during a combat readiness evaluation.

Eight Marines were taken to the Burn Center at University of California, San Diego Health. In all, five Marines were reported to be in critical condition and five in serious condition on Wednesday.

It happened during "a combat readiness evaluation as part of scheduled battalion training," said the statement.

The type of vehicle that caught on fire is used to transport Marines and cargo from ship to shore and has been in operation since the 1970s. Wednesday's accident occurred on land.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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Amy Held is an editor on the newscast unit. She regularly reports breaking news on air and online.
Barbara Campbell