neighborhood
Two Special Forces paratroopers were injured -- one critically -- this week when they missed their landing zone and came down in a North Carolina neighborhood.

Members of the neighborhood in Hoke County in the southern part of the state came to aid the soldiers, one of whom hit the roof of a house.

 One paratrooper was hospitalized in critical but stable condition, said Army Maj. Rick Dickinson, a spokesperson for Fort Bragg.

The other soldier was treated at the scene for minor injuries."When I got there, there was another soldier there, and we were just kind of keeping him on his side. But you could hear he was struggling to breathe," the unidentified woman said.

Will Jones, who lives in the area, said he was driving home from work when he noticed the paratroopers jumping that day, something common in the area. "In the blink of an eye I didn't see him," Jones said, "That's when I drove to the next street over and saw him in the middle of the street, bleeding with his parachute out."

People rushed to the soldier's aid and helped support his neck.

The Army applauded the people who helped."We want to extend our gratitude to the local authorities and members of the community who immediately responded to provide assistance," Dickinson said.

The owner of the A-frame house where one of the soldiers landed, Albertina McClain, said she is still in the process of moving into the house, so she wasn't there when the incident occurred but heard about what happened from her brother-in-law who stopped by the house to inspect the damage.

The incident is still under investigation and training was temporarily suspended.

Damage can be seen on the roof where the paratrooper landed.

The incident happened in Raeford, according to WRAL, which is about 8 miles from a drop zone in the area. Both soldiers are members of the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Dickinson said.

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Wow how scary

Last edited by Spunky (5/13/2022 8:36 pm)