Three Fort Bragg Soldiers Suffer Heat Strokes

The soldiers took part in a 12 mile march which began just after 3:00 a.m. They were training for their expert infantryman's badge.

Physical training is always a concern for Fort Bragg officials during the hot summer months. They closely watch the heat index and schedule the toughest training accordingly.

"Anytime someone is at risk for developing a heat injury, they have to be very aware of their nutritional status, their state of hydration and maintain good physical condition, which we try to do," said Dr. James Nold, who works at the Womack Army Medical Center.

Dr. Nold was the attending physician in the emergency room when the three soldiers were brought in.

"All three of these patients did have heat stroke. The treatment for that is aggressive cooling and intravenous hydration, and then any other IV medication that would be indicated depending on their situation."

Bragg officials work together with Army doctors to keep soldiers from becoming heat stroke and heat exhaustion victims.

"There are medics that work with each of the units," Dr. Nold said. "They try and maintain a good state of health of all the troops, and then keep the command advised of any problems that are developing."

While two of the soldiers were in stable condition, doctors did not expect the soldier in critical condition to improve overnight.