Fort Hood suffers another tragedy after flood spills Army truck

A flight of helicopters lumbered slowly over Belton Lake here Friday, just downstream from where nine soldiers died when their vehicle overturned in a flash flood while four others remained missing.

The incident occurred around 11 a.m. CDT Thursday at a low water crossing near the northeastern part of this sprawling Army base, one of the largest in the country. While three soldiers were rescued almost immediately, sonar boats and rescue crews worked through the night Thursday and all of Friday, combing flooded woods and engorged streams in search of those swept away in the rising waters. The last four missing bodies were found Friday evening.

The deaths of the soldiers in a seemingly avoidable accident is another blow to an Army post that has seen its share of tragedy in recent years. Last year, four soldiers were killed when their Black Hawk helicopter crashed on a routine training mission. In 2014, Spc. Ivan Lopez shot and killed four soldiers, including himself, and wounded 14 others in what was deemed a workplace violence incident. Lopez’s shooting spree came five years after a terrorist attack by Maj. Nidal Hasan who shot and killed 13 people in 2009, many of them soldiers, at one of the base’s medical facilities.

The base has “had some big things in our careers that we’ve responded to,” said Lt. Donnie Adams with the Bell County Sheriff’s Office.

Chris Haug, a Fort Hood spokesman, said Friday that base personnel were trying to close a road because it had started to flood when the soldiers’ vehicle overturned. Haug said a dozen soldiers were learning how to operate a light medium tactical vehicle when it was caught in the rising waters and overturned.

“We were in the process – at the moment of the event – of closing the roads,” Haug said at a press conference outside of the base Friday morning.

Though the ford point was a designated low-water crossing, Haug said troops had regularly passed through it in similar weather conditions, but added that the water rose quickly, possibly catching the soldiers off guard.

“It was a tragic accident where we lost five of our soldiers,” said Maj. Gen. John Uberti, Fort Hood’s Deputy Commanding General. “Due to the quick action of some other soldiers who were training, we were able to rescue three soldiers.”

Haug said that personnel in a vehicle behind the tactical vehicle had rescued the three soldiers, who remain hospitalized in stable condition. They were expected to be released Saturday.

Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said Friday that the U.S. military would learn from the rash of training accidents in the past week. On Thursday, the same day the Fort Hood soldiers were killed, a U.S. Navy Blue Angel F-18 crashed in Tennessee, killing the pilot.

“With respect to the fact that both of these were losses, safety issues, in training we are going to make sure that we learn lessons that we can from investigations that we conduct after these incidents and take actions in the future to prevent such accidents,” Carter said during a visit to Singapore.

The missing at Fort Hood could be anywhere in a maze of underbrush and vegetation that has been pounded with storms over the past week, thwarting search efforts and making navigation for those on the ground difficult. Despite the conditions, Haug said the base is using “all assets that we have” including ground search crews, air assets and dog teams to search for the four who remain missing.

“This is a remote area of the range, it’s difficult to see,” Haug said. Agencies from all over the state – and particularly throughout the five-city area surrounding the base – are helping in search efforts, officials said.

A medium tactical vehicle, such as the one that flipped Thursday, is often used as a troop transport, and is comprised of a front cab and bed that can hold equipment or additional soldiers. While medium tactical vehicles have substantial ground clearance they are not built specifically for high-water operations.

The deceased soldiers are from the 16th Field Artillery Regiment of the 1st Cavalry Division, the Army said. The 1st Cavalry Division is just one of several units that comprise the Army’s III Corps stationed at Fort Hood.

The names of the dead will not be released until 24 hours after their next of kin have been notified, officials said.

“The 1st Cavalry Division is grieving after a training accident at Fort Hood during flash flooding this morning. We are deeply saddened by the loss of several troopers and continue search operations,” Maj. Gen. John Thomson, 1st Cavalry Division’s Commanding General, said in a statement. “Your thoughts and prayers are greatly appreciated during this difficult time as we care for the Families, loved ones, and fellow soldiers of those impacted by this tragedy.”

Severe flooding has swept through Texas in recent days as bands of thunderstorms have pummeled dozens of counties across the state, forcing Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to declare emergencies in many of them.

In a statement Abbott extended his condolences to the families of those lost and said that “Texas stands ready to provide any assistance to Fort Hood as they deal with this tragedy.”

Before Thursday’s deaths officials at Fort Hood closed two main thoroughfares that stretched through the base, advising motorists to stay away from areas prone to flooding. Local weather reports indicated that Fort Hood has received nearly 3 inches of rain since Wednesday. On Friday the weather was mostly clear, though numerous streams remained swollen with rainwater.

Fort Hood covers more than 300 square miles and is one of the largest military installations in the United States. Its expansive network of ranges and trails makes it a perfect place for armored vehicles and other units to train soldiers.

This story was originally published June 3, 2016 at 7:39 PM with the headline "Fort Hood suffers another tragedy after flood spills Army truck."