Lt. Col. Allie Payne, public affairs officer for the 1st Armored Division and Fort Bliss, said during a press conference that initial laboratory reports indicate the soldiers consumed ethylene glycol, commonly found in automotive products including engine coolant and brake fluid.
Credit Staff Sgt. Michael West / U.S. Army
EL PASO – The Army has launched a criminal investigation after eleven Fort Bliss soldiers were hospitalized suffering from antifreeze poisoning. The soldiers are recovering at William Beaumont Army Medical center. They were sickened Thursday at the end of a 10-day field training exercise at McGregor Range.
“Initial reports indicate soldiers consumed this substance, thinking they were drinking alcoholic beverage,” said Lt. Col. Allie Payne, a Fort Bliss spokeswoman for the 1st Armored Division during a news conference Friday afternoon.
“Army and Fort Bliss regulations prohibit the consumption of alcohol in a field training environment. Initial toxicology results indicate the soldiers are experiencing ethylene glycol poisoning,”
Acacia Coronado
FILE - This Sept. 9, 2014 file photo shows cars wait to enter Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. The U.S. Army says eleven soldiers have been injured after ingesting an unknown substance during a field training exercise at Fort Bliss. A statement released late Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, says two of the soldiers are in critical condition. (AP Photo/Juan Carlos Llorca, File) January 29, 2021 - 6:54 PM
An investigation into what sickened 11 soldiers who ingested an unauthorized substance shows they drank an industrial compound found in antifreeze believing it was alcohol following a 10-day field training exercise at Fort Bliss in Texas, U.S. Army officials said Friday.