A few soldiers who were on a ruck march during a field training exercise at Stones Ranch Military Reservation in East Lyme are being evaluated for heat exhaustion after feeling "woozy" Monday morning and were taken to hospital, according to the Connecticut National Guard.
Officer candidate school is underway and the soldiers were conducting a ruck march, a hike with a heavy backpack, when several people appeared woozy.
Several were transported and are in stable condition, according to the National Guard.
The soldiers were carrying 35-pound ruck sacks on a 6-mile training march, according to Maj. Dave Pytlik, a spokesperson with the Connecticut National Guard.
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He told the Associated Press that six soldiers were taken to Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London for observation, but nobody was seriously injured.
The military training school typically trains between 60 and 100 candidates from National Guard units across the Northeast.
“These are all soldiers who are vying for the opportunity to become commissioned officers,” he said.
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Pytlik said minor injuries and dehydration are relatively common issues during training marches.
