US Army soldier killed in bear attack on base

https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/20...A5dbs3QSdZm7Bs

JBER soldier killed in bear attack on base

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - A Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson soldier has died following a bear attack that occurred during a training exercise.

JBER Spokesperson Erin Eaton wrote in a press release that while training in an area west of the Anchorage Regional Landfill, a U.S. Army Alaska Soldier was attacked by a bear and died from the injuries.

The 673rd Security Forces Squadron initially responded to the incident, and the Alaska Wildlife Troopers are still searching for the bear involved in the attack.

JBER officials say more information about the incident will be announced as it becomes available and the name of the Soldier who died will be released pending next-of-kin notification.

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Already posted in the grizzly thread, but here is another article. No mention if the soldier was armed. There are a bunch of bears around there, and some women were attacked while jogging in the last few years there.

https://nypost.com/2022/05/13/us-arm...a-bear-attack/

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Originally Posted by GJM

Already posted in the grizzly thread, but here is another article. No mention if the soldier was armed. There are a bunch of bears around there, and some women were attacked while jogging in the last few years there.

https://nypost.com/2022/05/13/us-arm...a-bear-attack/

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They may have had firearms but it’s unlikely they would have live ammo on a field training exercise.

The odds he/they were armed approaches absolute impossibility.

Eons ago, when the wife was stationed at Ft Ord they had them put bayonets on the M16A2s for "protection" against the wild boars that ran the base. They also told them to avoid the game trails.

More info, ADN behind paywall

Plant died Tuesday as he and two others were preparing for upcoming trainings in a remote area of the base west of the Anchorage Regional Landfill. He was part of a small group in the area, authorities said, when he and another soldier came in proximity to the bear’s den.

Plant was declared dead at the base hospital. The other soldier, who was not identified, suffered minor injuries, according to Army officials.

Investigators with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game believe a brown bear sow with cubs was involved in the attack.

The bear had not been located as of Thursday afternoon, wildlife officials say.

“This appears to be a defensive attack by a female bear protecting her cubs,” Fish and Game Southcentral supervisor Cyndi Wardlow said in a statement Thursday. Fish and Game was one of several state and federal agencies that arrived on-scene Tuesday to investigate.

“Female bears are especially fierce defenders of their young and may respond aggressively if they perceive a threat to their cubs,” the agency said. “At this time, the location of the bear involved in Tuesday’s attack is unknown.”

The den, with two cubs born this winter, wasn’t far from the spot where first responders removed the soldier, the agency said. As Fish and Game investigators worked, a brown bear approached the site. Responding personnel used bear spray and the animal took off. Game cameras picked up the image of a bear returning to the den overnight and leaving with both cubs.

A bear involved in a fatal attack may be killed by Fish and Game, the agency said Thursday.

It’s not clear what kind of of bear protection, if any, the soldiers had on hand.

With the exception of live-fire exercises, on-base trainings are rarely conducted with live ammunition in service weapons. At the time of the attack, Plant’s group was preparing the area for land-based navigation exercises, essentially orienteering training with a map and compass — considered an essential skillset for troops.