A group of 11 Texas-based soldiers fell ill Thursday after consuming a substance while completing a field training exercise, the Army said Friday. The incident is under investigation, according to a statement from the 1st Armored Division based in Fort Bliss in El Paso.
Two of the soldiers were in critical condition, the division said. All 11 were receiving medical care at an army hospital.
The soldiers fell ill “after consuming a substance purchased outside the authorized food supply distribution channels,” the division said. The group includes one non-commissioned officer, two non-commissioned officers and eight officers.
“Our commitment to our soldiers and families remains our number one priority as we work to understand what happened on January 28,” Major General Sean Bernabe, head of the division’s mission, said in a statement. Fort Bliss.
The division is known as the “American Tank Division,” according to the fort’s website.