2 US Army soldiers in Alaska injured in bear attack during training exercise

Two U.S. Army soldiers were injured after being attacked by a brown bear during a training exercise in Alaska, a report said. 

The troops from the 11th Airborne Division were hurt Thursday while participating in a “land navigation training event” at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson’s Arctic Valley training area in Anchorage, Lt. Col. Jo Nederhoed, a spokesperson for the division, told the Anchorage Daily News. 

“The safety and well-being of our personnel is our highest priority,” Nederhoed added. “The incident is under investigation, and we are coordinating with local wildlife authorities to ensure the safety of all personnel in the area.” 

The soldiers, whose identities were being withheld pending notification of their next of kin, were “receiving appropriate medical care” as of Friday morning, Nederhoed also said. 

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the 11th Airborne Division for further comment. 

Wildlife officials from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game told the Anchorage Daily News that the incident appeared to have been a defensive attack after the bear recently emerged from its den, and that both soldiers were carrying bear spray and used it. 

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“We hope both individuals have a full and quick recovery, and our thoughts are with them during this time,” Fish and Game Regional Supervisor Cyndi Wardlow told the newspaper. 

“In this case, having bear spray with them in the field may have saved their lives,” she said.

 The 11th Airborne Division is nicknamed the “Arctic Angels.” 

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“The 11th Airborne Division executes expeditionary operations worldwide, conducts Multi-Domain Operations in the Indo-Pacific theater and the Arctic, and on order decisively defeats any adversary in extreme cold weather, mountainous and high-latitude environments through large scale combat operations,” it says on its website.