Tough Army training backed by dead soldier’s father
Former sergeant major warns against ‘wrapping troops in cotton wool’ after son’s death on fitness test
THE FATHER of a soldier who died during a fitness test on the hottest day of the year has said the Army should not be wrapped in cotton wool and must continue gruelling training. Phillip Hoole, a former sergeant major, said his son would have felt unhappy that the Army was being blamed for his death and believes the 26-year-old may have died from a heart condition.
Cpl Josh Hoole of 1st Bn The Rifles collapsed and died last week after an eight-mile fitness test in lanes around Brecon in Mid Wales. His death drew comparisons with those of three SAS hopefuls who died on a sweltering selection march in July 2013.
But his father, who spent 24 years in the Army and now lives in Carlisle, said: “Josh wouldn’t have been happy with the way that people have had a knee-jerk reaction straight away simply because it was the hottest day of the year. People have started to point the finger at the Army.”
Cpl Hoole, from Ecclefechan, near Lockerbie, was preparing for a promotion to platoon sergeant when he collapsed on July 19. His brother, Tyrone, is also a soldier in The Rifles.
His father, an Iraq veteran, said: “Josh wouldn’t have wanted the soldiers that were with him, or the medics, to feel any personal blame. He was doing his job and he knew the risks. The way the MPs are talking, if there were more checks and balances placed on the Army and they were wrapped in cotton wool the MPs would ultimately be responsible for a lack of duty of care.
“Being a soldier, by the very nature of the job, means that at times you have to fight in various countries in extreme climatic conditions.”
Police have yet to determine a cause of death for Cpl Hoole, who was due to marry his fiancée, Rachael McKie, in Mexico next year. Results from tests and a post-mortem examination are not expected until the end of September, but Mr Hoole said he suspected an arrhythmia or aneurysm in the heart may have been responsible.
Mr Hoole, 54, said: “It was a normal run which took place with no extra beastings and was done in the confines laid down by the Army. He was about 200 metres from the end and he told someone he wasn’t feeling too good and then he collapsed. Then members of the Army around him and the medics did their best to save him.”