Letter to the Hon. Mark T. Esper - After Tragic Death of Bradenton Soldier, Buchanan Calls for Military Training Reforms

Letter

Dear Secretary Esper:
I am writing on behalf of my constituent, Kimberly Weaver. Mrs. Weaver's son, SPC
Nicholas Panipinto, of Bradenton, Florida, died tragically in a November 6, 2019, training accident at
Camp Humphreys in South Korea. While 20-year-old SPC Panipinto died, two other soldiers were
injured when a M2A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle overturned during a road-test.
A recent investigation revealed several training and response concerns that we would like to
be addressed in order to reduce the number of fatalities suffered in future military training accidents.
Current regulations require three days of classroom instruction and two days of hands-on
driving experience, with an instructor, before military personnel are given licenses to drive M2A3
Bradley Fighting Vehicles.
According to Mrs. Weaver, SPC Panipinto did not have a license, had only six hours of hands
on driver training and zero classroom instruction when he was ordered to road-test a M2A3.
Also, not all of the CVC headsets in the four M2A3s that day were properly functioning. As a
result, all crew members could not communicate with each other. Furthermore, the safety pin in the
driver's hatch of SPC Panipinto's M2A3 failed.
During the road-test, the right-hand side tread of SPC Panipinto's M2A3 came off, which
caused his vehicle to roll over. In a different M2A3 that day, another hatch was not functioning
properly. Consequently, a soldier in that vehicle did not see SPC Panipinto's M2A3 roll over because
he was holding the broken hatch open for another crew member.
Once the training accident happened, a series of events subsequently transpired that were
both very alarming and harmful to SPC Panipinto's dire medical condition.
On that day, Camp Humphreys did not have an on-campus hospital or even a military
ambulance available to quickly transport SPC Panipinto to a medical facility for emergency medical
treatment. A civilian ambulance responded to the accident scene, but its medical supplies were sorely
lacking. For example, it had an insufficient oxygen supply, its suction equipment stopped functioning, it didn't have a blood transfusion supply, and the instruments needed to treat SPC
Panipinto were unavailable.
In addition, that day, the first on-base MedEvac helicopter dispatched to the accident scene got
lost. A second MedEvac helicopter could not start at all. Eventually, the first MedEvac helicopter got
to the accident scene, 80 minutes after the accident.
By the time that SPC Panipinto arrived at a hospital, two hours after the accident, he needed
nine pints of blood and five pints of plasma transfused. Unfortunately, he passed away later that
day from the severe injuries he sustained in the accident and the prolonged delay in getting him to a
hospital for emergency medical treatment.
As a result of these events, I am writing to request that the U.S. Department
of Defense seriously consider implementing the following common-sense reforms and improvements
so that future military personnel don't suffer the same fate.
1. Take steps to strengthen and enhance current requirements for training and licensing of
military drivers.
2. Add a simulation training requirement to existing requirements to help ensure that new
military drivers are fully ready for their driving responsibilities.
3. Strengthen existing regulations governing the safe and proper working conditions of all
military equipment used in training exercises.
4. Take steps to make sure that there is a hospital or an emergency medical facility on-campus
at every U.S. military base on foreign soil.
5. Take steps to ensure that all U.S. military bases on foreign soil have properly
functioning MedEvac helicopters and military ambulances, with appropriate emergency
medical supplies available, to promptly transport and treat injured U.S. military personnel. 
If the Defense Department can implement a comprehensive series of such improvements,
military personnel all over the world will benefit by being able to train much more safely.
The highest tribute that can be paid to the life of SPC Panipinto is that the Defense Department
will make sure that future military personnel who are injured during training exercises can quickly
receive high-quality medical treatment that might help save their lives.
Thank you very much for your attention to this very important topic. I look forward to hearing
back from you.

Source