Fort Jackson recruits to graduate after surviving lightning strike, basic training

Fourteen Fort Jackson recruits who survived a lightning strike Thursday returned to training Friday.

The trainees involved in the incident were evaluated Thursday night by medical personnel at Palmetto Health Richland and returned to duty, according to the fort’s Facebook page.

The strike occurred between 3:45 and 4 p.m. during a training exercise, Fort Jackson officials said. About 200 soldiers were taking part in the exercise.

None of the soldiers was struck by lightning, the officials reported, and they are scheduled to graduate in a few weeks.

Fort Jackson is the Army’s largest basic training installation, with more than 50,000 recruits assigned there each year.

This story was originally published July 13, 2018 at 3:14 PM.