As the eastern U.S. grappled with smoke from Canadian forest fires, the military across the region adjusted training or changed planned events to deal with the acrid air pollution.
Springtime winds carried the massive trail of smoke across parts of the continental U.S. on Wednesday and Thursday — and directly over large military installations including the Army's Fort Drum, the Coast Guard Academy and the Marine Corps' Quantico training center, among others.
Wildfires in Quebec pumped a massive amount of smoke into the air, causing health warnings; overcast skies; and photos across social media of cities such as New York and Washington, D.C., shrouded in the smoky haze. While wildfires are not unusual in Canada during summertime, when the densely forested country dries and heats, they do not usually occur so early in the year or cause such heavy air pollution in the U.S.
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On Wednesday, the smoke was at its worst at Fort Drum, an Army installation in upstate New York near the Canadian border.
Base unit commanders canceled or adjusted training and physical fitness exercises, keeping with Drum's decentralized approach to unit and soldier health.
“Leaders at all levels are encouraged to monitor conditions and implement measures for the health of the force,” said Lt. Col. Josh Jacques, chief of public affairs for the 10th Mountain…
