A Belgian soldier was lightly injured in an incident involving alcohol during the first mandatory 'decompression period' at a German hotel for all returning military personnel.
The Ministry of Defence confirmed the incident on Sunday, which was initially reported by Flemish public media VRT. In late October, the Ministry announced that all soldiers returning from overseas missions would be required to undergo a 'decompression period' in a hotel.
The inaugural 'decompression period' took place with a group of 96 soldiers who had been on a NATO mission in Romania over the past six months.
The soldiers spent the final days of their mission, from last Friday until Sunday, at a hotel in the spa town of Bad Wildungen, near Kassel, participating in relaxation activities and counselling sessions with psychosocial support professionals from the Ministry of Defence.
However, the recovery-driven stay went wrong on the second day. "After the second day’s activities, a dispute arose among several soldiers in their hotel rooms," the Defence Ministry said in a press release.
"During this dispute, one soldier injured his hand on a mirror and was taken to hospital for treatment. There was no fight, contrary to VRTNWS reports, but rather one soldier who accidentally injured himself during a discussion."
The Ministry of Defence also confirmed the presence of alcohol, which is prohibited, and is currently investigating the circumstances.
Despite the incident, the rest of the soldiers continued with the scheduled decompression activities and returned home as planned on Sunday.
The Ministry has not yet commented on potential sanctions for the involved soldiers.
