What was the first three-day respite stay for Belgian soldiers returning from an operation got out of hand as some of the party of Belgian troops that were staying at a German hotel got drunk and started fighting. One soldier was slightly injured in the fracas.
Relaxation break for Belgian soldiers at German hotel degenerates into drunken brawl
Published:
At the end of October, the Ministry of Defence announced that in future all military personnel returning from a deployment abroad would be subject to a compulsory respite stay at a hotel.
The first soldiers affected by the new rule were a group 96 troops that had been deployed in Romania for the past 6 months as part of a NATO operation. They were to spend the last few days of their deployment at a hotel in the German spa town of Bad Wildungen, near Kassel.
Some of the soldiers had alcohol delivered to the hotel. As the drink flowed a fight began between some of the soldiers and one of them injured his hand after falling against a mirror.
It is unclear what sanctions will await the soldiers on their return. What is certain though is that the Defence Ministry can expect a bill from the hotel for the mirror.