A social scientist in the Army's controversial "Human Terrain" program is being raced to Brooke Army Medical Center after being lit on fire in Afghanistan. It's the third time in five months that Human Terrain Team members have been killed or seriously wounded.
Paula Lloyd was interviewing locals in the southern village of Maywand on Tuesday as part of her duties in a Human Terrain Team, which embeds civilian cultural experts into U.S. combat units. She approached a man, carrying a fuel jug. They began talking about the price of gas. Then, suddenly, the man doused Lloyd in a flammable liquid, and set her on fire. Over 60 percent of her body was covered in second- and third-degree burns, Human Terrain souces tell Danger Room.
The injuries could have been even worse. Lloyd's teammate immediately through her into a nearby water source. And Lloyd was sped to a nearby regional medical facility. Fortunately, the first doctor to treat her was a U.S. Army burn specialist. She was then flown to the military's Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. Now, she is on her way to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. Llloyd is described as being in "stable, but guarded condition."