Photo By Staff Sgt. Andy Orozco | Marines from Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS) 272 conduct gas chamber training...... read more read more
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JACKSONVILLE, N.C. - Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS) 272 conducted a six-day field exercise (FEX) aboard Marine Corps Air Station New River, Feb. 6-10, to ensure proficiency of the squadron’s mission essential task list (METL).
“The main purpose of this event was to cover the squadron’s METL such as BRATT (base recovery after attack), DART (disaster assistance response team) and CLS (combat lifesaver) to include mass casualties and CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) defense training,” said Gunnery Sgt. Mario Locklear, MWSS-272 operation chief.
Locklear went on to explain that this training is important to the squadron because their personnel have to be prepared.
“Every bit of training leads to MOS proficiency to include any type of pre-deployment training, whether or not a deployment is on the horizon,” said Locklear. “We are working toward the squadrons METL and any future deployments the squadron may have.”
One of the first training events that the squadron conducted during the field exercise was the CBRN training to include the set-up of a troop decontamination line.
Staff Sgt. Jeffery Smith, Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 26 CBRN defense specialist, explained why this was different from a routine training event at the gas chamber.
“We set up a troop decontamination line only for our team personnel,” said Smith. “Normally when we take Marines down to the gas chamber, they just do the chamber itself. They don’t do the decontamination line, but in this exercise we integrated a notional CBRN environment as well as the chamber.”
Smith went on to explain that the Marines capable of setting up the decontamination line come from within the unit and have special training. Marines would use the training from the scenario if the environment they had entered had been contaminated or if they were attacked with biological weapons.
“The mass casualties training and setting up a triage is primarily managed by the squadron aid station, the corpsmen and the medical officer we have attached to us on a deployment,” said Locklear.
Due to the small amount of corpsmen available in the squadron, it could be difficult for them to triage and aid large amounts of casualties, said Locklear. Having combat life saver qualified Marines could help combat this and minimalize losses.
The Marines from MWSS-272 conducted more than six major training events during their field exercise aboard the air station to include setting up an expedient chow hall that served 2 meals per day.
“Like anything we always train for any future deployment or contingent we may have,” said Locklear. “This exercise was squadron wide, so everyone will have a general idea of what BRATT is, what DART is and so on. They may not be able to actually execute it, but if they are tasked with being on a team they will be able to assist.”
| Date Taken: | 02.10.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 02.11.2014 10:16 |
| Story ID: | 120442 |
| Location: | JACKSONVILLE , NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 103 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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