Photo By Angela Fry | Louisiana Army National Guardsmen from C Troop, 2nd Battalion, 108th Cavalry Squadron,...... read more read more
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SHREVEPORT, La. – Louisiana National Guard Cavalrymen from C Troop, 2nd Battalion, 108th Cavalry Squadron in Coushatta, La., dismounted and took to the water last week at LSU-S in Shreveport, La., and the Grand Bayou Resort in Coushatta, as they completed two days of water safety and boat training for potential search and rescue missions in the event of state natural disasters.
The training was held in conjunction with the Guard's preparation for the 2009 hurricane season and included instruction on rescue swimming techniques, buddy retrieval and familiarization with the Zodiac, a 10-passenger inflatable boat used by the Guard and other state agencies in rescue missions in the aftermath of natural disasters.
"Our first priority was to identify the strong swimmers from the weak swimmers, with safety being the main concern," said Sgt. Mark A. Hutcheson of Bossier City, La. "We then partnered the swimmers based on their abilities."
The swimming instruction given during the training exercise was based on the Army Water Survival Training course.
"The Soldiers had to show their ability to float, tread water, and submerge and retrieve military load bearing vests. In addition, the Soldiers had to demonstrate their ability to implement the side stroke and breast stroke, which are the best strokes to use in equipment bearing and rescue operations," said Hutcheson, who was classified as a first-class swimmer while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps.
"During the instruction, we identified advanced swimmers by having them conduct drills such as the collar tow, underwater swim and the 50-meter swim," he added.
The 2/108th has been assigned search and rescue operations in Hackberry, La., in the Guard's upcoming Disaster Response Exercise, April 4. The DRX will validate the LANG's response plan and will better prepare the LANG for the upcoming hurricane season. Familiarization with the Zodiac is crucial in the unit's success in their assigned mission.
"With hurricane landfall comes flooding, as we saw in Hackberry after Hurricanes Rita and Ike," said Sgt. 1st Class Mack McCoy of Bossier City. "When that water begins to recede, what we have is the potential for swift water rescue missions."
McCoy and Hutcheson demonstrated to the Troops the proper procedures for up-righting an overturned boat, as is often a danger in flooding situations as the force of the water increases as flood waters begin to recede.
"Everyone knows how hard it is to mount a boat from the water," he said. "It's even harder to right a boat that has been overturned in moving water. We can't send these Troops out to assist the residents of Louisiana without properly training them on the equipment and in all the possible scenarios they may face."
McCoy, who joined the Navy at the age of 17, offered his expertise to the Troops from his experience as a combat diver in the Naval Special Warfare Command.
"We received training at the Search and Rescue School, which focused on open water rescues. This environment is something that is difficult to simulate in a training scenario," the former Bossier City fireman and rescue diver stressed. "The Troops will not only be faced with maneuvering the boats for the rescues, but will also be forced to deal with elements such as rapidly-moving water and deteriorating weather conditions."
At the conclusion of the two-day training, the Soldiers of C Troop were faced with retrieving McCoy from the water in a simulated rescue mission after he unexpectedly bailed from the boat.
"It's one thing to go through the class and the demonstrations," said McCoy, who now works full-time for the Guard in the Pre-mobilization Training Assistance Element. "But to put that knowledge into action is something totally different."
1st Lt. Joshua Guillory, C Troop commander, said that although valuable rapid response training was the primary focus of the exercise, esprit de corps, or morale, was another goal obtained in the mission.
"The Soldiers of the 2/108th have a very tight bond," the Lafayette, La., resident explained. "They took a lot from this rigorous training, but what they gave back was even more rewarding."
"High-speed training that is also fun increases Troop morale," he added. "This training assisted in further strengthening the cohesiveness of the best unit in the entire U.S. Army."
| Date Taken: | 03.31.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 03.31.2009 14:09 |
| Story ID: | 31822 |
| Location: | SHREVEPORT, US |
| Web Views: | 378 |
| Downloads: | 288 |
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