Courtesy Photo | Staff Sgt. Tasheba Washington, ASP non-commissioned officer-in-charge of the 8th...... read more read more
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By: Staff Sgt. Jermaine Patterson
JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq — The 1st Magazine Platoon, 8th Ordnance Company, 13th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), conducted a training exercise at the Ammunition Supply Point Feb. 12 at Joint Base Balad, Iraq.
The exercise was geared toward a catastrophic disaster at the ASP that would require contingency plans to aid the injured. It required soldiers to conduct emergency simulations in preparation for a possible indirect fire attack or munitions explosion at the ASP.
In this scenario, soldiers trained to react to the aftermath of an attack on stored munitions, leaving casualties throughout the ASP area of operations. The intent was to overwhelm the survivors with the responsibility of accounting for all personnel, caring for the wounded and dealing with the inevitable reality of providing aid to their peers. Providing soldiers situational, relevant and realistic training is essential to an organization’s mission success, as well as a soldier’s survival.
“By throwing this catastrophic scenario at the soldiers, we were able to help build their confidence in dealing with multiple casualties while remaining calm and focused,” said 1st. Lt. Greg Thomas, 1st Magazine Platoon leader, and a Huntsville, Ala., native.
The scenario started as just another day with soldiers spread all about the ASP grounds. Soldiers were at the receiving pad in-processing ammunition, while others were in various storage points with some on the other side of the facility preparing an outbound shipment.
Suddenly, the alarm sounded with loud voices over the audio system.
All soldiers immediately dropped to the ground to protect themselves from the initial blast and then headed for the nearest bunker. After being cleared, soldiers began moving to the operations cell for accountability, and discovered a number of their fellow comrades seriously injured. Pfc. Kathryn Allen, an ammunition handler and a West Bend, Wis., native, was one of the first on scene.
“There were injured littering the receipt pad and the inspection station,” she said. “They were found behind rows, between pallets of ammo, anywhere you could imagine, and places you probably wouldn’t.”
The 1st Magazine Platoon soldiers emerged from bunkers in every direction carrying Combat Life Saver bags and modified ammunition cans painted white with red crosses, filled with medical supplies. There was a lot of noise from casualties, but the one distinct sound was that of whistles.
“We heard the whistle, and that’s where we went,” said Sgt. Markeith Lawson, a section chief and turn-in non-commissioned officer, and a Washington, D.C., native.
In the midst of the chaos, soldiers found themselves helping one, two, and in some cases even three of their injured battle buddies. Allen and Spc. Ashley Nichols, an ammunition specialist with 1st Magazine Platoon, and a Parkersburg, W.Va., native, came from a bunker, stretcher in hand, ready to do what they could to assist the injured.
As the uninjured soldiers began to tend to the wounded, Sgt. Victor Boichan, the receiving section chief and a Yap Island, Federated States of Micronesia, native, and Staff Sgt. Daniel Freeman, an ammunition handler with the 8th Ord. Co., and a Charlotte, N.C., native, immediately began to check the surrounding area for the possibility of casualties not initially seen.
“It is important to ensure we have 100 percent [accountability],” said Freeman. “One of our own could still be out in the ASP injured, and we may not even realize it.”
As precious minutes ticked away, casualties were being moved to the casualty collection point. While Nichols ran to get a light medium tactical vehicle, others either began to load casualties onto HMMWV, or carried litters to the CCP. Other soldiers took the initiative to improvise and employed brute strength by using the fireman’s carry.
Once the LMTV arrived, casualties and caretakers were carefully loaded into the back. Nichols began moving the vehicle toward the CCP, but the LMTV became hopelessly bogged down in a patch of deep mud and would not budge. The litters were hastily offloaded and immediately carried to the CCP.
Consistently monitored, more detailed reports were sent to the
battalion tactical operations center and the hospital to receive further medical assistance. After the simulated medical assistance arrived, the exercise ended and everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.
“It was a good training exercise that hopefully we will never have to do in real life,” said Spc. Deliliah Martinez, an ammunition handler and a Manhattan, N.Y. , native. “It helps us prepare in the event of the real thing so we are not running around crazy.”
| Date Taken: | 02.24.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 03.06.2011 06:16 |
| Story ID: | 66567 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE BALAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 105 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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