Taking all measures to Survive

Photo By Sgt. Alexandria Jones | Staff Sgt. Paul Jardine, medical section noncommissioned officer from Headquarters and Headquarters Command Brigade Special Troops Battalion 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Mountain) from Rutland, Vt., teaches about 30 Soldiers how to effectively evacuate a casualty using a SKED litter at Camp Grayling, Mich., July 20. The 30 Soldiers are with Charlie Company 86th BSTB from Wyoming, Mich. Jardine and a few other instructors are contributing to the mountain initiative, which is to gain support for Soldiers to attend the Army Mountain Warfare School. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Alexandria Robinson, 126th Press Camp Headquarters, Michigan Army National Guard)  

GRAYLING, MI, UNITED STATES

07.19.2012

Story by Spc. Alexandria Jones 

126th Theater Public Affairs Support Element

CAMP GRAYLING, Mich. - Every day Army soldiers train to fight, learn different job specialties, to be leaders and, more importantly, Soldiers train to survive. Survival is a key asset needed on and off the battlefield and it is very important that Soldiers have the necessary tools to accomplish the task.

During Operation New Buckeye, about 30 soldiers from Charlie Company 86th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, Wyoming, Mich., learned how to maneuver and survive in a mountainous environment on the first day of class at Camp Grayling, Mich., July 20.

“The soldiers learned how to work against the elements to prevent or treat hot and cold weather injuries and medical complications resulting from mountainous altitudes,” said Staff Sgt. Paul Jardine, medical section treatment noncommissioned officer from Headquarters and Headquarters Command BSTB 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Mountain), Rutland, Vt., and one of the instructors for the class.

Jardine is also a civilian paramedic and has completed the seven day rough terrain evacuation course that teaches students several casualty evacuation techniques. In addition to learning various evacuation techniques, Soldiers would get an understanding of what is expected for the Army Mountain Warfare School in Jericho, Vt.

Master Sgt. Michael Jones, the operations sergeant from HHC, BSTB 86th IBCT (MTN), said the first day of training would teach soldiers to operate in severe climates, the second day would consist of rappelling and hauling patients and on the last day soldiers would be divided in teams to apply everything they learned.

“Mobility is a key thing to operate in austere environments,” Jones said. Consequently, understanding how to maneuver in field training with rucksacks and elevated terrain at Camp Grayling helps to train soldiers.

“It’s the crawl, walk, run phase,” said Jones. “This won’t make them experts but it will pique interest in the warfare school.” Jones hopes at the end of the training weekend Soldiers will request more information about the Army Mountain Warfare School because there are slots available for the unit.

Jardine, Jones and a few other instructors traveled from Vermont to push the command’s intent of the mountain initiative, which is to gain support for soldiers to attend warfare school.

Even though Charlie Company 86th BSTB is a subordinate unit of the HHC, BSTB 86th, this was the instructors’ first time visiting Michigan to spark the mountain initiative.

However, before departing back to Vermont, Jones would be discussing with his chain of command the option of training at Camp Grayling again rather than spending excessive money at a federal post.

“I’m looking forward to Grayling for our annual training in August of next year –rather than Fort Drum,” he said. He mentioned his unit has trained at Fort Drum on several occasions but Camp Grayling would be a different training field.

• Date Taken: 07.19.2012
• Date Posted: 07.27.2012 17:31
• Story ID: 92285
• Location: GRAYLING, MI, US