VARNVILLE, S.C.— Although not normally seen together in the local community, two S.C. National Guard units, one chemical, the other infantry, worked seamlessly together today to practice assisting citizens during Ardent Sentry, a joint training exercise that runs May 17 through 21.
While the 108th Chemical Company took care of decontamination, the 4th Battalion, 118th Infantry Regiment, provided security and assistance at the site, which was set up in front of the Hampton Regional Medical Center in Varnville.
Although normally training to defeat the enemy and protect the U.S. from foreign threats, these infantry soldiers are some of the best at helping the local population in times of trouble and need.
“We are trained in riot situations, crowd control, and security, which is our focus today,” said Sgt. 1st Class Reginald McNeil, A Company, 4th Battalion, 118th Infantry Regiment out of Monks Corner, S.C. “We are also trained in handling decontamination, MOPP [Mission Oriented Protective Posture] gear and chemical munitions.”
Along with assisting the soldiers who were conducting mock decontaminations, providing security was the main goal of today’s training. The additional infantry troops were also there to provide guidance for traffic and the people coming into and out of the decontamination area.
“We are also here to assist the local fire and police departments,” said McNeil. “Because of our skills, qualifications and training, we are best able to handle these types of scenarios.”
The unit trains once or twice a year with police and fire departments to better prepare themselves to work with the local citizenry. And even though they train with a variety of riot gear, like batons and shields, in the event of a natural or man-made disaster, their primary focus is on assisting the community.
“We are not armed, and we’re here to help with things such as providing water, food, clothing, shelter and report civil unrest to local authorities,” said McNeil.
“We’re light infantry, so we’re trained in riot control and working with civilian populations in a peaceful way, without being too aggressive or too forceful against the American population,” added Spc. Raymond Balzano, A Company, 4th Battalion, 118th Infantry Regiment. “We train on scenarios like this because these incidents can happen. This training will help us tremendously in ensuring we can get the job done.”
In addition to receiving and practicing the required training for these missions, they have also been involved with training other nations to be able to successfully accomplish similar mission in their countries.
“We just came back from overseas where we just trained the Kuwaiti National Guard on the same thing,” said Balzano. “So we have a long history of doing this and helping communities.”
While the chemical company was set up to receive and decontaminate those affected by the radiation, the infantry was there to give protection to their comrades in arms and provide guidance and assistance in getting the necessary treatment to the local population.
“Our mission is to set up security for decontamination for the chemical unit,” said Balzano. “As the civilians come in, we’ll separate them based on how they need to be treated, severity wise. The ambulance is set up to evaluate them and send them to the designated area they need to go to and get the help they need.”
This type of training happens on a regular basis within the National Guard, who is often involved with local civil authorities assisting them where they are needed most.
“When the National Guard and local elements work together like this, when a natural disaster does happen, it helps things to flow better,” said Balzano. “Anytime you get to interact with the fire departments and local communities [the training] is always better. In the case of a disaster, we have to act fast. This way, everyone has already been through it. We know that this is our area, this is our responsibility and this is what we need to do.”
| Date Taken: |
05.18.2013 |
| Date Posted: |
05.19.2013 15:50 |
| Story ID: |
107206 |
| Location: |
VARNVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: |
278 |
| Downloads: |
1 |
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