VOLK FIELD, Wis. - The Army Reserve made its debut appearance in Patriot 13, an exercise that brings together response teams from local, state, and regional organizations for a natural disaster or emergency. In the past, the use of military resources have been limited to those under state control, but thanks to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 2012, states can now request assistance from federal military resources such as the Army Reserve. This year’s exercise at Volk Field, Wis., was the first time in the history of the exercise that the Army Reserve trained alongside members of the Air and Army National Guard and state agencies for Defense Support to Civil Authorities.
Air Force Lt. Col. Saul Hage, exercise director, said that not only was it good to have the Army Reserve at the exercise, but it also provided event organizers the opportunity to go through the process of requesting a federal force.
“The integration was very well done. It was easy for the Patriot staff to incorporate them into the process. Patriot is about the joint environment and interagency support,” said Hage.
The 646th Regional Support Group, located in Madison, Wis., provided firefighting, water purification and public affairs assets to the exercise.
“I think it makes perfect sense to call on the skills and capabilities of the Army Reserve in response to disasters and emergencies when local and state responders are overwhelmed," said Col. Robert Carlson, commander, 646th Regional Support Group. "This is a mission our soldiers need to be ready for and they are doing a great job here at Patriot learning how to work with the National Guard and emergency responders to help their fellow citizens."
The 753rd Quartermaster Company from Green Bay, Wis., provided water purification for drinking water as well as for chemical decontamination training. The 753rd soldiers treated water from a source on post and delivered it to various areas and participants on Volk Field.
“This was a blast," said Staff Sgt. Jesse Veeser, a water purification specialist assigned to the 753rd. "We were able to work with some of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guys. We got to work with the Air Force as well as the National Guard guys and we gave them some training and familiarization.”
Firefighters from the 826th Ordnance Company, located in Madison, Wis., and 395th Ordnance Company, from Appleton, Wis., also participated in the training. The firefighters integrated with Wisconsin Air National Guard firefighters and combined efforts to extinguish a burning aircraft.
The 368th Public Affairs Detachment, from Milwaukee, Wis., escorted media around the exercise site and provided video footage of the exercise events for download to media outlets not able to attend the event. The ability of the media to cover this type of event in a real world situation is essential in keeping local and state residents informed of the response efforts and possible dangers.
The Army Reserve's overall participation in the Patriot exercise is significant because it allows officials to take advantage of valuable resources and capabilities of Reserve units located throughout the United States. The exercise itself allows Reserve soldiers to train with other components and services as well as adapt their skills towards an emergency response situation as opposed to the war-time mission.
“I think it’s important that the skills and capabilities of the Army Reserve are not just used during times of conflict. We have the ability to quickly respond to local disasters and emergencies and if we can help our neighbors and communities- I think we should," said Carlson. "It’s our duty to help the citizens of our country in these situations and our soldiers are motivated to do just that."
Army Reserve soldiers spent five days at the exercise before returning home. Although the weather was brutally hot and the days long, the Army Reserve looks forward to participating in future Patriot exercises.
| Date Taken: |
07.21.2013 |
| Date Posted: |
07.21.2013 19:27 |
| Story ID: |
110567 |
| Location: |
VOLK FIELD, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: |
279 |
| Downloads: |
0 |
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This work, Army Reserve participates in Homeland Disaster Response Exercise, by MAJ Dan Marchik, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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