Photo By Maj. Gregory McElwain | Spc. Rolando Melendez, a chemical operations specialist with the 728th Combat...... read more read more
FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – Soldiers from the 728th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 213th Regional Support Group, Pennsylvania Army National Guard, conducted protective mask familiarization training as part of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive training here June 13, 2017.
Staff Sgt. Luis Garcia, a chemical operations specialist with the 728th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, ensured that all Soldiers met the Army training standard by following the standard operational procedure for the proper use and wear of the M-40 A1 Protective Mask before the Soldiers entered the gas chamber.
He had his fellow Soldiers don, clear and seal their masks. Then he had them rotate their necks to test the seal, do some light running, and swap canisters with a partner.
“The main goal is to let every Soldier know that their mask works. It is a confidence builder, and it gets them used to anything that could happen in the future,” said Garcia who calls Philadelphia home.
Spc. Rolando Melendez, also a chemical operations specialist with the 728th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, assisted in the training and shared Garcia’s view of the importance of the class.
“This training builds confidence,” Melendez said. “It is just like firing your weapon, the whole purpose is to familiarize yourself with the equipment and show you and your peers that you have confidence in the equipment you are using,” he continued.
Both Soldiers see this exercise as more than just required training. They see this event as a way to encourage trust.
“It is a moral builder and it is teamwork. It lets you know that your battle buddy will help you out if anything were to happen. You know he is able to swap out a canister if it is saturated,” Garcia said.
While in the gas chamber, Melendez used his cellphone to capture the event. He said he plans to share the video and photos with the other Soldiers.
“I took photos and videos of the Soldiers to build moral, it adds to the whole experience,” said Melendez. “They were there with their battle buddies, with their friends, and it was a good experience,” he added.
After the Soldiers tested their masks in the gas chamber, Garcia finished by having all participants remove their masks, hold them over their heads and shout “728th CSSB.”
Garcia said, “If you see your buddies and you hear their war cry, you are not going to stop. It is not about the gas chamber, it is about your team”
| Date Taken: | 06.13.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 06.22.2017 09:40 |
| Story ID: | 237760 |
| Location: | FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, PA, US |
| Web Views: | 145 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Pa. Soldiers use gas mask training to build trust, by MAJ Gregory McElwain, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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