MUSCATATUCK URBAN TRAINING CENTER, Ind. — In high-stress emergency situations, preparation and repetition are critical to ensuring operations run smoothly under difficult conditions.
For soldiers assigned to the 172nd Chemical Company and the 546th Medical Company Area Support, that preparation meant conducting a mass casualty decontamination mission during a simulated nuclear attack as part of Guardian Response 2026 at Muscatatuck Urban Training Center, Indiana.
The hands-on exercise trained soldiers to respond to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents while supporting civilian authorities during domestic emergencies.
“It helps because in a real-world situation, you might not know what’s about to happen,” said U.S. Army Pfc. Grant Ferguson, a combat medic with the 546th MCAS.
Once a location is secured a safe distance from the contaminated area, teams begin assembling decontamination tents and medical treatment stations.
“You’ve got all the components of what we would really do,” Ferguson said. “Chemical units decontaminating, treatment units caring for patients and moving them to the next level of care, as well as engineer units helping move patients through the hot zone.”
Before patients arrive, soldiers entering contaminated areas don protective suits and equipment. Personnel are limited to one hour in protective gear and must rest for three hours between rotations. Before removing the equipment, soldiers must also complete the decontamination process themselves.
“This is my first time suiting up and going out there into the hot zone, and I feel like I’ve learned a lot,” Ferguson said. “It’s been very beneficial.”
Upon arrival, casualties are divided into ambulatory patients who can walk and non-ambulatory patients who cannot. Both groups complete the same decontamination process before being screened with radiation detection equipment to ensure contamination has been removed.
Patients are then issued protective suits and moved to the MCAS treatment area, where medical personnel provide care including wound treatment, pain management and antibiotics before transferring patients to higher levels of care if necessary.
“It’s been cool to see the teamwork between Guard, Reserve and Active units,” said U.S. Army Sgt. Linka Layfield, assigned to the 172nd Chemical Company. “It’s been really cohesive.
Guardian Response is an annual exercise conducted by the 87th Training Division and its partners to validate the readiness and interoperability of all Army components.
“It’s such a big mission,” Layfield said. “It’s amazing to see all these companies come together and complete this mission to help people.”