Photo By Sgt. Wesley Landrum | Sgt. Eduardo Altoran, 1st Theater Support Command, gives commands to the turret gunner...... read more read more
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By Spc. Wesley Landrum
50th Public Affairs Detachment
CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait - The Soldiers were in the vehicle when it pitched over. They grabbed hold of the turret gunner, who had slid inside the vehicle, and they braced themselves. However, this was not a real accident but a training tool to teach service members with Third Army/USARCENT how to escape an overturned Humvee.
The trainers at Camp Buehring are teaching service members how to save lives. At the Humvee Egress Assistance Trainer, the warriors learn how to escape an overturned Humvee. The HEAT trainer sets combat personnel up for success, said Staff Sgt. David Singleton, 1st Theater Support Command.
"In the event of a rollover, they will know the proper techniques necessary to get out alive," he said.
There are two portions of the training Singleton said. The first part is a one hour class on the trainer. Personnel go over learning techniques via a powerpoint presentation on the two standard Humvees, the M998 and the M1114. They learn the characteristics of the two vehicles, such as the different types and the different weights. They also learn how susceptible the vehicles are to rollover accidents. They learn things like proper load placement and how to properly tie things down on the Humvee.
"You've got to make sure your load plan is accurate," said Sgt. 1st Class Lewis Dedner, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 12th Combat Aviation Brigade. "You just can't go by word of mouth, you've got to check and recheck."
After the classroom, troops learn about the combat locks that hold the door in place.
"We teach them how to disengage the locks, both upright and inverted," Singleton said. "Then we go to the simulator."
Singleton said, at the simulator, the service members are put through a series of twists and turns.
First, the Humvee rolls into two 25 degree angles. Next, the Soldiers are put through a 360 degree rollover. Then the simulator is turned into a 180 degree rollover during a daytime simulation and the Soldiers must escape from the vehicle.
"After getting out, they do a sitrep (situational report) – all personnel accounted for, all weapons accounted for and they call in a recovery vehicle," Singleton said.
Lastly, the Soldiers must once again egress from a 180 degree rollover. This time, however, they must escape the Humvee in the dark. Singleton said the reason the Soldiers must be able to do it in the dark is because most convoys are operated in limited visibility such as night.
"This training is critical because most Soldiers are on the MSRs (Main Supply Routes) day in and day out. They can be susceptible to a rollover at any time," he said. "If you have a rollover, it's just like a battle drill. You know how to react in the event of a rollover."
Spc. Jay Mellison, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, said the training surprised him and many of his teammates, especially being turned upside down.
"If you were going to be in a vehicle rollover, you would not expect it," Mellison said. "Here, you're expecting it and it's still surprising. It's like I just undid my seatbelt and did not brace myself and I fell on my head."
Mellison said the training is important to prepare everyone who may go through something like this, no matter if the Soldier is overseas or back on the homefront.
"It's really important for everyone who has a vehicle," Mellison said. "And that's everybody in the Army.
| Date Taken: | 07.05.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 07.10.2007 09:06 |
| Story ID: | 11187 |
| Location: | CAMP BUEHRING, KW |
| Web Views: | 138 |
| Downloads: | 51 |
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