Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Anishka Calder | Staff Sgt. David Singleton, a native of Charlotte, N.C., and the non-commissioned...... read more read more
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Story and photos by Staff Sgt. Anishka J. Calder-1st Sustainment Command (Theater) Public Affairs Office
CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait – Soldiers from the El Salvador Army got the ride of their life while going through the Humvee Egress Assistance Trainer course at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, Feb. 13.
The 278 soldiers were taught how to avoid a rollover as crewmembers of a Humvee, and in the event that a rollover does happens, the proper procedures to take when exiting the vehicle while it is in the inverted position, to avoid injuries or fatalities.
"HEAT training became mandatory October 1, 2007, for all U.S. Soldiers deploying to combat zones," said Staff Sgt. David Singleton, the non-commissioned officer in charge of the HEAT course at Camp Buehring. "This was due to the increasing number of rollover fatalities among Soldiers in theater. We also train DOD civilians and coalition forces, including the Turkish, the El Salvadorans, the Georgians and the British."
The El Salvadoran soldiers who participated in the training are members of the 9th Battalion and will deploy to Iraq on a seven-month rotation. However, this rotation is history-in-the-making for the El Salvador Army. The female officers who went through the HEAT training are paving the way for other female soldiers in the El Salvador Army.
"This is the first time female officers in the El Salvador Army are going to Iraq," said 1st Lt. Heidy Marisol Guandique, 27, of the El Salvador Army. "We are part of a commission that will study the living conditions and environment to see if it is suitable to send more women officers. They will test us to see if we can do the same job as men."
"I feel very proud to represent the El Salvador Army and my country," added Guandique, 27, of San Salvador. I think they (the El Salvadoran Army) have broken the barriers that women can't
serve with men and train together."
"We get the chance to coach, teach and mentor Soldiers on how to save their lives if they happen to rollover and to also build their confidence in the operation of the new up-armored Humvee," added Singleton, 32, a native of Charlotte, N.C. "The difference between the new Humvee and the older version is an approximate 2,025 pounds weight difference, therefore making the vehicle top-heavy and more susceptible to rollover."
Each HEAT training class consists of no more than 40 personnel who must first go through an hour-long class that familiarize them with the up-armored Humvee and teaches the duty description of each member of the five-man crew. According to Singleton, the primary job of the crewmembers in the event of a rollover is to take care of the gunner, who doesn't have a safety restraint that prevents him from being ejected from the vehicle in a rollover.
"Before the implementation of the HEAT system, there was an 81 percent casualty rate for the vehicle gunner during a rollover," said Singleton. "Now, that percentage has been reduced to about 58 percent ... The training has been very successful."
After the classroom portion of the training, participants are taken to the Humvee simulators where they are taught how to operate the combat locks on the vehicle while it is inverted, and how to operate the three-point-seatbelt feature of the vehicle. They are then instructed to enter the Humvee and experience a simulated rollover, during which they have to apply all the techniques that they were taught during the classroom portion of the training.
Singleton, who is assigned to Task Force Gator of the 1st Sustainment Command (Theater), has been deployed to Kuwait in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom for eight months, and has trained more than 64,000 personnel to date. He stressed the importance of the HEAT training for combat missions and added that the training is also beneficial when driving non-tactical vehicles.
The soldiers of the El Salvador Army had high praises for the training they received, but one soldier was particularly grateful, due to the nature of his job.
"This training went very well. Especially for me, because I am a gunner," said Elmer Sanchez, 23, a special forces soldier from the 9th Battalion of the El Salvador Army. "This is my first time doing such training and hopefully I will be able to use the lessons that I've learned here while doing my job in Iraq."
| Date Taken: | 02.16.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 02.16.2008 08:12 |
| Story ID: | 16414 |
| Location: | CAMP ARJIFAN, KW |
| Web Views: | 849 |
| Downloads: | 519 |
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