Photo By Jared Eastman | Spc. Dale Soniger, Company A, 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery Regiment, uses the...... read more read more
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Pfc. Jared S. Eastman
1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs
Soldiers of 1st Brigade Combat Team traveled to the Naval Support Facility Indian Head, Md., to train at the Raymond M. Downey Sr. Responder Training Facility, Dec. 10. The training team consisted of more than 200 Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery, a Military Police platoon from 1/3 Brigade Special Troops Battalion, and Soldiers from Company E, 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment.
"We worked closely with Col. Roger Cloutier [1st HBCT commander] and his staff who did all of the groundwork and coordination with the Marines because we were the ones who were alerted," said Lt. Col. Joel Hamilton, 1/41 commander.
"So they are the ones who planned it all and made this training effective."
Since Oct. 1, the 1st HBCT has been part of the U.S. Northern Command's Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and high-yield Explosive Consequence Management Response Force. The CCMRF consists of about 4,700 joint personnel who would deploy as the Department of Defense's initial response force for a CBRNE incident and work in support of civil authorities to save lives, prevent further injury and provide temporary critical life support.
The training at Indian Head incorporated various rescue techniques used by the Chemical, Biological Incident Response Force Marines. The Soldiers of 1st HBCT were given 24 hours to prepare for the deployment. The brigade brought at least one Soldier from each battery or company who can train the rest of the unit after the exercise.
As few as the numbers were for the representatives of companies, Cloutier had high hopes for the training.
"We sent 20 to 30 of our guys up here before," he said. "And the effect they had on my entire brigade of Soldiers was amazing. Before then, I had never heard of right-hand search techniques, or the FEMA marking system to mark buildings among other things."
According to Cloutier, his unit has conducted "several training evolutions" prior to this event. During those evolutions the unit "forged a relationship with CBIRF" and because of that relationship was able to test their ability to "rapidly deploy and come to a great training facility like this." The training included confines rescue, smoke-house rescue and various other ways to save lives.
The purpose of this readiness deployment exercise was to test the unit's ability to be alerted, conduct alert procedures, then rapidly deploy to an incident area.
The Soldiers also had an opportunity to practice with the Jaws of Life.
"We were able to take some doors off and get the roof open of a 1991 Cutlass," said Spc. David Draper, a unit supply specialist new to 1/41, "I'm pretty excited about this mission because I grew up in an area in the Midwest where there are a lot of tornados, floods and ice storms, so it's cool to think that I might be able to go home and help out in times of trouble."
Cloutier said the mission illustrated a great example of joint forces working together.
"The benefit of having an active-duty brigade assigned to the CCRMF mission is we are on duty 365 days a year, seven days a week, so we're constantly training and we can harness these resources and deploy them rapidly," he added.
However, in a real life situation, the brigade would most likely have more than 24 hours to deploy, said Hamilton.
Cloutier was adamant about the importance of the mission bestowed upon 1st HBCT.
"From my perspective," he said, "I can't think of a nobler mission than saving American lives at home. We've been to Iraq three times and the Marine Corps has been there the entire time, and now we are focusing on our mothers and fathers, our sisters and brothers and the folks at home. Every single Soldier and Marine here has Family that lives in the United States, so this is very applicable to all of us, and we take it very personally.
"What a great opportunity to give back to America. America has given us so much, and now it's our turn to give back," he said.
| Date Taken: | 12.19.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 12.19.2008 12:30 |
| Story ID: | 27906 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 433 |
| Downloads: | 407 |
This work, 1st Brigade Soldiers maintain readiness for response mission, by Jared Eastman, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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