Photo By Staff Sgt. Ruth McClary | Sgt. 1st Class Raymond Carson, of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 130th...... read more read more
CHARLOTTE, N.C – North Carolina Guardsmen have set-up DRASH tactical operation centers all over the world. Therefore, when routine mishaps occurred during the Joint Task Force-Panther’s support-to-civil-authorities mission, Aug. 25 to Sept. 8, in Charlotte, N.C., DRASH decisions were made to continue a non-stop workflow in the joint operations center at the Rudisill National Guard Armory here, when the building’s air conditioning system failed.
DRASH, which stands for Deployable Rapid Assembly Shelter, are dome military tents used for missions stateside and abroad to set-up temporary office sections for tactical operation centers and shelter for soldiers.
“Sergeant Major [Paul] Terry sent [master sergeant] Pittman to purchase the equipment and he told me to make it happen when he returns,” said Sgt. 1st Class Adam Sides, of the 130th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade. “At the end of the day, it’s what we do. If something is broken, we fix it and if the sergeant major says jump, we [ask] ‘how high!’”
Sides drew a diagram of how to run the large, coiled vents from the DRASH generator to push air throughout the building effectively. Sgt. 1st Class Raymond Carson, of the 130th MEB, took the lead from there, assisting the enlisted soldiers in cutting of wooden boards to match the opening of the coils to push cool air through the windows in the JTF-Panther operations and communications centers.
JTF-Panther has a mission of supporting local and federal authorities during the Democratic National Convention held, Sept. 3-6 in Charlotte. The main military command center for this mission is housed at the Armory here.
“It took nearly eight hours to put it up,” Carson said. “Two teams worked, one on the large DRASH coils and one on the small coils. The smaller coils feed cold air from the bottom level to circulate cool air on the top floor.”
“The air conditioning is essential for a mission like this because if the equipment in the communications center gets hot, it shuts down,” Carson added.
The soldiers also set-up a similar venting system for the armory’s drill hall floor, where some soldiers are sleeping during this training. Also, approximately three miles down the road from the armory; the military police have maintained a separate tactical operations center located at Camp Greene.
There an enlisted soldier, whose rank is not normally associated with leadership, coached several soldiers as they assembled a DRASH tent to house another National Guard unit due to arrive at the temporary base.
“We call them mobile tactical operations centers,” said Pfc. Thomas Woolbright, of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 105th Military Police Battalion. “They normally can house 20 soldiers comfortably, and we hook-up vents for heat in the winter and AC in the summer.”
Woolbright, whose military occupation is an intelligence analyst, was the soldier-in-charge for this detail, yelling out directives that made everything flow. One hour later the entire 50-by-25-foot tent was standing freely; awaiting occupants to protect from the elements.
Woolbright, standing a little over five feet tall, pushed out commands such as: “take it that way about a foot,” and “everyone else [not holding up the inner walls of the tent] go outside the walls and push in as they push out!”
“This was a nice little test [as a leader],” Woolbright said. “Nothing too drastic, but it still gives [me] a chance to lead.”
As North Carolina National Guardsmen complete their annual training, enlisted soldiers may fill leadership roles and work in different military occupation specialties in any capacity. citizen-soldiers are versatile and always ready to serve, as needed and when needed to complete the mission during training so that they can confidently complete missions when called upon by our governor and president.
“These young Joes are high-speed,” Carson said. “And they are making it happen, stateside and abroad.”
| Date Taken: | 09.03.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 09.12.2012 14:59 |
| Story ID: | 94594 |
| Location: | CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 332 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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