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Threat of war increases NBC training in Kuwait

by Spc. Jacob Boyer

CAMP DOHA, Kuwait (Army News Service, Feb. 13, 2003) -- With the possibility of war looming, the soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division (Mech.), are honing their nuclear, biological and chemical warfare training.

"All NBC training is important because it's a situation we could face at any given time," said Sgt. 1st Class Bryant Reid, division tactical operations center noncommissioned officer in charge. "It's like an insurance policy to save lives."

The NBC staff at the division tactical operations center, or DTAC, trained soldiers on a variety of tasks, from donning protective masks to skin decontamination, said Reid, a Chicago native, who is responsible for setting up training for the DTAC's soldiers.

"We try to cover all the bases so the soldiers can cover themselves and their buddies at the same time," he said.

Recently, the DTAC staff trained soldiers on how to operate a patient decontamination area.

Soldiers took "patients" through the different stations they would go through to be decontaminated before being treated on a chemical battlefield.

"It was just as good as all of the training we've received out here," said Staff Sgt. Mike Rodgers, HHC, 123rd Signal Battalion, information systems operator.

"They simulated to perfection what to expect, and what to do," Rodgers said.

In addition to learning how to react to hazards, it is also important for the soldiers to be prepared with the proper equipment, Reid said. Soldiers participated in mission- oriented protective posture gear exchanges, pressure tests on their protective masks and cleaning their masks.

"We've been getting feedback from the soldiers that come to the classes, and they say they do get something out of the training," Reid said.

Most soldiers are aware of the importance of the training they receive.

"Being here makes a big difference," said Rodgers, a San Diego native. "The writing's on the wall, and people are taking this stuff very seriously. Nothing's impossible here."

"I hope it saves some of our lives," said Pfc. Richard Brandon Littlefield, a command and control vehicle driver with HHC, 3rd Inf. Div. from Headland, Ala. "I've been trained, but I wouldn't want to test my training at all."

(Editor's note: Spc. Jacob Boyer is a member of the 3rd ID public affairs team.)