Gas Chamber training preps Marines for worst case scenarios
US Marine Corps News
10/6/2010
By Sgt. Justin J. Shemanski, 2nd Marine Logistics Group
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- Teary eyes, burning skin and hacking coughs can all result after a brush with chlorobenzal malononitrile – an experience Marines know all too well.
As painful as it can be, Marines are reintroduced each year to the non-lethal substance, commonly known as “CS,” during gas chamber training.
The annual event allows them to experience the effects of the gas, or lack thereof, with proper use of their issued protective gear and clothing. From chemical agent detection to decontamination measures, the training is all done in the spirit of preparedness.
The training is serves an important purpose, but some Marines less educated on the topic may argue that the preparation is useless. Why prepare annually for something that doesn’t seem too much like a current threat in Iraq or Afghanistan?
According to Sgt. Jason Stacy, a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense specialist with Headquarters and Support Company (Forward), 2nd Marine Logistics Group, the answer is simple.
“It may not seem like it, but the threat of a chemical or nuclear attack is always out there,” said Stacy, a native of Poplar Bluff, Mo. “There are organizations across the globe actively seeking these kinds of weapons. Keeping that in mind, I feel it’s better to get this kind of training done while in garrison, where we have the time, then after it’s too late; after an attack.”
Gunnery Sgt. Steve Bottom, the chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense chief with Headquarters and Support Company (Forward), 2nd Marine Logistics Group, noted that the primary purpose of the training is to simply build confidence in the equipment – the M-40 Field Protective Mask and Mission Oriented Protective Posture, or “MOPP,” suits, which include a charcoal lined top and bottom set along with rubber over shoes and gloves.
“The gear really does work and that’s what we want to get across to Marines,” said Bottom, a native of Elco, Illinois.
Both Stacy and Bottom first learned of the suit’s true protective properties when exposed to a live nerve agent during military occupational specialty training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.
For annual training purposes aboard Camp Lejeune, Marines typically enter the CS-saturated chamber in full MOPP suits and perform a series of activities to show them the mask is allowing them to breathe normally, given the somewhat toxic environment. They are then instructed to “break the seal” of the mask around their face, after which they are exposed to the gas. Marines will then “clear” their mask of the gas and resume normal breathing patterns.
Though CS is a milder agent, the gear also holds up well against far more hazardous substances.
“It’s effective against most conventional chemical weapons; nerve agents, blood agents, choking agents…” said Stacy. “The gear can save you from a lot of that stuff if you just know what you are doing. That’s why this training is so important.”
“We just want Marines to be prepared,” added Bottom. “The skills should be there if needed, but hopefully no one will have to use them.”
Marines train for the worst, but hope for best and gas chamber training is just one of the many ways they stay on the cutting edge of war fighting. It’s hard to tell what the battlefields of tomorrow may bring, but the rest assured, the Corps is probably already training for it. With that being said…
Gas! Gas! Gas!
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