"Steel" Battalion Conducts CBRN Training

By Staff Sgt. Felix MenaNovember 13, 2014

"Steel" Battalion Conducts CBRN Training
WARRIOR BASE, South Korea -- Pvt. Colon of 1st Battalion, 38th Field Artillery Regiment, 210th Field Artillery Brigade, inspects his protective mask during Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear defense training at Warrior Base, November 4, ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

WARRIOR BASE, South Korea-- Elements from the 1st Battalion, 38th Field Artillery Regiment, 210th Field Artillery Brigade, conducted a variety of training at Warrior Base on November 3, including chemical training. They waste no time in getting started, conducting a basic Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear defense (CBRN) class within hours of arriving at the training base, located just a few miles from the Korean Demilitarized Zone.

Sgt. Anthony Miller of Alpha Battery led the first class of the day which included the basics of CBRN training, teaching soldiers how to disassemble their protective masks to the lowest components, reassembly, decontamination, and how to conduct a proper Preventative Maintenance Checks and Services (PMCS). Later in the day, the Soldiers learned about the proper wear of their Joint Service Lightweight Integrated Suit Technology (JSLIST) gear.

"CBRN training is really important because North Korea has a stockpile of chemical weapons," said Miller. "That stuff can kill you in three minutes!"

After receiving basic instruction and conducting practical exercises, Soldiers were tested to see if they could don their CBRN gear within the standard. Soldiers have 9 seconds to put on their protective mask and 8 minutes to get into the rest of the JSLIST gear.

Pfc. Michael Lund, also of Alpha Battery enjoyed the training.

"I'm enjoying it a lot," said Lund. "I'm learning how to properly take the mask apart and clean it. Now that I know how to do that, I feel more prepared."

The "Steel" Battalion is also scheduled to conduct crew-served weapons training and qualification on weapons systems including the Mark 19 automatic grenade launcher, M2, M240B and M249.