NORTH STAR RANGE - Training for 82 of the 176 men of the 15th Korean Service Corps stationed on Camp Stanley began April 16 on North Star Range adjacent to Camp Stanley. Training consisted of 17 test subjects in four categories. The four categories consisted of field first aid, nuclear, biological and chemical defense, weapons familiarization with the M9 pistol and M16 series rifle, and military map reading.
"We conducted Army Warrior Tasks tests today," said Yi Kun Tok, commander, 15th KSC Company. "We have a wartime mission as well as a peacetime mission. So, we must keep sharp on all our skills, especially wartime skills. This is why we conduct the AWT tests annually."
First-aid skills are practiced four times a year and specific training in six areas are tested once a year, Yi explained.
"We must be proficient in clearing an object from a conscious casualty, first aid for an open abdominal wound, open chest wound, bleeding of an extremity, open head wound, and be able to practice individual preventive medicine," Yi said.
Usually the KSC will train in a gas simulator as part of their annual training in nuclear, biological, and chemical hazards, but this year the simulator was not operating.
"We must be proficient in protecting ourselves from NBC injury or contamination with mission-oriented protective posture gear," he said. "We must know how to use our gas masks and detect chemical agents using the M8 or M9 chemical detector paper. We have to understand and be able to decontaminate ourselves using the issued chemical decontamination kits, and learn how to maintain our protective masks."
Locating areas on a military map is different from using a civilian road map to get somewhere, Yi said. Military maps have much more information and are used to determine targets and areas for tactical reasons. This is why military map reading is important to the KSC.
Last, but not least, in annual training is handling and maintaining the M9 pistol and M16 rifle. Being a good shot is just as important as knowing first aid and what to do in a chemical attack, Yi explained.
"All of us have experience in the Republic of Korea army," Yi said. "Now we train with the pistol and rifle, but when new weapons are introduced, we train with those as well."
The KSC support all the elements of the 8th Army and U.S. Forces Korea, Yi explained.
"The 15th KSC supports all Area I units," Yi said. "In peacetime we support 20 U.S. units and we train every year for support in wartime missions. We support both peacetime and wartime missions and train for both every year."
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