The 62nd chemical company from Ft. Lewis, Washington, completed a Host Nation training exercise with the Kuwait National Guard at the Sea Point of Debarkation/Embarkation here, April 14.
The 62nd prepared for this event and co -trained with the Kuwait National Guard for approximately three months. This exercise originally started with one platoon, and a small element of the Kuwait National Guard. As time progressed and more planning went into the event it bloomed into the entire 62nd chemical company, a battalion of the Kuwait National Guard, the 1108th Explosive Ordnance Disposal team, from the New York Army National Guard, and SPOD Fire Department.
To start off the exercise the reconnaissance platoon from the 62nd Chemical Company conducted a recon of the area for possible contaminated areas and safe avenues of approach. Once the safe and unsafe areas were established, the 1108th Explosive Ordnance Disposal team began their initial entry into the site where they discovered an improvised chemical device leaking. From there they assessed the ICD, and rendered the area safe of explosive hazards. The EOD soldiers then received personal decontamination while the chemical sample team and radiological team were sent to process samples of the ICD. The teams then moved toward the decontamination lanes to ensure proper removal of contamination from surfaces and individual soldiers.
The next course of action was to perform a decontamination of the area. Once the contaminant was rendered safe, the Kuwaiti National Guard provided aid by decontaminating all of the equipment.
The day's events concluded with friendly interactions between Kuwaiti and American forces with important lessons learned and shared between the groups.
" The training was very successful, and went well," said Capt. Vance M. Brunner, Company Commander of the 62nd Chemical Company.
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