FORT BRAGG, N.C. - Soldiers with the 82nd Sustainment Brigade participated in Orbit Comet, an installation force protection exercise held on Fort Bragg March 20.
Soldiers with the 11th Quartermaster Company, 264th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion responded to a mock mass casualty incident at Womack Army Medical Center, while soldiers from other battalions provided security for the Ground Intelligence Support Activity, U.S. Army Forces Command headquarters building and a communications node.
The units provided a security perimeter around each building to control access to each site. The soldiers checked ID cards and credentials of personnel moving into the perimeter to ensure the safety of personnel inside the buildings from potential attacks and allow other units to respond to simulated emergency events.
"The 264th CSSB received a commendable evaluation for their swift arrival to Womack and how they implemented their defense plan," said Capt. Maurice Serdinia, brigade antiterrorism officer and Honolulu native.
Orbit Comet is an annual force protection exercise that validates the installation's defense program by assessing participating units' response to a deliberate attack or catastrophic event and how they recover from both.
Sgt. Rinku Patel, a team leader with 11th QM and Colorado Springs, Colo., native, prepared his team by training them on weapon awareness, radio call signs, donning a chemical protective mask and using past experience as a military emergency medical technician.
"I feel real confident. I can lead them (team) any given time of day," said Patel. "They have shown me initiative."
Staff Sgt. Anthony Goosey, 264th CSSB antiterrorism officer and Port Orchard, Wash., native, said the exercise assesses soldiers' performance in guard duty.
"You're a soldier first, so you know, it's basic soldiering duties. Guard…it applies to every soldier," said Goosey.
Goosey also said that the exercise builds confidence, a trait that carries over into basic leadership.
"Personally, I feel pretty good about it (the exercise) because it's something different," said Spc. Mariquel Brown, a parachute rigger assigned to 11th QM and Norfolk, Va., native. "It's something different…and we get to refresh our skills."
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