Ron Schum, Victor Acevedo and Rusty Davis, contractors working with the Training Support Center, Fort Riley, Kansas, received recognition as Safety Heroes of the Quarter by the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security for helping a n...

FORT RILEY, Kan. - Last fall, three members of the Homestation Instrumentation Training Systems team at Fort Riley, Kansas, received recognition for helping a number of Soldiers get emergency health care. The Soldiers were suffering the effects of heat while exercising land navigation skills during a sweltering afternoon in July.

Land navigation is a key skill for Soldiers trying to earn their Expert Infantrymen Badges.

Ron Schum, Victor Acevedo and Rusty Davis, were the HITS team working with the Training Support Center July 14. They were providing support for the 2nd Battalion, 70th Armor Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division.

According to www.accuweather.com, dry-bulb temperatures measured on regular thermometers reached 99 degrees that day.

In addition, the "web-bulb temperature," which is indicative of the relative humidity, was very high, Schum said.

This resulted in a hot, oppressive afternoon.

According to the U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Train and Instrumentation website www.peostri.army.mil/PRODUCTS/HITS/. HITS is a comprehensive and complex training system that provides units up to battalion level the tactical engagement simulation needed for realistic training. Among the many capabilities HITS provides is giving accurate position locations through the use of the Global Positioning System.

Unit trainers and commanders can request support from the HITS team and it is a boon to commanders, Schum said.

"What we've done is we've introduced the HITS system to track Soldiers," he said. "We have a big-screen TV, (commanders) can sit there and watch and see where all the Soldiers are at. We have a map overlay that we made. So you are looking at a picture that represents the land navigation course, with all the points with the land-nav course, and it looks like an overview of Google map. And we can show dots on the map with Soldiers' names underneath them, and you can see them moving as they're trying to go to the different (land-nav) points."

The course, or "lane," for each Soldier, Schum said, typically features five points on the map with corresponding grid coordinates which the Soldiers are tasked to find. They are provided a map, compass and protractor to accomplish the land navigation course, as well as a GPS radio. If Soldiers have misinterpreted the data provided by these devices they likely will miss a point.

In addition, the training scenario is recorded for playback and training purposes. When Soldiers come back from the course the HITS team and the commanders can replay the video and help the Soldiers learn.

Trainers know where Soldiers should be going, Schum said, and can tell if they have overshot where they are supposed to go.

With the images of the Soldiers' progress recorded, Schum said, Soldiers can learn from their mistakes and make corrections for greater success in the future.

On July 14, the HITS team noticed that several Soldiers had stopped moving for some time -- about four to six minutes in this instance.

When that happens, Schum said, it is usually an indication that "they are either confused or they dropped a radio. And we can go out there and help them find them."

"We told the (noncommissioned officers) and the NCO of the range," Schum said. "And of course the Soldiers' NCO was right there and watching as well. And they agreed, 'yeah, he hasn't moved in quite some time.'"

"Since this just a regular training exercise the Soldiers had cell phones with them. So the NCO gave them a call and they said 'hey, we're out of water and we're cramping up. And we can't seem to figure out how to get out of these woods where we are at.'"

The Soldiers were given the grid coordinates and other information they needed to find the nearest tank trail.

"We sent the medics out that way," Schum said, "and they evaluated them and took them to the troop clinic."

The HITS team made a difference for those Soldiers that day. For their work on that hot July afternoon, Steve Crusinberry, Director, and staff of the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security recognized the HITS team as Safety Heroes of the Quarter on Nov. 2.