KAHUKU, Hawaii- Soldiers from the 71st Chemical Company, 303rd Explosive Ordnance Disposal Battalion, 8th Military Police Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, tested their knowledge, technical and tactical skills during the company's quarterly culminating training exercise held June 20-24, here.
It was about this time last year that the chemical company returned from its first deployment ever in its history, where it provided Central Command in Kuwait with expert chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear training and support. While it's not set to deploy any time soon, the chemical company wanted to maximize the training experience for its Soldiers by employing the brigade's MPs and EOD teams' expertise.
"This was the first time we had MPs and EOD out there training with us," said Capt. Cora Freeman, company commander. "It was a great training experience."
Freeman said that her Soldiers were very receptive of the training and that she was happy to have the MPs and EOD teams out there helping.
From dismounted reconnaissance training to site surveying and sampling exercises, the company's four-day training exercise came to an end with one culminating training event.
The chemical Soldiers' first training objective: secure an area occupied by known enemy forces. Utilizing essential squad-level skills, the teams engage the enemy and work to safely clear the multi-story building.
After securing the site, the teams then tend to the wounded and call in for a medical evacuation. Once the wounded were triaged and evacuated by helicopter, the chemical Soldiers kept the site secured while the next objective, site surveying and sampling, went into motion.
Flying in on a CH-47 Chinook, the site surveying and sampling teams quickly dismount the tandem rotor transport helicopter already dressed in their chemical suits and carrying their gear. Once on site, the teams don their masks and enter the building.
Next, they head down to the basement where a laboratory was discovered. Making quick work of the laboratory using their technical expertise, they document and take samples. Finishing, the site surveying and sampling teams clear out of the building and load back up into a Chinook.
However, it's not quite over. After landing at Wheeler Army Airfield, the teams have learned that their transport helicopter is contaminated.
Again, wasting no time, the chemical Soldiers get to work decontaminating the Chinook. Finally, after successfully decontaminating the helicopter, "endex" is called and the exercise ends.
"It was tough," said Spc. Chantrell Daniels, CBRN specialist, 3rd Platoon. "We had to dig deep and just remember what we've been training for."
Daniels said, "All in all, we did good and it was a great training exercise."
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