CAMP ATTERBURY, Indiana--Soldiers assigned to the 289 Composite Supply Company (289 CSC), 553rd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion (553 CSSB), 1st Cavalry Division Sustainment Brigade (1 CDSB), are in Camp Atterbury, Indiana, ensuring soldiers from all over the U.S. who are training here in support of Operation Guardian Response, have clean water, while at the same time, honing their own skills.This training operation is the most recent exercise of the annual Defense Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) Response Force training. The training exercise tests units of different military occupational specialties from across the country on their ability to react to a CBRN attack on U.S. soil.
The soldiers are water treatment specialists. Their job, in a time of crisis, is to take contaminated water from a natural source and purify it so it is safe for consumption, whether it be showering, cooking or drinking.
"We are purifying water to distribute to the other units training here, but we are also preparing for natural disasters, so it is great training for us as well," said Spc. Shamyra Coleman, water treatment specialist, 289 CSC, 553 CSSB, 1 CDSB. "I was looking forward to coming out here and proving our capabilities, and I'd say we are accomplishing the mission we were sent out here to do."
The soldiers travelled here from Fort Hood, Texas, with two Tactical Water Purification Systems (TWPS), which are each capable of purifying up to 1,500 gallons of contaminated water per hour.
"We initially test the water to determine the level of contamination, calibrate our equipment accordingly, initiate the filtration process and continue to monitor everything until we have potable water," said Warrant Officer Shaun Wheeler, petroleum and water technician, 289 CSC, 553 CSSB, 1 CDSB. "Water, after all, is the lifeline of humanity."
The 289 CSC is responsible for supplying approximately 2,400 military personnel involved in this operation with clean water for the duration of the exercise.
In this exercise, the water is pumped uphill from a creek, into the TWPS's which use processes called micro filtration and reverse photosynthesis to purify the water. It is then tested using a chlorine photometer to ensure purity before it is stored for pickup and consumption.
The unit eats, sleeps and works together in a camp around the TWPS's to ensure they are monitored 24 hours a day.
"This helps us stay trained up on our equipment, but it also helps us bond together as a unit," said Coleman. "I think we're doing well aside from a few hiccups, but that always happens. We have a good crew, and we work well together."
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