Texas Guardsmen train to save lives

"A semi driver was feeling a little woozy last night, tried to make it to a hospital and didn't quite make it," said Army Capt. Lance Frail, commander for the 436th Chemical Company, of the simulation. "He drove into the hospital, taking out the right front corner of it. We have a chemical spill and we are here to assist those personnel that are inside the hospital and could be hurt and/or in need of decontamination."

The 6th CERFP is a subordinate organization to Joint Task Force 71 (Maneuver Enhancement Brigade), the Texas National Guard element responsible for the Homeland Response Force Mission for FEMA Region VI. This mission fulfills the Department of Defense's commitment to focus on life-saving objectives and operational flexibility through CBRNE consequence management.

"The organizations that are in DOMOPS have a real-world mission to support the state whenever we have an emergency or a natural disaster," said Brig. Gen. William Smith, the commander for Texas National Guard's Domestic Operations. "We spend a lot of time doing exercises like this to make sure that we are as prepared as we can be when those real incidents occur."

In addition to engaging this large-scale scenario, the units of the 6th CERFP got back to the basics with medical readiness updates and individual weapons qualification for the M4 and M16 rifles. As experienced service members, these Soldiers and Airmen never ignore the foundations of their duty in the Army and Air Force. Bringing together the assets of the 436th Chemical Company, the 836th Engineer Company, the 236th Military Police Company and the Air Guard's medical operations element allows an ideal opportunity to accomplish these warrior tasks.

"None of us are full-timers so we only get to do this during our drill weekends and AT," said Sgt. Celso Ramirez, Jr., a combat engineer with the 836th Engineer Company. "The fact that we get together and we have the full assets: the MPs, the chemical, and us, the extractors, it gives us a chance to kinda work together again and see where our shortages are, where do we need to concentrate more on working."

The service members also demonstrated improved familiarity with their equipment, setting up and taking down full decontamination displays several times over.

"It's a perishable skill," said Frail. "Setting up this line takes time, and knowing how to do it and having muscle memory to do it is really a benefit."

The value of this training and future scenarios like it will prove instrumental next year when the brigade personnel recertify their Homeland Response Force mission through the National Guard Bureau's external evaluation process. Until then, the troops of the 6th CERFP continue to prove their mettle with training exercises just like this one.

"We love the training, we love everything about it," said Spc. Edward Lopez, Jr., a combat engineer with the 836th Engineer Company. "We'd be able to show that we can use it in real life and that we are very proficient in it."