NBC. It's not just for broadcasting anymore.

The morning of 16October2008 found elements of the 1133 and 1168 conducting training to protect them from Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical (NBC) attack. The Army decided long ago that all soldiers needed to be able to respond to such attacks whether it seemed likely they would be encountered or not.

Training started out with the usual PowerPoint briefing covering the task to be learned. Following the presentation was hands-on training. Master Sergeant Neal was our head instructor for the day and his combination of knowledge-sharing and humor made for an enjoyable training day. My training group started out by reviewing how to decontaminate ourselves after possible exposure. One of the after effects of deconing oneself is a nice black layer of soot on your skin. Few of us had any exposed skin visible when we were finished

From decon we went to a block of instruction on how to put on our protective suits. The current suits are different from what we used to have and for some of us it was a new experience. We then learned how to exchange our used suits for new ones without further exposing ourselves to contamination.

After learning about our new suits we reviewed how to use the Army’s two types of chemical detection paper. One paper will simply indicate if exposure has occurred, while the other will indicate which of three possible types of exposure has been encountered. We also learned how and where to position the paper on our bodies and equipment.

Following lunch we learned how to recognize the Army’s markings for contaminated areas and how to administer first aid for exposure on ourselves and our buddies. Many of us had never used the simulated needle injectors for this task and I must admit I took a few opportunities to mess with some of the younger guys, just like I had been messed with when I was their age.

The final training exercise was running through all the previous training rolled into one event. It was fun (kind of), it was quite useful as it gave us practice with something we don’t normally do, and it was HOT. One definitely sweats while in a chemical suit. Good thing earlier in the day we reviewed how to drink out of our canteens with our protective masks on.

The day ended on a positive note. Before our class on how to maintain our protective masks MSG Neal gave us all cookies baked by his thoughtful wife. How can one not have a good afternoon when cookies are involved?

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