Operation Dragon Foundation Where there's smoke, there's Arctic Dragons

  • Published
  • By Army Staff Sgt. Jason Epperson
  • 3rd MEB PAO
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  Soldiers of the 95th Chemical Company "Arctic Dragons," 17th Command Sustainment Support Battalion, reinforced their Soldiering skills, March 21, with Operation Dragon Foundation at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.

Operation Dragon Foundation consists of Individual Arctic Warrior Tasks, or Army Warrior Tasks, as well as more specialized tasks common to the Chemical Corps.

Soldiers took on four tasks and subtasks consisting of land navigation, radio communications, first aid and reacting to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear attack or hazard.

Forward Operating Base Grizzly was the start and end point of the land navigation course. Soldiers trudged through snow, sometimes waist deep, while plotting points and navigating from one point to another.

Pfc. James Wells and his squad leader Army Staff Sgt. Kerry Harmon, both members of 1st Platoon, 95th Chemical Company, were one of many groups paired to find three of the plotted points within three hours.

The deep snow and thick wooded terrain made the training challenging, Wells, a native of Falmouth, Ky., said.

"Land navigation was the most challenging," said Pvt. Godfrey Wilson, a member of 5th Platoon.
 
"You are in full battle rattle walking through deep snow with a weapon.

You have a certain amount of time to find your points, so you can get a go," the Fort Smith, Ark., native said. "You don't want to fail or else you'll have to go back out there the next day and do it all again."

After the Soldiers completed the course, the same teams moved to the communications lane on FOB Grizzly to practice a request for a medical evacuation on a SINCGARS single-channel radio.

Once the teams were given a "Go" at that station, they formed into squads to conduct dismounted movements south on Pole Line Road and to provide support to a squad which had received small arms fire and reported friendly casualties.

As the teams patrolled almost two miles down the road, they identified casualties lying on the side of the road. Some of the Soldiers set up a perimeter of security, while others quickly rushed to perform basic life-saving measures after moving the casualties out of the kill zone.

Shortly after, the patrols had to fend off an attack from opposing-force role players.

"It opens (the Soldiers') eyes a little more and offers them a real life scenario," opposing-force role player Sgt. Chaun Hauer said.

The last event called on the Chemical Corps Soldiers' particular area of expertise.
The chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear lane consisted of individual and equipment decontamination, detecting chemical agents with M-8 paper and avoiding a Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear, or CBRN, injury with a protective suit called a Joint Service Lightweight Integrated Suit Technology.

Army Staff Sgt. Ricardo Cruz, the CBRN lane noncommissioned officer in
charge, explained the importance of the training.

"It's a good opportunity for them to refresh on the basics that they are taught in initial entry training and their (advanced individual training)," he said.

"Reacting to chemical attack is not only a chemical task, but it's Army wide, so it's done from an infantryman to the truck driver," the McAllen, Texas, native said.

"So it's very important to us as chemical Soldiers to be more than proficient in this in comparison to all our other service members."

Once the Soldiers completed the course, the final step was the mask-confidence portion in the CS gas chamber. After a few minutes in the cloudy chamber, they were then told to remove their masks. After about 10 seconds they were released to the fresh, crisp air outside.

Not all of the Soldiers in the unit are CBRN specialists, however.

Pvt. Chase Edmonds, a wheeled-vehicle mechanic in Maintenance Platoon, went through the training as well.

"It's good to catch up on (training) just in case anything does happen and we're prepared for it," Edmonds, a native of Garland, Utah, said. "I think it's easier to learn training out here, because they actually work with you more, so it's a lot better for you to really understand what's going on."