Mass Casualty Exercise

Yesterday the Observer Controllers (OC's) gave all of us a big surprise. While we were moving to one of our classes, they hit us with a simulated mortar attack which was then followed up by a suicide bomber blowing himself up (simulated of course). With those two incidents occurring within seconds of each other, the mass casualty exercise was off and running. 7 of the 13 soldiers in our team were either injured or killed in the blasts and those of us who were not injured had to secure the perimeter and begin to administer first aid to the casualties who were given cards so us first responders knew what injuries they had. It took us a while to absorb what had just occurred and then begin to administer first aid and triage the injured at the casualty collection point. To add realism we were given our first aid backpacks and combat life saver (CLS) bags and were able to use the various items such as tourniquets, bandages, splints, IV's etc on the injured soldiers. The injured soldiers were then moved via stretchers and one and two man lifts to the ambulance collection point. The whole exercise lasted about 90 minutes and many of us were somewhat tired after hauling patients on the stretchers while wearing our full battle rattle. We definitely have our work cut out for us in this area and we will be attending CLS next week, for some of us it will be our third CLS in the past 2 years but practice makes perfect.

Today and tomorrow we have class on the Blue Force Tracker (BFT), this is a system that the Army and the other services have to better manage the battlefield by tracking and receiving up to date information by units and vehicles on the battlefield. See URL below for a short article on what it is and the capabilities of the system:

http://www.quad-a.org/chapters/Drum/blue_force_tracker_and_army_avia.htm

Today we learned how to set it up and how to create and submit info that is required for tracking the battle. Tomorrow will be the actual exercise and most of us are looking forward to seeing what this system is capable of.

Once we are done it will be turn in our weapons and get off post ASAP as we will be heading to Manhattan's Aggieville to celebrate Saint Patricks Day! I'm not Irish but who can pass up the chance for some corn beef and cabbage washed down with a couple of Guiness's on tap. It's been three weeks since I last left post, since I was sicker than a dog with bronchitis for almost two weeks and definitely need to get out with the guys.

Our team is doing very well working together and we all look out for each other. Right now there are 13 of us and since we are team 25 our nickname is "two bits"! Besides myself, there is a Major, three Captains, one Lieutenant and 7 enlisted soldiers, all but two are E-7's. All of us are logisticians with quartermaster, transportation or maintenance backgrounds. Three of the officers were in the IRR and called up for this deployment, the remainder either are from the 104th or were cross-levelled from another unit. Our backgrounds are diverse as can be, IT manager, postal worker, chemical engineer, truck driver, warehouse worker, college student, HR manager, etc.

Things are picking up on the deployment side of the mob, as the final advance party list is still being reviewed and once approved then the date(s) will be announced for them to move out and hit the ground before the main body does. I should be on the advance party but have been selected to stay back with the main body since the TF Commander and most of the other senior folks are on the Advance Party so I get to stay back and command the main body for our movement to theater later. The final positions that soldiers are slotted for are in the final stage of approval and it looks like there are several changes, I have been lucky as I am still going to where I was originally told, though for a while it looked like I was going elsewhere. That's all for today, I have to finish up some reports and then call home and speak to Carmen and the kids via webcam.