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thedrifter
01-17-04, 06:40 AM
Chemical confidence: masked Marines confront silent, invisible threat
Submitted by: MCB Camp Pendleton
Story Identification Number: 2004115204950
Story by Lance Cpl. Samuel Bard Valliere



MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif.(January 7, 2004) -- One hundred fifty nervous Marines crowd around Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jose A. Santos, listening carefully as he briefs them on how to use a piece of equipment that will protect them from biological and chemical agents — the M40A1 Field Protective Mask.

Santos is an expert in nuclear, chemical and biological agent defense.

The Marines are about to march into a small room where the air is thick with fumes produced by the agent O-chlorobenzalmalononitrile, a mild chemical irritant also known as CS gas.

It is not lethal, but if Marines fail to properly fit their masks before they enter the gas-filled training chamber, they will immediately know.

The CS gas is used during training to bolster Marines’ confidence in their protective masks.

But faith in their gear alone isn’t enough. When operating in a combat zone where nuclear, biological and chemical attacks are potential threats, the Marines must know and trust the abilities of NBC defense specialists who handle their protective gear, warn the unit of potential attacks, and set up decontamination sites to cleanse uniforms and equipment after an attack.

"We take care of the battalion’s NBC equipment and conduct their training," said Sgt. Christopher DiStefano, 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion’s NBC chief.

"With 1,200 Marines in this battalion, we have to make sure their equipment is serviceable, cleaned and maintained for combat."

According to DiStefano, once the equipment is recertified, it’s issued to the battalion’s Marines, who train to use it properly at the annual "confidence chambers."

"When we were (deployed to) Operation Iraqi Freedom, we had 'gas’ called about five times," said Sgt. Chad Taylor of 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion’s Company A.

"The yearly qualification at the confidence chamber helped us to remember what we needed to do," he said.

After receiving his mask, the Marine must keep it serviceable, DiStefano said — in case the call to action comes on short notice.

"You need to clean your mask at least once a month to prevent deterioration of the mask," he said. "At any given moment, we can get called up to suppress a riot, and what happens when you suppress a riot- You wear a gas mask."

But the gear doesn’t help if Marines cannot properly employ it.

"We use a chemical agent monitor, which is a point monitor for nerve or blister agents, and an Automatic Chemical Agent Alarm, which monitors an area, to detect agents," said Lance Cpl. Nicholas G. Bibby, an NBC defense specialist assigned to 3rd AA Bn. "We used those in Iraq whenever we suspected something."

After an attack, the NBC specialists set up decontamination sites to remove chemical or biological agent from Marines, their gear and their vehicles.

The sites offer quick decontamination after severe exposure, Bibby said.

They also give Marines a chance to safely remove their chemical protective gear.

Cpl. Andrew Maloney, an AAV crew chief who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom, said the training accustoms Marines to their gear, which is hotter and heavier than their regular combat uniforms.

His unit endured daily chemical attack drills while in Iraq.

"When you get hit with something like CS gas, it makes you realize that even though your ears may be burning, at least you can still breathe," said Maloney.

"You have to get used to it (through training)," Maloney said about wearing an extra 20 pounds of chemical protective gear and adjusting to breathing through a restrictive gas mask.

The NBC training teaches Marines they can still bring the fight — even as the enemy putting them under a cloud, Maloney said.

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/18869D08D0BED93B85256E1D000A0E91?opendocument


Sempers,

Roger
:marine: