Tulsa World: Video: Guard keeps training

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Video: Guard keeps training
Disaster drills focus on weapons of mass destruction

Oklahoma National Guard Sgt. Ken Perry (left) of Earlsboro, works to de-contaminate Sgt. Daniel Pierce of Moore, as Staff Sgt. Grant Carter of Norman takes his shoes off during a weapons of mass destruction training exercise at Camp Gruber on Tuesday. MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World

By MANNY GAMALLO World Staff Writer
Published: 10/21/2009 2:21 AM
Last Modified: 10/21/2009 10:51 AM

BRAGGS — Specialized units from the Oklahoma, Missouri and Illinois National Guards, along with a team of Marines, are honing their skills this week at Camp Gruber in dealing with terrorist attacks.

Specifically, the units are focusing on the aftermath of attacks involving possible chemical, biological and radiation elements, along with training on communications and dealing with other government agencies.

Officials said the training takes in the hard lessons learned from the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah building in Oklahoma City, the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and even Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Those incidents highlighted problems local, state, federal and military authorities had in dealing with one another, and also spotlighted the need for a faster response to environmental fallout as a result of those catastrophes.

Mike Shannon of Oklahoma City, general manager of Response International Group, said the training at Camp Gruber is more than a disaster drill in that it involves violence brought on by terrorists.

Shannon, a Navy veteran, was chief of special operations for the Oklahoma City Fire Department during the Murrah building recovery efforts and he knows first-hand the problems emergency crews faced.

It was his group which set up the training scenario at Camp Gruber.

The Gruber training is called "Operation Joint Eagle" and it uses a scenario in which a world summit, attended by the president of the United States, is meeting at Braggs.

But under the scenario, things start to happen after 1 a.m. on the day of the summit when authorities receive word that area police and fire stations and hospitals have been bombed.

Three hours later, authorities learn that there has been another large-scale attack on hotels, nursing homes and other infrastructure, including bridges.

Those attacks lead to a local and state emergency declaration.

That's the premise of the entire scenario by which military officials respond with their special teams, focusing on saving lives or body recovery, decontamination efforts and setting up lines of communication to deal with other agencies.

Maj. Rob Mathews of the Oklahoma Army National Guard said Camp Gruber is perfectly suited for the training, probably more than any other place in the country.

The camp is littered with old buildings left over from World War II. Many have been razed and reduced to rubble, which provides the perfect backdrop for the terrorist-attack training.

Shannon said no other place in the country is comparable to Gruber for this type of training.

Lt. Col. Bob Finigan, commander of the Oklahoma National Guard's 63rd Civil Support Team, overseas a crew of 22 full-time Guard members who respond to any environmental incident when called upon by the state office of emergency management.

During training exercises at Gruber on Tuesday, his Norman-based crew was focusing its attention on a two-story house which had some sort of mock chemical leak.

Donning bio-hazard suits, the Guard members entered the building and tried to pinpoint the nature of the chemical, locate the leak in order to isolate it.

Finigan said the team operates much like a local hazardous-materials crew, except that his team also comes equipped with its own communications truck to stay in touch with state or federal authorities.

It also has a lab truck on site to quickly analyze chemicals or other suspicious agents.

"That's our primary mission — to detect hazardous materials and provide information to the civilian command," Finigan said.

While Finigan's team was going through its paces, a team from the Illinois National Guard was retrieving victims from a fictitious explosion nearby and rushing them into decontamination tents which had been set up.

This week's training marks the first time the Guard has worked with these Marines in this type of exercise.

Manny Gamallo 581-8386
manny.gamallo@tulsaworld.com By MANNY GAMALLO World Staff Writer

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	Report Comment aint missbehavin, no thanks (10/21/2009 10:01:56 AM) This is pretty scary.Very glad that we have such men and woman,who do these exercises,hopefully thats all they will be,preparations.
	Report Comment FUTURE WORLD, Tulsa (10/21/2009 9:35:21 PM) Lets hope and pray their training is never needed.
	Report Comment rhonda l, warner (10/22/2009 12:51:00 AM) You I was a role player at camp gruber on october the 20th it was the most rewarding and eye opening thing i have ever done. The national guard and the marine corp worked extremly hard and was dedicated to responding in a caring and compassionate manner. This is an expierience i will never forget! i was carried out of a overturned bus, bombed motel, collapsed nursing home and many other locations i walked out with their assistance. They talked to me and encouraged me the entire time. What a great chore this must have been some of us were very difficult and unruly these young men and women handled it in a respectful and compassionate mannor that totally blew me away!! I can not wait to do this exercise again. must be logged in to post a comment.
	Report Comment rhonda l, warner (10/22/2009 12:54:18 AM) I was a role player at camp gruber on october the 20th., it was the most rewarding and eye opening thing i have ever done. The national guard and the marine corp worked extremly hard and was dedicated to responding in a caring and compassionate manner. This is an expierience i will never forget! i was carried out of a overturned bus, bombed motel, collapsed nursing home and many other locations, some of which i walked out, or stumbled out with their assistance. They talked to me and encouraged me the entire time. What a great chore this must have been some of us were very difficult and unruly these young men and women handled it in a respectful and compassionate manner that totally blew me away!! I can not wait to do this exercise again.
	Report Comment Thunder196, Tulsa (10/22/2009 1:34:03 AM) Being ready to face situations that are not of the ordinary nature, is the key to success. . I agree, let's hope these exercises remain just that, exercises.

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