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LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan National Guard's 51st Weapons
of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team is one of only two
MING units (the other is the counterdrug team) that will not
deploy outside of the United States and its territories. The
51st CST, based at Fort Custer Training Center near Battle
Creek, has a unique homeland security mission to respond to
suspected chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear
(CBRN) incidents in support of U.S. local authorities. Upon
call-up, the team will identify, assess, advise and assist
local civilian authorities to mitigate real or potential
threat from accidental, intentional or natural CBRN
incidents.
Michigan National Guard's 51st Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team member Army Sgt. Joesph Boesler uses equipment to obtain a reading on a suspected biological or radiological substance to provide reconnaissance during a civil support team exercise at U.S. Naval Air Station Key West, Fla., Feb. 26, 2015. The civil support team experienced an 85-degree temperature change from Michigan to Florida and multiple exercises led by U.S. Army North analysts, in preparation for an upcoming recertification requirement in April 2015. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Denice Rankin) |
Army 1st Sgt. Jason Baldwin joined the team April 2000. At
that time, the unit was comprised of one-weekend-a-month,
traditional National Guard “M-Day” Soldiers.
“I
started out as a survey team chief and M-Day,” said Baldwin.
“Originally there were 10 full-time CST teams across the
nation. After Sept. 11, [2001] Congress deemed every state
and territory should have their own CST team.”
Thereafter, the balance of the CST's stood up across the
nation through a five-phase implementation. The Michigan
National Guard 51st Civil Support Team began and completed
certification by the Department of Defense in 2002, during
the third phase.
The team trains regularly away from
home-station. In February, the 22-member Army and Air Guard
team performed an air-load mission. Upon arrival at
Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Harrison Township, the
127th Logistics Readiness Squadron and 51st CST members
palletized equipment and loaded four of the team's eight
emergency response vehicles and Guard members onto a C-17
aircraft.
The team flew to the nation's southernmost
point in Key West, Florida, to undergo technical proficiency
exercises by analysts from U.S. Army North. The exercise
scenarios challenged the 51st CST's response measures to
suspected biological and radiological sources on Naval Air
Station Key West and at a U.S. Naval facility on Saddlebunch
Key.
Army Staff Sgt. Teriana Makarewicz headed up the
decontamination corridor, where the survey team processed
through after exposure to suspected hazardous material.
Makarewicz serves as the administrative sergeant at home
station. In spite of 100 percent humidity and suited up in a
fully enclosed protective suit, Makarewicz has an obvious
appreciation for her job.
“It's great to have an
administration job and a tactical job as well that gets me
out of the office,” said Makarewicz.
The team is
staffed one deep for some of the positions. For this
exercise, two members of the Wisconsin National Guard 54th
Civil Support Team deployed with the 51st to supplement the
team with a logistics NCO and a survey team member. Sgt. 1st
Class Edwin Bonayon has served with the 54th CST as a "loggie"
for three years and expressed the same passion for his job
as those on Michigan's team.
“I like that I'm helping
people, you know, WMD isn't a joke,” said Bonayon. “I like
the fact that I'm helping the people of Wisconsin.”
Army Capt. Victoria Allard is the section leader for the
analytical lab system and serves as the team's science
adviser. The scenario that the Army North analysts created
was a new experience for her.
“This was an unusual
exercise, because we had a liquid sample that contained
radiation. That is definitely going to keep us on our toes,”
said Allard. “It reminds us how we need to pay attention to
details and not get tunnel vision.”
One of the
vehicles the team brought was their unified command suite,
which provides satellite phone and data connectivity and
various modes of transmission capabilities. A camera with
live-feed allowed the operations center to monitor the
survey team's movements as they went down-range to detect
the suspected CBRN hazard.
The exercise's
effectiveness was manifested by the team's cohesion. Before
each entry into a building, the team would rally in the
operation's center. Each section, command, operations,
communications, administration/logistics, media/analytical
and survey would brief their portion of the operation.
Survey team leader Army Capt. Ethan Eickelberg briefed the
survey team's entry mission from start to finish and to make
sure the team was on track, would ask a random survey team
member to relay back the mission systematically and another
to review emergency hand-signals.
Tech. Sgt. Ruel
Taylor is a survey team chief for one of the CST's two
survey teams who suit up to enter the hot zone. Taylor has
been on the team for five years and experienced a new
element of testing with this training exercise.
“We
were forced to respond with a bare minimum of equipment and
were out of our comfort zone,” said Taylor. “We operated
well though — when we left Selfridge it was below zero and
now it's in the 80s with 100 percent humidity — we didn't
miss a beat.”
“The two different [exercise] venues
created some unique challenges,” said 51st CST Deputy
Commander, Army Capt. Ryan Davis. “The footprint was a
challenge, because of the high tide we had to think about
when setting up. However, the exercises were a great
opportunity for our people in new positions. In two months
we have our TPE [technical proficiency evaluation], so this
was an opportunity to work with Army North evaluators and
work on our core competencies and METL [mission essential
task list].”
Army North recently realigned CST teams
with new evaluation teams. A different team of Army North
analysts will now evaluate the 51st CST.
“This
exercise lane is a first look for both our team and Jeff
Taylor's evaluation team. We are very fortunate to have an
experienced, knowledgeable, and professional team such as
Mr. Taylor's staff,” said 51st CST Commander Air Force Maj.
Mark Sitterly.
For those just joining the 51st CST,
it may feel like “school is never out.” In addition to their
military occupational and education schools necessary for
promotion, the civil support team members must complete an
eight-week civil support skills course at Fort Leonard Wood,
Missouri, which covers basic hazardous material operations
and chemistry. This required guidance trains team members to
interact with civil authorities. After completing the civil
support skills course in Missouri, there is follow-on,
position-specific course training with first year and second
year requirements.
Sgt. 1st Class David Alexander is
the reconnaissance noncommissioned officer and has been on
the team for 13 years. The February trip was his fifth
air-load mission, but according to him, offered some
unexpected obstacles.
“This was a different challenge
logistically because we had to coordinate the use of
non-organic vehicles to move our equipment,” said Alexander.
Factored into all the other team objectives, this
was one more detail to take into consideration in the team's
emergency response mission.
According to Air Force
Master Sgt. William Bennett, the team's operations NCO, the
CST has a liaison program based on emergency management
districts, and civil support team members are responsible to
interact with different agencies within their assigned
district. When Michigan CST is not training, members reach
out to Michigan local responder communities.
“For
example, I'm assigned to Michigan State Police region 6
emergency management district,” said Bennett. “Next week
I'll be speaking at Kent County Local Emergency Management
Committee about the 51st CST's capabilities — what we have
to augment their capabilities.”
Michigan's Civil
Support Team members carry their cellphones everywhere and
understood before accepting the job, there is an
“always-on-call” requirement.
Survey team member,
Army Sgt. Joseph Boesler's comments could very well speak
for the team, “If something real bad happens, we'll be
prepared.”
More photos available below
By U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Denice Rankin
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2015
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