Posted on 09/24/2007 5:07:55 PM PDT by SandRat
Soldiers of the Army Reserve 329th Chemical Company, Multi-National Corps-Iraq, utilize the ‘shower’ area to clean off any nitric acid residue. Photo by Army Spc. Beatrice Florescu.
BAGHDAD — Soldiers of the Army Reserve 329th Chemical Company, Multi-National Corps-Iraq, work in dangerous environments, here and in the United States. They are called upon when chemical waste or hazardous material is in need of identification, isolation, removal and disposal.
During one mission, the Soldiers had to operate quickly and accurately while receiving small arms fire, said Army Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Hart, 329th Chem. Co., MNC-I.
Every cleanup mission involves thorough planning. It starts with setting up the site and perimeter, establishing entry teams, gathering data, keeping an operations log, and supplies, Hart said.
Entry teams are a minimum of two Soldiers who conduct the removal and disposal on-site, said Army Spc. Fernando Gonzalez, 329th Chem. Co., MNC-I data gathering and operations log operator. Data is gathered and an operations log is filled in by Gonzalez, who tracks the time each troop spent on site, the amount of hazardous material removed, and personal information of operators in direct contact with the hazardous material.
Each time a hazmat mission is scheduled, Soldiers have to be in good health, said Army Spc. Marcello Silva, 329th Chem. Co., MNC-I and Powder Springs, Ga., native. Fever or headache takes them out of the entry team, because the chemicals they are handling are dangerous.
Chlorine, acetylene and nitric acid have been the latest materials used in building homemade explosive devices used against Coalition forces, said Army Maj. Vasili Karatzas, chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear operations officer, MNC-I.
These chemicals are then placed in appropriate isolating barrels and then transported to a disposal site, Karatzas said. The isolating barrels have special sealing material on their covers to ensure no vapors exit.
The Soldiers wear their physical training uniforms under their chemical suits, because the heat released by the suit, the acids and movement causes them to sweat abundantly.
“I have to make sure that my Soldiers are safe and can operate without any additional risks while they are inside the perimeter, because these substances can cause a lot of damage in a very short time,” Hart said.
The oxygen tanks can offer up to 45 minutes of air depending on a person’s breathing, Hart said. However, the entry teams usually spend 20 to 25 minutes inside the perimeter before exiting to rest until the next entry.
“The mission log reports how many Soldiers participate in this mission and their roles,” said Gonzalez, a native of New York, N.Y. “Each Soldier’s blood type, vitals, and time on site are tracked. If a Soldier doesn’t feel well after the mission, the data is readily available to help treat him effectively.”
Another important part of the mission is decontamination. Each Soldier is decontaminated thoroughly with brushes and hoses, said Army Sgt. Holly Kelly, 329th Chem. Co., MNC-I.
“There are two lime powder tubs at the entrance of the decontamination system to neutralize the nitric acid on the boots,” said Kelly, a native of Melbourne, Fla. “After that they enter the ‘shower’ area and I help them clean any residue of nitric acid to ensure it doesn’t reach the skin.”
FR WAR NEWS! Darned near everybody, including President Bush.
I hope he explains this some day, because I'm certain he's wrong.
We found 500 Tons of Uranium in Iraq!
And still the President, the media and Congress continue to say there were none.
I can’t figure why.
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