FORWARD OPERATING BASE PATRIOT, FORT BRAGG, N.C. -- "Rollover--Rollover--Rollover!"
A 2005 Scripps-Howard News Service analysis states more than 1 in 4 deaths downrange have been associated with humvees, and even greater numbers of service members have been injured. With Hmmwv Egress Assistance Training, or H.E.A.T., however, service members are learning to mitigate the threat to an immeasurable degree.
"Because of the high number of casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan, this training was designed to better prepare service members to react more effectively in rollovers and other incidents--and hopefully save lives," said Staff Sgt. Carl Burrow, 1-349th, 157th Infantry Brigade out of Fort Gordon, Ga., one of the tenant units at Fort Bragg training members of OEF Rotation 08-10's joint-service Provincial Reconstruction Teams headed to Afghanistan next month.
Making sure every member of the humvee crew lives and receives as minor injuries as possible in an accident or rollover is the whole purpose behind this training, which for many in the PRTs was the first time they'd been exposed to it.
"I felt like it was as good a representation of what a rollover might feel like as you can get in a controlled training environment," said Maj. Mike Hahn, operations officer for PRT Gardez. "Now I'm confident I've raised my chances to survive the potential disaster that could occur on what will be many convoys for us in Afghanistan's rocky and uncertain terrain this next year."
Before hanging upside down in full body armor and advanced combat helmet, the PRT members attended the academic portion of the training learning the procedures for mitigating rollover injuries. For instance, unarmored humvees tipped only when they reached 30 degrees of tilt, where the up-armored versions can roll over at 25 degrees.
Service members' standard issue also now includes a specialized hook knife so they can quickly extricate themselves from a seat belt in the instance they end up under water, such as in the many canals and other bodies of water common downrange. Finally, training included how to save the gunner who is most vulnerable during rollover, and what each crew member's designated duty is in a rollover.
"The Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen training H.E.A.T. have told me how disoriented they've gotten during the training," said Army Sgt. Cassius Harris, another 1-349th trainer, and "they're glad to have the opportunity to experience it and learn how to deal with what happens in a rollover here in training and not for the first time when they're downrange and it's for real."
PRT Paktya's senior enlisted member, Army 1st Sgt. Reginald Parham, said "The commander and I are responsible for the lives of every member of our PRT, and having this training leaves us feeling more confident we've been trained for as many contingencies as is possible before we ship out."
For more information on PRTs, visit the NATO/ISAF website at: http://www.nato.int/isaf/topics/recon_dev/prts.html.
Want to be part of an Afghanistan PRT? To volunteer, visit the AFPC website at: http://ask.afpc.randolph.af.mil/main_content.asp?prods1=1&prods2=14&prods3=2498&p_faqid=6843.