Oregon National Guard partners with Chinese for Disaster Management Exchange
“Earthquake, earthquake, earthquake!” is shouted overhead, prompting Chinese and American military search and extraction teams to immediately sprint into action. Working together, they must quickly find and rescue disaster victims scattered throughout the village. They pay no attention to the cold, hard rain hitting their faces or the difference of flags worn on their uniforms as, shoulder-to-shoulder, they carry masses of wounded casualties to safety.
The disaster was notional, the casualties were mannequins and the endangered village was a rain-drenched training area at Camp Rilea Armed Forces Training Center along the Oregon coast near the city of Warrenton. Engineers and medics from the Oregon National Guard and Joint Logistics Force Soldiers of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) worked alongside each other to share disaster response capabilities during the 13th annual U.S.-China Disaster Management Exchange (DME) held Nov. 16-19, 2017.
U.S. Army Pacific hosts the annual U.S.-China DME to foster mutual trust and understanding between the forces, while sharing lessons learned to increase disaster response capabilities in the Pacific region.
“You don’t want to wait until a crisis to form relationships,” said GEN Robert B. Brown, U.S. Army Pacific commanding general. “You must do it beforehand, and that’s why this [exercise] is so important.”
The 2017 DME consisted of events planned through a Multinational Coordination Center, including an expert academic discussion and a tabletop exchange where leaders discussed the logistics and roles of the simulated emergency. Perhaps the most compelling piece of the exercise was the practical field exchange (PFE), which enabled hands-on and side-by-side interaction between U.S. and PLA soldiers. The DME simulated a response to a third country that was suffering from severe flooding. While the scenario itself was fictional, it was based on real-world damage assessments gathered from flooding that occurred in Peru last spring.
“By sharing our experiences, techniques and best practices, we all improve our ability to respond quickly and effectively,” GEN Brown said. “Because, ultimately, this is about saving lives and minimizing human suffering in disaster zones.”
More than 20 Oregon National Guard Soldiers and Airmen participated in the PFE, including vertical engineers of the 442nd Engineer Utility Detachment (EUD) and medics of Detachment 1, 142nd Medical Group. They are part of the search and extraction team for the CBRNE Enhance Response Force Package (CERFP), which is trained to respond to large-scale disasters in the Pacific Northwest region.
“We all have emergencies, and we’re responsible for taking care of our communities and our citizens,” said COL Leah Sundquist, chief of staff for the Oregon Army National Guard. “[DME] allows for a military-to-military engagement where both countries can show expertise in how they conduct rescue activities.”
Oregon Army National Guard 1LT Caleb Tomulty, training and operations officer for the CERFP, led the Oregon Guard search and extraction team during the DME. He said his team was excited to work with the Chinese team.
“Overall, the experience of working with another country is a huge opportunity,” 1LT Tomulty said.
The first day of the PFE focused on urban searches that included locating and extracting casualties in different scenarios. The second day focused on shoring – a technique used to build walled structures to temporarily support weak buildings in danger of collapse. The third day consisted of breaching and breaking techniques using drills, power saws and jackhammers to access confined spaces where casualties were trapped.
“I think this DME is very good for my team because we learn new ways to save people,” said PLA Cpl Wang RunZe. “[The] U.S. Soldier is very friendly. We can study each other and learn many new ways from each other. We have different ways to do search and rescues. We are both students.”
SSG Jonathan Nason of the 442nd EUD agreed that the event provided mutual learning benefits. “They’ve been eager to learn from us and to show us their techniques,” he said. “They have impressed us at every turn, and we’ve learned some great techniques from them that we can incorporate on our end.”
One such technique learned by the Oregon Guard troops was a new method to locate survivors trapped underneath rubble. Some Soldiers said they were impressed by how patient and disciplined the PLA soldiers were in conducting methodical and synchronized searches.
“It was really cool getting to see what they do,” said SSG Virgil Newberry, detachment sergeant for the 442nd EUD. “They had no wasted movement. Every movement had purpose.”
Meanwhile, the PLA soldiers said they admired the Americans’ efficiency and adaptability.
“Even in the most emergent situation, we do the job step by step according to our rules and training,” said PLA Lt Mo SiHua. “The American side does their job very flexible. They can make the plan according to the situation and can change the plan any time the situation is changed.”
Lt SiHua said another takeaway for the PLA team was the concept of using a casualty collection point (CCP) to gather the injured in one location for triage and evacuation.
“The casualties who can walk on their own to the CCP save resources and improve the rescue efficiency,” Lt SiHua said.
During the PFE, the Oregon Guard and PLA teams took turns displaying their techniques, then worked together in mixed teams.
“We mixed our groups and had to do the job together. That was the most difficult for both sides,” said Lt SiHua. “[It was] difficult because we had to communicate with gestures and eye contact.”
SPC Philip Costa of the 442nd EUD said the two sides were initially reserved in interactions, but by the end of the exchange, they were laughing together.
“The cohesion has just been incredible,” SPC Costa said. “This is the first time in my military career that I’ve worked in this fashion with a foreign country, and it’s been a great experience. I’m glad that we are getting this opportunity.”
Despite the cold, rainy weather and the language barrier, participants of DME 2017 remained positive and, in the end, gained more than just search and rescue knowledge.
“Americans are very friendly, warm and considerate,” said Lt SiHua. “They made us feel very welcome.”
SSG Nason said he appreciated the chance to learn about Chinese culture from their perspective.
“Everybody just wants to get to know each other, and they are really open and friendly,” he said. “We are all literally the same. We are all Soldiers; only the nation is different.”
Both sides were curious about their differences, but bonded over the things they have in common.
“It really opens your eyes to who they are versus what your expectations might be,” said 1LT Tomulty. “They’re wonderful people, and just like us, they’ve got families back at home that are missing them.”
Since 2005, the DME has been held in Hawaii, Washington, D.C., New York, Washington State and multiple areas in China. This was the first time the exchange was held in Oregon.
In addition to providing a learning opportunity for the U.S. Army and PLA participants, the DME included military and government observers from Bangladesh, Canada, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore and the People’s Republic of China.
Other U.S. participants included U.S. Army Pacific; the 8th Theater Sustainment Command; the U.S. Military Academy (USMA); the 351st Civil Affairs Command; the 13th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion (CSSB); the 571st Sapper Company; the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Columbia River; the Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Northwestern Division; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Portland District; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS); and the Pacific Disaster Center, an applied research center managed by the University of Hawaii.
Story Provided by SFC April Davis, Oregon National Guard
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