Cadets went through Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Threat Training on June 8 at the CBRN Chamber.
They learned how to defend themselves from chemical attacks, and cadre members taught them how to put their equipment on, put their mask on and how to seal their mask before entering the chamber.
Cadets of 1st Regiment Basic Camp learn how to properly clean and assemble gas masks to prepare for the CS Chamber at Cadet Summer Training on Fort Knox, Ky., June 8. Cadets complete CBRN training to prepare for chemical threats. (Photo by Mattie Cook)
“We have to trust the people in charge of us and trust that they have our best interest in mind,” said Cadet Braden Hayes of Bravo Company Third Platoon from the University of Scranton.
The goal is for Cadets to be able to put on their masks in nine seconds. The Cadets went into the chamber after learning about the equipment at their designated station.
“It kind of felt like you were putting Icy Hot underneath your eyeballs,” Hayes said.
Andre Jones, Hampton University,1st Regiment, Basic Camp, experiences the effects of CS Gas after going through the CS Chamber during Cadet Summer Training on Fort Knox, Ky., June 8. Cadets complete CBRN training to prepare for chemical threats. (Photo by Mattie Cook)
Cadets were required to say their name, where they’re from and how many fingers a cadre member was holding up once they took off their masks.
“You better sound off, or they’re going to keep you in there longer,” said Cadre member Sgt. Emmalee Scaff. “Then, you just hear everyone around you begin to gag, cough and be in complete misery.”
Cadets were instructed to flap their arms and blink rapidly to remove the CS gas from their body and clothing.
“They finally let you go out of the chamber, and your eyes are swollen and you have snot coming out of every pore in your body,” Scaff said. “It’s insane.”
The purpose of this training is to teach Cadets to trust their equipment and trust each other.
“It is the mucus that binds us,” Scaff said. “We’re all a lot closer for having suffered together.”
Cadet Summer Training will bring over 8,000 Cadets through Basic and Advanced Camp at Fort Knox this summer. The camps are designed to help Cadets become future leaders in the Army. If you think you have what it takes to be a Cadet or are interested in a job after college, click the following link: https://my.goarmy.com/info/rotc1/index.jsp?iom=IP08-AUTO-R1NA-BR-XXX-XX-XXX-MO-XX-X-BRCMAC:IP08
