[SR-25]

Submitted by: MCAS Miramar
Story Identification #: 200511212539
Story by Sgt. J. L. Zimmer III



MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. (Nov. 30, 2004) -- "Your first exercise will be side straddle hops. This is a four-count exercise, I will count the cadence and you count the repetition. Ready...exercise."

These words are nothing new to Marines far and wide, but to more than 30 Marines here recently, it was the beginning of a few minutes of discomfort.

After more than two hours of classroom instruction on Mission Oriented Protective Posture levels and the effects of chemical agents, Marines from MCAS Miramar filed onto a bus and headed to the gas chamber.

"The gas chamber is a confidence builder for the (gas) mask. (Marines) need to know the mask to trust that it will work in a contaminated environment," said Sgt. Robert D. Brown, Nuclear, Biological and Chemical defense specialist, Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. "But the classroom time is the most important part of the training."
The gas in the chamber, orthochlorobenzylidene malononitrile, or "CS" gas, causes irritation to the eyes, skin and mucous membranes, but is non-toxic if inhaled.

According to Brown, the "gas" is actually fine particles that attach to the skin and cause a burning sensation and excretion of mucus from the nose and throat.

"We use CS gas for the same reason we put the Marines in the chamber (as a confidence builder for the mask)," said Brown. "We could do the training without the CS, but we need something to put in the chamber."

According to Brown, the gas chamber is capable of qualifying all Marines here and then some.
"We qualified more than 1,000 Marines and some Sailors in the gas chamber this year," Brown added. "We had reservists qualify on the weekends and Sailors that came from (Navy Regional Medical Center San Diego)."

Brown does not think the gas chamber should be just an annual event, but feels commanders should integrate it into their routine "green side" training.

"Once you have the confidence the mask is going to work, you're set," he said. "The classroom time should be done at least twice a year, but not necessarily in the classroom. If a unit is going to the field, they should incorporate (NBC readiness) into their training."

Brown takes pride in doing his job and feels Marines should take this type of training very seriously.

"On a scale of one to 10, this is definitely a 10. It is the most important training if a Marine is going to Iraq," he said. "This training gives you confidence in the mask and tells you if you are wearing the right size mask.

"If you don't have the confidence in the mask here, how much confidence will you have on the battlefield in a (potential) chemical environment?" Brown concluded.