S.C. State Guard’s performance during exercise lauded by Federal Emergency official
May 7, 2012
By W. Thomas Smith Jr.
May 7, 2012
GREENVILLE, SC – Exercise Blazing Fury – an emergency-response exercise involving nearly 20 state and federal agencies – was held at theGreenville-Spartanburg (S.C.) International Airport, Apr. 24-26. Andaccording to at least one U.S. Army officer coordinating the exercise,one of the most important agency players in the three-day trainingevolution was the S.C. State Guard.
The S.C. State Guard is a tremendous asset to our overall mission,says U.S. Army Lt. Col. Deloris Hooker, representing the Army’s FederalCoordinating Center (FCC) at Ft. Jackson. We are fortunate to have thesupport of the State Guard.
The exercise scenario – replicating an uncontrolled wildfire in Florida that breached the boundaries of a nuclear facility in that state –tested the response capabilities of receiving-hospitals in the S.C.upstate (where most of the mock patients were delivered) and thecommunity as a whole, as at least one C-17 transport aircraft (fromJoint Base Charleston) ferried 55 patients to the airport. Another 20patients arrived via ground transportation.
The State Guard was involved at every level from providing security, to traffic control, communications, medical triage, serving as litterbearers, even assisting as ground crewmembers for the C-17. Ouraviation detachment served as ground crews this year in Greenville, just like they did last year in Columbia, says Command Sgt. Maj. ClintonParnell, 1st Brigade, S.C. State Guard.
Hooker adds, A lot of my fellow FCC coordinators don’t have thebenefit of state guards. Fortunately, we do; and frankly we rely heavily on them every year.
State Guard officials say they welcome the opportunity for theirvolunteer Guardsmen to participate in realistic training exerciseslike Blazing Fury.
These exercises provide the State Guard a remarkable chance to develop and sharpen our skills, and to keep them sharp, says S.C. State Guardcommander Richard Eckstrom, a retired Naval officer and former statetreasurer who – in addition to his command of the State Guard – servesas the state’s Comptroller General. Exercises like this involve usworking shoulder-to-shoulder with other branches of the military andwith federal, state, local and even nonprofit agencies to save livesthat might be threatened by either natural disasters or by intentionally destructive acts in our state.
COL Thomas S. Mullikin, deputy commander (operations), S.C. State Guard, agrees.
The S.C. State Guard has always had a proud tradition of answering the call – be it responding to a natural disaster or defending the homeland as we are directed – stretching back to the colonial wars, saysMullikin, an environmental attorney, global expedition leader, andformer U.S. Army Reserve officer. We will continue to train to thehighest standards and stand ready to protect the lives of familiesacross our great state.
Like other similar exercises held each year, Blazing Fury was designedto prepare responding agencies and the broader community for theforthcoming hurricane season, which begins June 1, 2012 and runs through the end of November.
The S.C. State Guard, which traces its lineage back to the early statemilitia of 1670, is today an all-volunteer state defense-force component of the broader S.C. Military Dept. (SCMD). The SCMD is composed of theadjutant general’s headquarters, the S.C. Army National Guard, the S.C.Air National Guard, the S.C. State Guard, the Joint Services Detachment, the Emergency Management Division, and various other elements.
– W. Thomas Smith Jr. is a former U.S. Marine rifle squad leaderand counterterrorism instructor who writes about military/defense issues and has covered war in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. He directsthe U.S. Counterterrorism Advisory Team. He is a senior commissionedofficer in the S.C. Military Dept. He is the author of six books, a NewYork Times bestselling editor, and his articles appear in a variety ofpublications. Smith’s website is uswriter.com.
