CAMP HOVEY, South Korea -- American Soldiers from the Fort Stewart, Georgia-based 92nd Chemical Company are helping to keep a rotational U.S. Army unit ready to fight and win on the Korean Peninsula.
The company is deployed to support the Fort Bliss, Texas-based 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, as a part of a regular rotation of American combat forces to South Korea.
The company is assigned to the 83rd Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear Battalion, 48th Chemical Brigade and 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command.
As part of the U.S. Department of Defense’s premier all hazards formation, Soldiers and civilians from the Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland-headquartered 20th CBRNE Command deploy from 19 bases in 16 states to take on the world’s most dangerous hazards and threats.
Known as Dragon Soldiers, CBRN specialists from the 92nd Chemical Company provided support to 2nd Brigade Engineer Battalion during joint training events and certified the battalion’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Reconnaissance Vehicle Platoon.
Staff Sgt. Patrick G. Allen, the 92nd Chemical Company’s reconnaissance platoon sergeant, served as observer, coach and trainer for the NBCRV Platoon certification. Following the certification, the platoon has three crews ready to operate independently during mounted CBRN missions.
The certification was part of the company’s ongoing mission to support the combat brigade.
“Our mission is to provide support for the counter Weapons of Mass Destruction operations throughout the peninsula and to provide CBRN reconnaissance, surveillance and decontamination support during unified land operations to the rotational Armored Brigade Combat Team,” said Capt. Mark J. Evans, the commander of the 92nd Chemical Company.
According to Evans, the highlight of the deployment so far has been the company’s participation in Exercise Warrior Bulldog Strike from Sept. 24 through Oct. 3 with armored units from the 1st Battalion, 67th Regiment and 1st Battalion, 77th Regiment.
The 92nd Chemical Company’s 1st and 2nd Platoons supported a combined arms breach and the 3rd Platoon participated in a wet gap crossing during the exercise.
“The (3rd Platoon) was able to work not only with the armor company but also the engineers and a Republic of Korea Army CBRNE Response Team,” said Evans, a 15-year U.S. Army veteran from Rochester, Indiana, who was previously stationed on Kadena Air Base in Japan. “The engineers spent time working with our platoon in order to use their digging assets to improve our decontamination site and dig sumps for our run off water.”
The CBRN specialists also helped to keep troops from the combat brigade in the fight following a simulated chemical attack.
“During the breach, 1st Platoon provided chemical reconnaissance of a simulated chemical attack and reconnaissance of a suspected WMD facility,” said Evans. “2nd Platoon provided decontamination of the armor unit that was hit with the chemical attack.”
Evans said Soldiers from the 92nd Chemical Company are contributing to security on the Korean Peninsula and stability in Northeast Asia by helping U.S. and South Korean troops to stay ready to fight tonight.