Brian Hill

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (Nov. 16, 2020) — Fort Leonard Wood’s weather team placed first out of nine 3rd Combat Weather Squadron teams and eighth overall — out of 80 teams — in the 2020 Air Force Thor’s Legion Forecast Challenge.

According to Forney Airfield’s Lead Meteorological Technician Clint Dobry, Air Force weather experts worldwide compete “to see who’s the best at forecasting weather.”

“It’s just meat and potatoes — we try to do our best to predict what’s going to happen before it happens,” he said.

The format for this year’s competition had all 80 teams attempting to produce the most accurate forecast for locations in Bulgaria, Estonia and Norway.

“We were trying to give them a 24-hour outlook of what to expect if they were to, say, be doing missions in that location,” said Chris Reddington, one of three meteorological technicians here. “It was a great team effort, and I think for as small a unit as we are, it was amazing what we did. Some of the units we were competing against have as many as 40 forecasters.”

Dobry said the team used forecast models, satellite pictures, current observations and information from weather balloons in the area.

“We try to interrogate that data,” he said. “There’s skill involved, but it’s an art form as well.”

Reddington said the three technicians here have a combined 70-plus years of experience in meteorology, which came in handy when forecasting far-away locations.

“I briefly spent time as a weather observer in Europe,” he said.

The top 10 overall winners were announced Oct. 29 in a memo from Air Force Col. Gary Kubat, acting Director of Weather and Air Force Deputy to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Dobry said the 3rd CWS winners typically get temporary access to their commander’s parking spot, but seeing that it’s at Fort Hood, Texas, they’re going to pass on it.

“We’re not going to drive all the way down there for that,” he said.

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About Fort Leonard Wood

Fort Leonard Wood is a thriving and prosperous installation that has evolved from a small basic training post more than 75 years ago to a premier Army Center of Excellence that trains more than 80,000 military and civilians each year.

Fort Leonard Wood is home to the U.S Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and three U.S. Army schools: the U.S. Army Engineer School; U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School; and the U.S. Army Military Police School. In addition to training engineer, CBRN and military police specialties for the Army, Fort Leonard Wood also provides gender-integrated in-processing and Basic Combat Training for new Soldiers.

Fort Leonard Wood also hosts and trains with the largest Marine Corps Detachment and Air Force Squadron on any Army installation as well as a large Navy construction detachment.

More information about Fort Leonard Wood is at: https://home.army.mil/wood/index.php/about/mission

Brian Hill

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (Nov. 13, 2020) — The Fort Leonard Wood Retiree Council hosted a virtual town hall for retirees Saturday, livestreamed from Lincoln Hall Auditorium to the U.S. Army Fort Leonard Wood Retiree Days Facebook group.

The focus of the event was to provide information to the retiree community while also giving retirees the opportunity to ask questions — a panel of installation leaders and subject matter experts stood by to respond.

Guest speaker for the event — Col. Aaron Pitney, General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital commander — spoke on topics of interest to retirees here, including COVID-19 mitigation efforts, influenza immunizations and the on-going construction of the new hospital.

COVID-19 infections are rising across the country, Pitney said, and they’ve started to infiltrate less-populated areas.

“Currently, we have not had a significant number of admissions or severely affected individuals who have been admitted to GLWACH,” he said. “However, the number of admissions and bed availability across the region and state itself remains fairly tight. In other words, we can manage the number of cases that we are seeing right now, but we have to continue to watch very closely to make sure that we have adequate staff and resources to care for cases here at GLWACH.”

Pitney said “the advice most of you have heard remains in effect.”

“Wearing a mask, socially distancing and washing your hands are paramount to prevention of the spread of the disease,” he said.

Pitney praised the benefits of virtual appointments during the pandemic.

“In many instances, we can provide the same care,” he said. “Whether that be routine screenings, medication refills, follow ups … anything we can do to assist you to remain social distant while supporting your health care needs, I believe is a win-win for you as far as prevention.”

The annual influenza vaccination campaign for active-duty family members ages 6 months and older, retirees and retiree family members begins this week, Pitney said. Times are 1 to 4 p.m. Friday and Monday, and 8 to 11:30 a.m. Dec. 8.

“You can also receive your flu shot anytime during a routine health visit at the hospital,” he said.

Pitney also reminded the retiree population that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention especially recommends individuals 65 years and older receive the pneumococcal vaccine.

“We have that available at the hospital,” he said.

Pitney said there has been “tremendous progress” in the construction of the new hospital. It is scheduled for completion in 2024 and will help Fort Leonard Wood serve 3,500 retirees in the community.

Questions from retirees included when in-person appointments to prepare wills are available. A representative from the Fort Leonard Wood Office of the Staff Judge Advocate said appointments are available to execute and notarize wills starting Monday. Call 573.596.0629 for more information or to make an appointment.

Many retirees asked about the upcoming Holiday Block Leave and what they should expect when visiting the installation during that time.

Col. Jeff Paine, U.S. Army Garrison Fort Leonard Wood commander, said many of the Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation and Army and Air Force Exchange Service programs will remain open during HBL, but some facilities may have reduced hours.

The installation’s Facebook page — www.facebook.com/fortleonardwoodmissouri — is a good source of the most up-to-date information regarding changes to open hours.

Retired Lt. Col. Leslie Dillard, Retiree Council co-chair, thanked everyone for participating and said she hopes to see retirees from the community attend the 2021 Retiree Appreciation Days, scheduled for Sept. 10 through 11.

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About Fort Leonard Wood

Fort Leonard Wood is a thriving and prosperous installation that has evolved from a small basic training post more than 75 years ago to a premier Army Center of Excellence that trains more than 80,000 military and civilians each year.

Fort Leonard Wood is home to the U.S Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and three U.S. Army schools: the U.S. Army Engineer School; U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School; and the U.S. Army Military Police School. In addition to training engineer, CBRN and military police specialties for the Army, Fort Leonard Wood also provides gender-integrated in-processing and Basic Combat Training for new Soldiers.

Fort Leonard Wood also hosts and trains with the largest Marine Corps Detachment and Air Force Squadron on any Army installation as well as a large Navy construction detachment.

More information about Fort Leonard Wood is at: https://home.army.mil/wood/index.php/about/mission

Brian Hill

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (Nov. 13, 2020) — Soldiers here gained familiarization on a new medical readiness enabling system last week at the Training Support Center.

Workers unpacked 14 Tactical Combat Casualty Care – Exportables, commonly known as the TC3X. After some systems checks, they were inventoried and given a test drive by combat medics and drill sergeants as part of a train-the-trainer course.

According to Lt. Col. Rickardo Christopher, Medical Simulation product manager at the Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation in Orlando, Florida, the TC3X provides realistic combat casualty care training.

“It talks and responds like a real human would,” he said. “This device provides vital training needed to save Soldiers’ lives on the battlefield now as well as in the future.”

Christopher said 20 medical scenarios are programmed into the computers inside each TC3X, covering the three preventable causes of death in combat: traumatic hemorrhage, tension pneumothorax and obstructed airway. The scenarios can be controlled and modified on the spot by remote control.

Sgt. 1st Class Travis Swope, a drill sergeant assigned to Company C, 35th Engineer Battalion, was operating the control module on day two of training.

“It’s a really easy interface, which I appreciate,” he said. “We just started training on it, and today — I’m not an expert, but I’m pretty good with it. It’s easy to cycle through things.”

Swope called the TC3X a big step forward compared to how casualty care has been trained on before.

“Usually, when we do training, we’ll have someone act as a casualty,” he said. “You give them a casualty feeder card that says what’s wrong with them. They might have some fake blood on them, but it’s hard to tell the difference between something that’s still bleeding and something that’s not bleeding. It takes away from the training value. With this, I can change things for each trainee. I can have the first trainee come up, and there’s inguinal bleeding and he’s got breathing troubles. I can have the next trainee come over and he’s got an amputation and no breathing trouble. That really amplifies the training — it’s a good tool for that.”

One of the combat medics who trained on the new technology was Cpl. Aidan Colhoff, Sapper Training Company, 169th Engineer Battalion. He said the added feedback will help eliminate what he called “training scars.”

“Before, we were working with actual mannequins like you see in retail stores,” he said. “This is more involved. Some of the training scars in the past, where you would have Soldiers stopping and asking the instructor, ‘Does my patient accept this intervention? What’s the blood pressure?’ — stopping like that really takes them out of that scenario. You really lose the training value.”

The sounds and movements of the TC3X keep the trainee focused on the patient, Colhoff added.

“When they get to the casualty, they see that it’s moving and not just stationary,” he said. “They freeze for a moment. The (injuries) are there. No one has to tell them the leg is blown off. It actually has the partial limbs and everything you see is in play.”

Staff Sgt. Aaron Luecht, a drill sergeant assigned to Company C, 31st Engineer Battalion, assisted Colhoff in evaluating and treating a casualty during a training session Nov. 5.

“You can teach this stuff all day, but no one really understands until there’s actually blood coming out,” he said.

Swope added many of the medical procedures Soldiers can perform on the TC3X couldn’t be trained on as easily before.

“You can do a chest decompression; you can put in an IV,” he said. “They don’t have to pretend. With this, they can feel the pressure of putting that in.”

“It’s a sensory experience,” Christopher said. “It provides Soldiers with training in troubleshooting medical issues before they find themselves in a real-world situation. We’re building their muscle memory to properly train the way they would and should react when called upon.”

More than a decade of work has gone into creating the TC3X, Christopher said. However, future upgrades Soldiers can look forward to training on include the implementation of a physiology software engine which can incorporate the effects of medication for proper treatment.

For now, though, a total of 123 TC3X systems are being fielded through the PEOSTRI for Soldiers located all over the globe. Once units have individuals trained and certified, they may sign out the equipment.

“Field exercises and casualty scenario training just got a big upgrade,” Christopher said.

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About Fort Leonard Wood

Fort Leonard Wood is a thriving and prosperous installation that has evolved from a small basic training post more than 75 years ago to a premier Army Center of Excellence that trains more than 80,000 military and civilians each year.

Fort Leonard Wood is home to the U.S Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and three U.S. Army schools: the U.S. Army Engineer School; U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School; and the U.S. Army Military Police School. In addition to training engineer, CBRN and military police specialties for the Army, Fort Leonard Wood also provides gender-integrated in-processing and Basic Combat Training for new Soldiers.

Fort Leonard Wood also hosts and trains with the largest Marine Corps Detachment and Air Force Squadron on any Army installation as well as a large Navy construction detachment.

More information about Fort Leonard Wood is at: https://home.army.mil/wood/index.php/about/mission

Public Affairs

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (Nov. 12, 2020) — With COVID-19 constantly in the news, it might seem easy to overlook the flu — and the importance of getting a flu vaccination.

However, influenza is a serious illness, and on Fort Leonard Wood and other installations, the Department of Defense Influenza Vaccination Program aims to achieve as close to a 100-percent flu vaccination rate as possible.

While active-duty service members will be given flu vaccinations at their unit of assignment, General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital is offering vaccinations to all active-duty family members ages 6 months and older, retirees and retiree family members.

Vaccinations will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. Friday and Monday and from 8 to 11:30 a.m. Dec. 8 at the Immunizations Clinic, located inside the Leonard Wood Medical Home section on the north side of the hospital.

Patients are advised that COVID-19 precautions will be in place, including requirements to wear face coverings and maintain 6-foot social distancing while waiting in line.

While hospital staff members will make every effort to streamline the process and minimize wait times, patients can also help by bringing a completed form with them prior to receiving the vaccine. Links to screening forms for adults and children are available on the hospital’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/GLWACH.

Patients who already have appointments with the hospital’s Pediatrics or Internal Medicine clinics may ask for a flu vaccination during their regularly scheduled appointments.

TRICARE beneficiaries may also elect to receive a flu vaccine at a network retail pharmacy. They should visit TRICARE online at https://tricare.mil/flu for further details.

Call the Immunizations Clinic at 573.596.1768 for more information about flu vaccinations at GLWACH.

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About Fort Leonard Wood

Fort Leonard Wood is a thriving and prosperous installation that has evolved from a small basic training post more than 75 years ago to a premier Army Center of Excellence that trains more than 80,000 military and civilians each year.

Fort Leonard Wood is home to the U.S Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and three U.S. Army schools: the U.S. Army Engineer School; U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School; and the U.S. Army Military Police School. In addition to training engineer, CBRN and military police specialties for the Army, Fort Leonard Wood also provides gender-integrated in-processing and Basic Combat Training for new Soldiers.

Fort Leonard Wood also hosts and trains with the largest Marine Corps Detachment and Air Force Squadron on any Army installation as well as a large Navy construction detachment.

More information about Fort Leonard Wood is at: https://home.army.mil/wood/index.php/about/mission