NBC MISC NBC SIMPLICITY IS THE KEY

File: 970616_dec96_decls39_0002.txt
Page: 0002
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Subject = NBC MISC  NBC SIMPLICITY IS THE KEY                             

Parent Organization = MCCDC       

Unit = WDID        

Folder Title = 8,(                                                                                           

Document Number =         20

Box ID = BX600138





                                 UNCLASSIFIED

                            "NBC - SIMPLICITY 1.5 THE KEY"
                                         by
                                 LCF'L TODD M. YOUNCE
                                        usmc


             On August 2, 1990, Iraq invaded and seized control of Kuwait.
         The United Nations imposed deadline of January 15, 1991 will
         undoubtedly be a day that the world will remember for years to
         come. Two days after the U.N. deadline, President Bush ordered
         troops to begin offensive operations. For many Marines, the
         fantasy of going to war was slowly becoming a grim reality. We
         are now fighting a war with some of the most high-tech weaponry in
         existence. We are facing an enemy that possesses the ability and
         has threatened to employ chemical weapons. The threat of an NBC
         attack has suddenly become very real.

             After undergoing several NBC alerts, it became very evident to
         me that it takes entirely too much time for the average Marine to
         get from Mission Oriented Protective Posture (MOPP) level 0 to
         MOPP level 4. During a recent SCUD Alert that occurred in the
         middle of the night$ My unit was ordered into MOPP level 4. I was
         very impressed and proud of my fellow Marines that night; despite
         the suddenness of the Condition Red/Mopp-4 alarm, they remained
         calm and donned their NBC protective gear in a quick, orderly
         fashion. There was only one small problem. A full ten minutes
         had elapsed by the time the last Marine was at MOPP level 4. if
         an NBC attack that contained a nerve agent had occurred that
         night, many Marines would probably have died while attempting to
         get to MOPP-4.

             After giving considerable thought to this problem, I set out
         to develop a system for the storage of NBC Equipment in the ALICE
         Pack that Would allow a Marine to attain MOPP level-4 protection
         in the shortest possible time. I experimented with several
         different layouts until I found what I believe is the most
         effective method of NBC equipment storage. This system allows a
         Marine to get into a hasty MOPP level 4 in less than one minute.
         From this hasty posture a Marine can then proceed to a combat-
         ready MOPP-4 while remaining protected.

             This system is based on two principles; simplicity and
         standardization. The NBC ALICE Pack layout is organized with the
         required gear pre-arranged in the most functional manner. To
         begin packing the NBC equipment, the ALICE pack is placed in front
         of the Marine with the three outside pouches facing him. The
         poncho is placed inside the center pouch in such a manner that the
         hood of the poncho is at the very top of the pouch. The right
         hand glove is pre-folded with its liner and placed in the pouch on
         the right side of the pack. First, the rubber glove is layed out,
         palm up, then the cloth glove is placed on top of it. Next the
         gloves are rolled up together starting from the finger tips, and
         inserted into the pack. This way, when the glove is removed from
         the pouch it will unroll on its own and be ready to be worn
         without wasting any time +or unfolding. A prelaced boot is then
         folded and placed in the pouch on top of the glove. As with the
         glove, the boot is folded so that the upper portion is even with