 |
|
Georgia Ports Authority Police field training officer Ronnie Cason coordinates security details with Staff Sgt. Wes Hawk of Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 118th Field Artillery from Springfield. Soldiers from their unit and others from the Georgia Army National Guard 48th Brigade are performing a joint security exercise at the ports with the GPA Police Department. (John Carrington/Savannah Morning News)
|
during HURREX
By Pamela E. Walck
SAVANNAH - Soldiers dressed in desert cammies and protective vests stood around their humvees Friday night, just a dozen feet away from Gate 2 at the Georgia Ports Authority.
Meanwhile, on a far corner of the authority's Ocean Terminal, soldiers rode side-by-side with port police officers, scanning the perimeter for security breeches.
A little further up river, the same scenario was being played out at the Garden City Terminal.
To passersby, it might seem like an odd partnering.
But for these 250 members of the Georgia National Guard's 48th Infantry Brigade and the Ports Authority Police Department, the next 24 hours offer a joint-training opportunity neither agency has seen since the G-8 Sea Island Summit back in 2004.
This time, instead of teaming up for beefier security as world leaders gathered, the agencies are joining forces to re-establish law and order in the aftermath of a category 3 hurricane.
Think Hurricane Katrina, Savannah-style.
"Here's the scenario. Savannah has been hit by a Cat 3 hurricane that has wiped out security elements around the Georgia Ports Authority," said Maj. John Gentry, with Headquarters and Headquarters Battery in the 1st Battalion, 118th Field Artillery, 48th Infantry Brigade. "We have elements that will be mobilized to reinforce and restore the perimeter around the ports itself and augment the ports police force."
Gentry said the mock natural disaster, however, felt a little too realistic earlier Friday when tornado sirens went off across Chatham County as heavy bands of rain and winds passed through the area.
"Those sirens ... had units hitting the decks up and down the halls (of the armory)," he said with a laugh.
As he speaks, Gentry stands in the middle of a makeshift logistics command center set up inside the far corner of the gymnasium at the National Guard Armory on Eisenhower Drive.
Behind him, two large aerial maps of the Ports Authority terminals are prominently displayed, along with maps of the county and designated convoy routes.
For the next 24 hours, Gentry's men will be running supplies and men back and forth from the terminals to the armory.
"There are a lot of security issues," said Capt. Kevin Nicklay. "The ports rely on surveillance cameras."
Nicklay added that this hurricane wiped those cameras out, leaving the ports police with plenty of security blind spots.
"When we worked with them during the G-8 Summit, it went pretty smooth," said Ronnie Cason, a field training officer with the ports police department. "We worked in unison with each other."
Cason added these joint exercises are very important for training.
Beyond the obvious, the weekend exercise also gives members of the 48th a chance to brush up on security checkpoint skills - skills first honed in the deserts of Iraq, when the brigade deployed in 2005.
In addition to regular deployments in support of America's War on Terror, the 48th has been charged with being hurricane responders for the state.
"If this (hurricane) really happened, we'd be helping the ports police," said Capt. Rod Tatum. "This is only the second time we're working with the Ports Authority ... but it's also helping us with preparing for our upcoming deployment to Afghanistan in 2009."
Tatum, who was stationed Friday night at the Ocean Terminal, said when the guardsmen aren't running security details with the police, they will be participating in warrior training. The sessions, among other things, include a refresher course on how to identify improvised explosive devices.
"We'll brush up on how to identify IEDs, what to do, what not to do," said Tatum, whose full-time job is teaching at Groves High School. "About half of our battery has been to Iraq. The veterans are good at assisting the new guys."
| News Home | GADOD Home |