The 40 or so men and women who clambered out of Black Hawk helicopters at Fort Devens on a warm morning last month looked nothing like soldiers; in fact, they were civilians. But they were getting a taste of military life, and for a purpose: so they could better help keep actual soldiers alive.
The visitors were employees of the Army’s Soldier Systems Center in Natick, which designs vital systems for service members of every branch of the armed forces, including the uniforms they wear, the equipment they carry, and the rations they eat.
“It seemed to be one of the quickest and most effective ways to show some of our junior scientists and engineers the military experience,’’ said public affairs officer David Accetta, a retired Army paratrooper.
The first outing, in August, was a hit with the engineers, and those on the October trip had clamored for the chance to go.
“I’m here to learn more about what it’s like to be a soldier,’’ said Stephanie Bolduc, 27, a requirements analyst at Natick. “The two guys I work with in my office are former infantrymen . . . I came out here to see what it’s like so I know what they’re talking about when they try and use Army jargon.’’
If you like it so much then sign up and go.
Besides, the excursion was something of a thrill ride. Participants could have been bused to Fort Devens from Natick, but helicopters added “the cool factor’’ for civilians who had seen Black Hawks only in the movies, Accetta said.
Major Brian Meekins, who helped devise the training program, said the flight was part of the training. Since US troops are routinely deployed by helicopter, flying the engineers in created “a context of realism,’’ he said.
It showed the engineers how cramped a loaded Black Hawk is, teaching them why their equipment must be compact.
The day began with an exercise in land navigation. The visitors got a crash course in map reading prior to the trip and used their skills to make their way through hilly, wooded terrain to a series of landmarks on the base.
Later, they took turns wearing a 35-pound armored vest, the kind used by soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. A weapon, ammunition, and supplies can easily add 60 pounds.
It was an eye-opener for Magdalena Mulherin, 35, of Marlborough, who studied fashion at Framingham State University and designs Army uniforms at Natick. “It came to my attention how important it is to design a well-functioning garment,’’ Mulherin said....
The engineers also got a demonstration of the Raven, a remotely controlled surveillance aircraft small enough to toss into the air like a toy glider. Images from its camera allow soldiers to look into hostile terrain without putting themselves at risk.
For lunch, the visitors ripped open thick plastic bags marked “First Strike.’’ Inside were the Army’s latest “assault rations,’’ an upgrade from the famous Meal Ready to Eat packages, or MREs. Each package contained a day’s worth of food - about 2,900 calories. The meals tasted somewhat over-processed but were surprisingly palatable.
Many of the foods were developed at Natick’s Combat Feeding Directorate by people like Nicole Favreau, 41, a research chemist. Favreau is working on a system for using hot, pressurized carbon dioxide to preserve fruits and vegetables. She joined the training trip to get a better understanding of how soldiers eat in the field. “Soldiers are our customers,’’ she said....
The excursion was hardly comprehensive training. Civilian employees who want to learn more can sign up for “greening,’’ a part-time program of classroom instruction and field exercises that can take up to a year to complete.
So do a sieg hei, I mean salute and shaddup. The parallels are eerie.
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