Text Fwd: 10,000 to practice S. Korea evacuation

* Text informed by Lindis Percy on May 14, 2009

* Image Source/description: same as the article below

'Pvt. Andrew McDowell, far right, of the 1st Brigade Special Troops Battalion, tests the noncombatant evacuation computer system by checking himself into it Tuesday afternoon at U.S. Army Garrison-Yongsan’s Collier Field House. McDowell and other troops from the 1st BSTB in Area I will check in civilians during the Courageous Channel exercise, which begins Thursday and ends Saturday. '

10,000 to practice S. Korea evacuation
By Ashley Rowland, Stars and Stripes Pacific edition,
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Ashley Rowland / S&S

SEOUL — The number of participants in this weekend’s Courageous Channel exercise — essentially a dress rehearsal for U.S. civilians for evacuating South Korea in case of an attack or natural disaster — is expected to climb in Area I, where the number of troops stationed with family members has increased, according to a coordinator for the exercise.

Maj. Jaren Price of the 1st Brigade Special Troops Battalion said about 10,000 people are required to participate in the NEO, or noncombatant evacuation operations exercise. Of that number, about 5,000 to 7,000 — often mothers who register their families while children are in school — will pass through evacuation control centers across the peninsula between Thursday evening and Saturday night.

In addition to U.S. government noncombatants, the U.S. would have to evacuate about 140,000 civilians from South Korea during an emergency, including private U.S. citizens and their families, and citizens of the countries that make up the United Nations Command.

Family members of U.S. servicemembers, and nonemergency-essential civilian employees and their families, are required to participate in the semiannual exercise.

At each evacuation control center, participants must pass through a series of stations where they practice the steps they would go through during a real emergency: undergoing a security check, giving their car keys to a soldier who would move the vehicle for safekeeping, registering, and receiving a white armband with a bar code on it. That bar code would be used to track them until they arrived at their final destination in the U.S.

Adults and children can also stop at a station and practice putting on gas masks with help from soldiers.

"This is the one day a year they get to practice this," Price said.

A few dozen civilian volunteers will travel from Osan Air Base to Japan on Friday to practice an actual evacuation.

Evacuation control centers will be open from 5 to 10 p.m. Thursday and from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The process will take about 30 to 45 minutes during peak hours, Price said.

Text Fwd: Osan completes first NEO exercise of the year

http://www.pacaf.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123139366
Osan completes first NEO exercise of the year
by Staff Sgt. Brian Ferguson
51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs

3/12/2009 - OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- Approximately 600 civilians and families here participated in this year's first Non-combatant Evacuation Operational Readiness exercise, or NEO March 7.

The exercise, also part of the 51st Fighter Wing's Operational Readiness Inspection, is designed to practice the evacuation of non-combatant personnel from the Republic of Korea in the event of contingency.

"Neo is a warrior and family readiness program," said Lt. Col. Randall Smith, 51st Mission Support Squadron commander. "Ensuring our families are able to swiftly depart, and be accounted for throughout their travels, enables our warriors to maintain the focus required to complete the mission."

All the required agencies needed to exit the peninsula were on hand at the base high school gymnasium, the site of the Evacuation Control Center. Stations included medical, public affairs, security, accountability, legal and several others that covered almost every process one would see at regular out-processing.

Before and later throughout the actual process, wardens briefed non-combatants on what they need to have and do, and what to expect as they evacuate.

"The NEO involves full base cooperation," said Annette Rehm, director of the Airman and Family Readiness Center. "We make sure everyone is prepared to do their job in the event of an evacuation."

Security forces set up a perimeter, entry control point and security checkpoint. The security screening process was similar to what would be experienced at any airport.

After the screening, the out-processing began. Non-combatants were directed through the stations, with the whole process lasting no more than thirty minutes. The 110 NEO wardens who staff the ECC in two shifts came from nearly every organization across the base and are specifically trained in evacuation-related tasks.

One group of non-combatants exercised the full evacuation spectrum, processing through the ECC and boarding a bus that was taken to awaiting aircraft to depart the country, all while their luggage was put into pallets for the trip. This portion of the exercise was practiced; however, no aircraft actually left the ground.
 
"For me, today was different from past NEOs. They asked for children, pets and luggage," said Linda Sanders, dependent wife who has been here for the last year-and-a-half. "We were even able to get on a bus and go to the actual aircraft we would fly out on."

She went on to say when she processed through the line, the whole process went very well and smoothly.