TVCS Cadet Winter Bivouac

Dec 21-22 2002 CO-02-016

Pictures from the ground

TVCS Cadets organized a 2-day Winter Bivouac. 25 cadets and 6 seniors attended, with aircraft flyovers both days. No frostbite (except to Camelbaks and flashlights) and much fun was had by all! Sorely missed by all were Lt "Mikey" Wilkinson and Lt "Col Quasimodo" Carnes. Hoping you both come for the Spring Bivouac in May!

More pictures here, including from the aircraft.

Click on a thumbnail to see a larger picture (~100k 800x600). The full-size photos (some up to 600k) are available here.

Loading at JAX...

	Compare the height of C/Amn Bernander versus her pack...		"Colonel Quasimodo" gives last-minute advice to Cpt Campbell as the trailer is loaded.
	Packing up...

Setting up camp

	Unloading the gear from the trucks		and from the trailer
	Setting up the latrine		Latrine is almost done
	Digging the fire pit		How deep does the fire pit have to be?
	Putting up the mongo tent, which was so huge it was visible from the air.		Success, the tent is up!
	tents, tents, and more tents. Notice the orange pup tent - it was not in shadow, bright orange, and visible from the air.		breaking off branches for more firewood
	Gathering firewood		gathering more firewood
	Creating a large enough pile of firewood for a constant fire for 2 days		TSgt Hart's Santa Hat! Gets dark fast on the shortest day of the year.

E&E (escape and evade). This year it was "capture the flag" where each team's flag was a glow stick. Pine cones were used to "kill" the enemy.

	Camo face paint on C/SSgt McElvain and C/SSgt Cooley		The "cream" type face paint is most popular (washes off)
	Applying more paint		Posing with the face paint
	C/SrA Yeh? Difficult to tell...		Hat over the face... an interesting disguise
	Who are those masked cadets?		[Bad shot by the photographer] Cpt Campbell and TFO Carnes sing "The 12 days of Bivouac"

Sunday - breakfast and general around-camp pictures

	Cpt Campbell and SM Bernander make latte's.		[smoke caused a glare effect] C/SSgt Langiano shows what happens to a canteen left too close to the fire
	Starting to sing...		"I'm a little teapot..."
	Starting to get moving after breakfast		C/AB Cowan, CV poses for a shot. Nice reflective vest!
	tents...		Gathered around the fire
	The flag flies proudly over base camp		Cpt Hines and C/Amn Campbell, A bemoan frozen camelbaks. To give you an idea of the temperatures up there, the first freeze of a camelbak hose was ~4pm in the daylight Saturday.

Ground to air signals

	Letters "CAP" spelled out with logs at the bottom. See here for a shot from the air.		zoomed in
	Piles of grass and other "smoky" material to make a smoky fire for the aircraft flyover		Red and orange tarps laid out for the a/c to see. Definitely visible from the air!
	Mirror Signals		Real signal mirrors (with the hole in the middle) are much easier to use than camp mirrors
	more practice

DF Practice, crash site, medical scenario

	C/2Lt Bordewyk explains how to use an LPer to find an ELT (Electronic Locator Transmitter)		C/SSgt McElvain practices with the LPer
	After finding the beacon (simulated ELT at the "crash site"), victims must be triaged.		"My hand, I want my hand!"
	Preparing to make a perimeter		Stringing rope for the perimeter
	Making a litter		Litter complete
	Preparing the victim for the lift onto the litter		TFO Carnes with a simulated broken leg (compound fracture) survives the lift onto the litter. Ooops we were supposed to splint that leg!
	Meanwhile the third victim, a druggie hijacker that caused the aircraft to crash, struggles with rescuers...		.. and struggles...
	... and struggles, until Cpt Campbell sits on her.
	SM Bernander with a simulated broken neck waits for a more experienced medical person for assistance		Experienced Cpt Hines braces the victim's neck in preparation for litter evac
	Other cadets watch the medical scenarios

Taking down camp, misc

	Cadet Pyramid		Closeup
	Tearing down camp
	Rest in peace		The Colonel was killed on the Saturday medical scenario, during the victim evac on the litter.
	Adorning the grave
	Learning for all of us, how not to put out a fire - correct way is many many gallons of water before the coals are covered with dirt. Difficult when all the water is hand-carried in, but necessary as C/Lt Col Niswender noticed steam still rising.		Smoke billows as C/Lt Col Niswender digs up the fire pit
	SM Shaffer pours on the 15th gallon of water as C/Niswender still finds more smoking coals underneath. Finally Cpt Campbell brought up the truck with another 30 gallons to truly douse it.
	On the 9th day of Bivouac, my C.O. gave to me... ...9 MRE's...		On the 1st day of Bivouac, my C.O. gave to me... ... a Colonel in a pine tree.
	Cpt Campbell gives a quick class on winter shelters		Coyote footprint