An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | Sept. 16, 2019

Soldiers train how to exit an overturned vehicle

By Lt. Col. Cynthia King 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team

FORT BLISS, Texas – To an outsider, it looks like an indoor amusement park, with people strapped into a car that flips and turns, with an attendant at the controls. But, to Soldiers getting ready to deploy, it’s a ride that might save their lives in combat.

U.S. Soldiers in Headquarters, Headquarters Company, 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team used the Humvee Egress Assistance Trainer (HEAT) at Fort Bliss, Texas, September 13, 2019, to prepare to support Operation Spartan Shield in the Middle East. The trainer flips Soldiers strapped in seats configured like their military vehicles.

After the vehicle stops, the Soldiers have to unstrap themselves, which is challenging since they are upside down in full gear, and find a door latch that opens. After exiting, they must establish a security perimeter around the vehicle and account for all personnel.

“This training is important because when Soldiers go into theater, there’s a chance of IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) that can cause rollovers,” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Cleon Morris, an observer controller with the 5-306 Brigade Support Battalion, First Army. “Knowing how to egress safely can save a life.”

Sgt. 1st Class Santina Brown, a finance management technician in the 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team, said being in a military accident is a humbling experience, which she learned firsthand from hitting IEDs while deployed in Iraq in 2009-2010.

“I always explain to Soldiers what they can expect and tell them it’s important to stay calm,” said Brown. “As a team, we will take care of one another and get safely out.”

For Pfc. Charmaine Robinson, an information technology specialist in the 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team, the training was well worth it.

“I thought this was a great experience,” said Robinson, who is going on her first deployment. “The key to me if we have a rollover, is helping assist our battle buddies get out the safest way.”

The simulation center at Fort Bliss has vehicle rollover trainers for the Humvee, Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (M-ATV) vehicle, and MaxxPro Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle.

“The unit is taking the training very seriously,” said Morris. “The leadership has been very supportive.”

The 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team is headquartered with the North Carolina Army National Guard and also includes Soldiers from the South Carolina, Ohio, and West Virginia Army National Guard.

 

 

Related Articles
U.S. Soldiers with the Army National Guard speak with D.C. locals while patrolling Metro Center Aug 26, 2025. About 2,000 National Guard members are supporting the D.C. Safe and Beautiful mission providing critical support to the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department in ensuring the safety of all who live, work, and visit the District.
Guard Members From Six States, D.C. on Duty in Washington in Support of Local, Fed Authorities
By Sgt. 1st Class Jon Soucy, | Aug. 29, 2025
WASHINGTON – More than 2,000 National Guard Soldiers and Airmen from six states and the District of Columbia are on duty in Washington as part of Joint Task Force – District of Columbia in support of local and federal...

Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, Maj. Gen. Russel Honore, Task Force Katrina commander, and Brig. Gen. John Basilica, 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team commander, talk to news media during the aftermath of Hurricane Rita on Sep. 29, 2005. Basilica was appointed commander of Task Force Pelican, responsible for coordinating National Guard hurricane response efforts across the State. The task force included tens of thousands of National Guard Soldiers from Louisiana and other states.
Louisiana Guard’s Tiger Brigade Marks 20th Anniversary of Redeployment and Hurricane Response
By Rhett Breerwood, | Aug. 29, 2025
NEW ORLEANS – This fall, the Louisiana National Guard’s 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, known as the Tiger Brigade, commemorates the 20th anniversary of its redeployment from Iraq in September 2005, coinciding with the...

Alaska Air National Guard HH-60G Pave Hawk aviators and Guardian Angels, assigned to the 210th and 212th Rescue Squadrons, respectively, conduct a hoist rescue demonstration while participating in a multi-agency hoist symposium at Bryant Army Airfield on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, July 22, 2025. The symposium, hosted by Alaska Army National Guard aviators assigned to Golf Company, 2-211th General Support Aviation Battalion, included U.S. Coast Guard crews assigned to Sector Western Alaska and U.S. Arctic out of Air Stations Kodiak and Sitka, Alaska Air National Guardsmen with the 176th Wing rescue squadrons, U.S. Army aviators from Fort Wainwright’s 1-52nd General Support Aviation Battalion, Alaska State Troopers, and civilian search and rescue professional volunteers from the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group. The collaborative training drew on the participants’ varied backgrounds, experiences, and practices, to enhance hoist proficiency and collective readiness when conducting life-saving search and rescue missions in Alaska’s vast and austere terrain. (Alaska Army National Guard photo by Alejandro Peña)
Alaska Air Guard Conducts Multiple Hoist Rescues of Stranded Rafters on Kichatna River
By Staff Sgt. Seth LaCount, | Aug. 29, 2025
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — Alaska Air National Guard members with the 176th Wing rescued three rafters Aug. 28 after their raft flipped over on the Kichatna River.The Alaska Rescue Coordination Center opened...