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...

im000611.jpg (58110 bytes) Compare the height of C/Amn Bernander versus her pack... im000613.jpg (66303 bytes) "Colonel Quasimodo" gives last-minute advice to Cpt Campbell as the trailer is loaded.
im000612.jpg (81274 bytes) Packing up...

Setting up camp

im000614.jpg (97557 bytes) Unloading the gear from the trucks im000615.jpg (123627 bytes) and from the trailer
im000616.jpg (129629 bytes) Setting up the latrine im000624.jpg (115777 bytes) Latrine is almost done
im000617.jpg (100019 bytes) Digging the fire pit im000623.jpg (125216 bytes) How deep does the fire pit have to be?
im000618.jpg (130505 bytes) Putting up the mongo tent, which was so huge it was visible from the air. im000622.jpg (116065 bytes) Success, the tent is up!
im000619.jpg (138148 bytes) tents, tents, and more tents.  Notice the orange pup tent - it was not in shadow, bright orange, and visible from the air. im000626.jpg (121956 bytes) breaking off branches for more firewood
im000620.jpg (115476 bytes) Gathering firewood im000625.jpg (129349 bytes) gathering more firewood
im000621.jpg (115609 bytes) Creating a large enough pile of firewood for a constant fire for 2 days im000627.jpg (68164 bytes) 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.

im000628.jpg (78969 bytes) Camo face paint on C/SSgt McElvain and C/SSgt Cooley im000630.jpg (51723 bytes) The "cream" type face paint is most popular (washes off)
im000629.jpg (50878 bytes) Applying more paint im000631.jpg (50138 bytes) Posing with the face paint
im000632.jpg (37995 bytes) C/SrA Yeh?  Difficult to tell... im000633.jpg (85955 bytes) Hat over the face... an interesting disguise
im000634.jpg (60307 bytes) Who are those masked cadets? im000635.jpg (52447 bytes) [Bad shot by the photographer] Cpt Campbell and TFO Carnes sing "The 12 days of Bivouac"

Sunday - breakfast and general around-camp pictures

im000636.jpg (99252 bytes) Cpt Campbell and SM Bernander make latte's. im000637.jpg (39916 bytes) [smoke caused a glare effect]

C/SSgt Langiano shows what happens to a canteen left too close to the fire

im000638.jpg (59023 bytes) Starting to sing... im000639.jpg (65364 bytes) "I'm a little teapot..."
im000640.jpg (66025 bytes) Starting to get moving after breakfast im000644.jpg (108151 bytes) C/AB Cowan, CV poses for a shot.  Nice reflective vest!
im000646.jpg (87767 bytes) tents... im000647.jpg (95711 bytes) Gathered around the fire
im000653.jpg (108812 bytes) The flag flies proudly over base camp im000652.jpg (104702 bytes) 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

im000641.jpg (114395 bytes) Letters "CAP" spelled out with logs at the bottom.  See here for a shot from the air. im000642.jpg (71520 bytes) zoomed in
im000643.jpg (105082 bytes) Piles of grass and other "smoky" material to make a smoky fire for the aircraft flyover im000645.jpg (90118 bytes) Red and orange tarps laid out for the a/c to see.  Definitely visible from the air!
im000648.jpg (93676 bytes) Mirror Signals im000649.jpg (91644 bytes) Real signal mirrors (with the hole in the middle) are much easier to use than camp mirrors
im000650.jpg (89220 bytes) more practice

DF Practice, crash site,  medical scenario

im000651.jpg (125123 bytes) C/2Lt Bordewyk explains how to use an LPer to find an ELT (Electronic Locator Transmitter) im000654.jpg (91008 bytes) C/SSgt McElvain practices with the LPer
im000655.jpg (151634 bytes) After finding the beacon (simulated ELT at the "crash site"), victims must be triaged. im000657.jpg (114122 bytes) "My hand, I want my hand!"
im000656.jpg (104259 bytes) Preparing to make a perimeter im000658.jpg (134976 bytes) Stringing rope for the perimeter
im000661.jpg (129615 bytes) Making a litter im000662.jpg (142889 bytes) Litter complete
im000663.jpg (119984 bytes) Preparing the victim for the lift onto the litter im000664.jpg (112189 bytes)  TFO Carnes with a simulated broken leg (compound fracture) survives the lift onto the litter.  Ooops we were supposed to splint that leg!
im000665.jpg (144737 bytes) Meanwhile the third victim, a druggie hijacker that caused the aircraft to crash, struggles with rescuers... im000666.jpg (149167 bytes) .. and struggles... 
im000668.jpg (149254 bytes) ... and struggles, until Cpt Campbell sits on her.
im000667.jpg (140335 bytes) SM Bernander with a simulated broken neck waits for a more experienced medical person for assistance im000669.jpg (129199 bytes) Experienced Cpt Hines braces the victim's neck in preparation for litter evac
im000671.jpg (126284 bytes) Other cadets watch the medical scenarios

Taking down camp, misc

im000672.jpg (103661 bytes) Cadet Pyramid im000673.jpg (96042 bytes) Closeup
im000674.jpg (99807 bytes) Tearing down camp
im000675.jpg (110036 bytes) Rest in peace im000676.jpg (109428 bytes) The Colonel was killed on the Saturday medical scenario, during the victim evac on the litter.
im000679.jpg (106655 bytes) Adorning the grave
im000681.jpg (86439 bytes) 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. im000682.jpg (86698 bytes) Smoke billows as C/Lt Col Niswender digs up the fire pit
im000683.jpg (120304 bytes) 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.
im000677.jpg (114068 bytes) On the 9th day of Bivouac, my C.O. gave to me...

...9 MRE's...

im000678.jpg (131537 bytes) On the 1st day of Bivouac, my C.O. gave to me...

... a Colonel in a pine tree.

 

im000684.jpg (91035 bytes) Cpt Campbell gives a quick class on winter shelters im000659.jpg (140803 bytes) Coyote footprint

 

The Twelve Days of Bivouac

 

On the First Day of Bivouac My CO Gave to Me

A Colonel in a Pine Tree

On the Second Day of Bivouac My CO Gave to Me

Two Quarts of Water

On the Third Day of Bivouac My CO Gave to Me

Three Broken L-Pers

On the Fourth Day of Bivouac My CO Gave to Me

Four Fallen Trees

On the Fifth Day of Bivouac My CO Gave to Me

Five Power Bars

On the Sixth Day of Bivouac My CO Gave to Me

Six Pairs of Socks

On the Seventh Day of Bivouac My CO Gave to Me

Seven Cadets-a-Logging

On the Eighth Day of Bivouac My CO Gave to Me

Eight Layers of Clothing

On the Ninth Day of Bivouac My CO Gave to Me

Nine MRE’s

On the Tenth Day of Bivouac My CO Gave to Me

Ten Officers-a-Leading

On the Eleventh Day of Bivouac My CO Gave to Me

Eleven Airmen Ailing

On the Twelfth Day of Bivouac My CO Gave to Me

Twelve Trips to Jax

 

Back to TVCS PhotoAlbum