tinnitus Bivouac 1968 Sheppard Air Force Base Tx

[halos2]

The VA does not acknowledge this training I went through. They say my mos is not congruent with tinnitus claim. It is documented in my smr/str however they act like it is not in the records.

Anyone else attend this around this year?

Anyone else do the airplane crash scene, or bombs/grenades/artilitary/gas mask and removal of mask in totally dark building? What about being left out in the wilderness, and having to find your way back? What about treating the "fake patients" injuries while on Bivouac? We went to a very remote site in Ok. We were there over a week, and then I left 2 days early r/t pink eye. Man it was dirty, scarey, and I still don't like odors/smells of any cleansers, gases, and darkness, and man did the tears flow, and the choaking and gasping for air when the masks were removed. Very scarey time. Loud noises all around, and the obstical courses and barbed wire trenches too. Alot of dirt/dust.

Anyone else attend this school?

Any further help would be appreciated. My award letters were left at my mom's house all these years and she has alzheimers and all my original certs are gone, as well as diploma's, etc. I do have this noted in my smr/str that I was treated at sick call and released from bivouac early for pink eye though. The VA act like it is not there, even when brought to their attention written/verbally. My hearing was ex upon enlistment, decreasing upon discharge, and impaired much over the years(VA exams show major deficit and hearing aid in rt ear)with the constant "ringing". Thanks to any who may offer assistance here too.

Edited February 8, 2009 by halos2

[Wings]

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To help with your search:

While stationed at Sheppard Air Force Base, Tx (1968), you were ordered to "Bivouac" training at a remote location in Oklahoma? Is that correct?

Were you sent to an Army Base in OK for the bivouac training?

In the USAF, your MOS is called "AFSC", Air Force Specialty Code. What was your AFSC? Were you active-duty or Guard/Reserves?

Have you ever seen your AFSC study guide? I don't have a copy of mine now, but my supervisor(s) checked off the field manuvers that I attended with dates. I don't know if my records ever made it to NARA, but I doubt it. ~Wings

[Wings]

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Found this narrative, suggest contact. ~Wings

Unsung Heroines–the Nurses of the Vietnam War

http://carolebellacera.wordpress.com/2008/...he-vietnam-war/

"I guess it was while serving at Sheppard (1971) that I came the closest to a Vietnam experience. Near the end of the four month course, each med tech had to participate in an exercise known as “bivouac training.” ... By the time I climbed aboard the bus transporting us newbies to Oklahoma where the three-day exercise would take place, I was a trembling mass of nerves. And it was every bit as awful as I’d heard. The obstacle courses and smoke bombs were for real. They did leave me out in the cold Oklahoma forest (it was December) where I shivered for hours until I was “found.” The mock plane crash was gruesomely realistic—the fire from the fuselage lighting up the night sky, injured survivors scattered on the cold ground, screaming (quite convincingly) in fear and pain. And then the final test—an evaluation of our emergency care skills. This final exam was set up like a relay race—ten stations, each of which held a medical dummy with a specific injury—sucking chest wound, snake bite, shock…etc. An instructor stood at each station with his clipboard, evaluating our treatment of our “patient.” Our decisions had to be immediate and correct or our patient would die. A dead patient meant failure—and a return to bivouac training the following month—something no one wanted to do. Somehow, I sailed through the final exam, attending my “patients” on some kind of medical auto-pilot. And in those three days in the Oklahoma wild, I metamorphosed from a young scared student into a medical technician in the United States Air Force." http://www.myspace.com/carolebellacera

[halos2]

Wings,

Thanks, I figured I would hear from you. Especially via recent email info. Yes at the conclusion the finals were Bivouac field training camp...I know it is AFSC but over the years people of other branches didn't know what I was talking about so I just addapted to their lingo in response of MOS.

I was active duty AF and at Sheppard it was in the 90010 code (medic),and at my next base they put me where they needed me the most in training in the 98130(dental) then 98150(Dental). I still had to be on sick call duty every 6 weeks, and when we had many innoculations, I gave injections(shots) at the hospital too.

In fact with my first time administering to new students, on my 101st shot the recruit kept shaking and was skinny as could be and needle bent and the recruit fainted, the Tech Sgt picked him up and took him away, and said keep giving shots, so I did and never had any problems from then on. Nor did I being a nurse for all these years either.

Yes it was in Oklahoma(Ok). They did not say it was an Army camp, just assummed USAF, as that was what branch we all were.

No study guides available. I checked months ago at Sheppard and they destroyed all records over 30 years old. There have been changes with the courses over the years and this training is not mandated anymore.

x

x

x

To help with your search:

While stationed at Sheppard Air Force Base, Tx (1968), you were ordered to "Bivouac" training at a remote location in Oklahoma? Is that correct?

Were you sent to an Army Base in OK for the bivouac training?

In the USAF, your MOS is called "AFSC", Air Force Specialty Code. What was your AFSC? Were you active-duty or Guard/Reserves?

Have you ever seen your AFSC study guide? I don't have a copy of mine now, but my supervisor(s) checked off the field manuvers that I attended with dates. I don't know if my records ever made it to NARA, but I doubt it. ~Wings

Edited February 9, 2009 by halos2

[halos2]

Wings,

I found this site, but not her facebook address, thanks. My Bivouac was for a longer period of time in Mar 1968. Also we had to go into the gas chamber where it was dark and full of gas and they would pull off our masks and we would have to find our way out of the dark gaseous building. We would gag and cough so much and tears would flow and our eyes burned so bad from this experience too. So many would vomit too.

The majority of her experiences were very typical of the one's I experienced too besides the gas chamber. Also they would throw grenades around some tents to wake us up and after a few days I never heard them and others would shake me to wake me. (Don't know where any of these people are now). They would put us out in the forest/woods but we had a compus to find our way back.

It was so real and frightening for a sheltered 18 yr old girl who never left her family at all before. There was mass confusion, and the clipboard exercises were so true too. The crash site was soo real. I got pink eye and they sent me to sick call but I did the crash site and exercises prior, and the first aid care evals too. The endings were with ammunitions training and crawling in trenches with barbed wire was where I got conjunctivitis.

x

x

x

Found this narrative, suggest contact. ~Wings

Unsung Heroines–the Nurses of the Vietnam War

http://carolebellacera.wordpress.com/2008/...he-vietnam-war/

"I guess it was while serving at Sheppard (1971) that I came the closest to a Vietnam experience. Near the end of the four month course, each med tech had to participate in an exercise known as “bivouac training.” ... By the time I climbed aboard the bus transporting us newbies to Oklahoma where the three-day exercise would take place, I was a trembling mass of nerves. And it was every bit as awful as I’d heard. The obstacle courses and smoke bombs were for real. They did leave me out in the cold Oklahoma forest (it was December) where I shivered for hours until I was “found.” The mock plane crash was gruesomely realistic—the fire from the fuselage lighting up the night sky, injured survivors scattered on the cold ground, screaming (quite convincingly) in fear and pain. And then the final test—an evaluation of our emergency care skills. This final exam was set up like a relay race—ten stations, each of which held a medical dummy with a specific injury—sucking chest wound, snake bite, shock…etc. An instructor stood at each station with his clipboard, evaluating our treatment of our “patient.” Our decisions had to be immediate and correct or our patient would die. A dead patient meant failure—and a return to bivouac training the following month—something no one wanted to do. Somehow, I sailed through the final exam, attending my “patients” on some kind of medical auto-pilot. And in those three days in the Oklahoma wild, I metamorphosed from a young scared student into a medical technician in the United States Air Force." http://www.myspace.com/carolebellacera

[simple fly]

was it Camp Gruber?? seems that name keeps ringing in my head.

Edited February 9, 2009 by simple fly

[sharon]

If you get a copy of your 201 Personnel File it should show where your training occurred. You can order it a www.vetrec.archieves.gov