by JO1 Daniel Pearson, USN

Russian and American naval personnel joined forces to rescue civilians from an earthquake disaster and to provide emergency medical care and evacuation. The disaster was not real, but the cooperation between the two countries' forces was.

This humanitarian operation was a field training exercise in the series called COOPERATION FROM THE SEA. The purpose is to allow Russian and U.S. forces to familiarize themselves with cooperative tactics and skills which may be needed in the event they combine efforts to cope with a real disaster.

COOPERATION FROM THE SEA exercises began in 1994. Since then, they have been held in the Vladivostok area of Russia and in the U.S. state of Hawaii. This exercise, held in August 1998, was the fourth in the series and the third held in Russia.

Since the exercise scenario was set in a simulated remote community not easily reached by normal civilian units, Russian and American naval and Marine units conducted the operation as an amphibious landing. The simulated disaster included coping with fires and mass casualties caused by the earthquake, thus also testing medical capabilities.

The Russian participants included Naval Infantry and their BTR-80 amphibious vehicles, plus sailors of the Russian Pacific Fleet, headquartered in Vladivostok. A Russian Navy Grisha 5 corvette participated for the first time. Capt. Yuri Korshalev, Deputy Training Officer for Headquarters, Russian Pacific Fleet, said the corvette was "stationed at the edge of the training area for security," for protection against piracy or other problems that might arise during a real operation.

The commander of the Russian contingent was Rear Adm. Temeryev, Deputy Commander, Primorye Flotilla of Multipurpose Forces.

The American participants were U.S. Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and their amphibious vehicles, plus the U.S. Navy amphibious landing ship USS Germantown (LSD-42), Navy Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) hovercraft, and Navy "Seabee" engineers. The U.S. exercise task force was commanded by Cmdr. Joe Parker, commanding officer of the USS Germantown.

U.S. Navy LCACs were used since they have the ability to move sideways while transporting large amounts of cargo--70-tons (about 64-metric tons) with space for 12 jeeps or 150 Marines. Their participation added another dimension to the exercise.

To promote interoperability and greater familiarization, Russian and U.S. personnel took part in crossdeck operations. U.S. Marine jeeps and trucks were loaded aboard a Russian Navy LST, while 16 Russian Naval Infantry BTRs were placed aboard the USS Germantown using three U.S. LCACs, a first for this bilateral exercise. The combined force then assembled for the operation at the Slavyanka training area.

The LCACs brought other nonamphibious vehicles ashore where they proceeded over challenging, muddy roads that provided the realism of the unexpected. When a U.S. Marine five-ton truck became mired in the mud, a Russian tracked recovery vehicle pulled it out. Despite the obstacles, the force reached the simulated community on time. Real fires burned in the building from which civilian "victims" were to be rescued. One U.S. participant remarked about the realism.

"This was my fourth mass casualty drill, but this one was totally unique--half the battle was getting to the patients and getting them out," said HM3(FMF) Michael Gonsalez of Colton, Calif. "From outside, you couldn't see any victims; you could just hear moaning. We followed the voices. Even though the Marines had a lot of the flames out when I arrived, the stairway to the next floor was totally blown out. This was the most realistic drill I've been in."

Thirty Russian Navy cadets played the roles of civilian victims. They were treated by Russian and U.S. medical corpsmen, who stabilized them on site, before moving them to a basic aid station, a Russian mobile surgery facility operated from the back of a truck with a tented extension.

When the victims were deemed fit to travel, they were then transported to a Russian Battalion Aid Station, then on to a Regimental Field Hospital similar to a U.S. Army MASH field hospital. Russian nurses and U.S. Navy corpsmen at the hospital then prepared "victims" quickly for treatment by doctors. The most serious cases were then "evacuated" to a simulated permanent hospital.

After the field exercise, U.S. sailors and Marines took part in a community relations project cleaning, repairing and painting a local tuberculosis treatment hospital.

The teamwork between the servicemen of the two countries sometimes grew into warm friendships that left a lasting impression on many of the American participants. In one case, the warmth and kindness of the Russians touched one U.S. Marine deeply.

"The son of a Russian Navy lieutenant gave me the watch he was wearing," said HN Alfred Ibinyopaka, USMC. "He said, 'I don't want you to forget me'." For some, it was not just cooperation from the sea--it was from the heart.