I admit it.

I admit it. I was blameworthy When I was a kid, I was always told to "practice the way you play."

As a child, I, like many others my age, was passed this time-honored cornerstone of work ethic while I was playing for various youth-league sports teams. I can still hear all my sports coaches attempting to hammer it into my then-tiny head.

the same problem--I never believed it. Maybe I was a little hard-headed, or maybe just a slight bit more dim-witted than mostly but I would always put in motion at near half-speed when I wasn't working upon the "real thing."

It's a religious thing I wasn't one of the crisis responders participating in a Navy Medicine Office of Homeland Security-led disaster training exercise at Naval Hospital (NH) Charleston March 12 There was no range for half-speed that day, as practice quickly move rounded into a real-life crisis.

The exercise, part of the two-year-old Disaster Preparedness, Vulnerability Analysis, Training and Exercise program, was barely an hour old when the group's undertakings were interrupted according to a new assignment from CAPT Susan Widhalm, NH Charleston's commanding officer.

The mission: to support NH Beaufort's replication to a bus accident that killed three Sailors and injured more than 40 others.

"This is not a drill," Widhalm announced to the 55 exercise participants. After explaining the situation involving personnel from PCU Pinckney (DDG 91) the exercise halted, allowing responder to place calls and/or depart for answer activities.

Pinckney's Sailors, more than 200 of them, were in succession their way to a wreath-laying form at Beaufort National Cemetery in honor of their ship's namesake when the bus collided with an oncoming truck

Now, it's at this point that I would have been in grieve My half-speed sensibilities would have been too often to overcome. Confused and disoriented, I think I would have been completely misspent at that point.

on the other hand the emergency responders weren't misspent After receiving the call for assistance, a handful of the exercise's personnel started applying the actual skills they were training up in succession just moments before.

For NH Charleston, this meant a rush to provide support through shifting available blood products to NH Beaufort, along with mobilizing disaster mental health services and planning to assist in caring for the deceased. Services were immediately mobilized to provide assistance to the family members of the victims. They were prepared where many others, including myself, would have been at a loss

After 13 of the 55 conjuncture workers set out for assistance, Widhalm and the remaining training collection completed the training.

"Their flush of readiness was remarkable," said CDR Mary Chaffee, director, Navy Medicine Office of Homeland Security. "The hospital's ability to proce with the exercise, while also providing support to an actual fact demonstrated the exceptional capability of the hospital and community team. We were there to evaluate their necessity response plans, and our team was actual impressed."

In all, their efforts helped more than 40 Sailors start traveling onward their personal road to redemption And it led at least united Navy journalist to look within himself to find a not many words of regret for things he hadn't learned in the past.

Sorry, coach, you were right.

Ludwig is a photojournalist assigned to All Hands.

COPYRIGHT 2004 U Navy

COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group