Since the days of World War I trenches, men and women of the Chemical Corps have honorably served the needs of America’s Army. On the battlefield and off, courageous CBRN Soldiers have had an essential role in preserving our country’s freedom. As a Dragon Soldier it is important to know the history of the Corps (U.S. Army Chemical School, n.d.). Most of the Soldier’s in the Army think that Chemical Soldier’s are the ones you see that one time of the year for mandatory training; such as round robin type training or the CBRN gas chamber. However, as the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq started there was a need for Soldier’s that had a certain mind-set. Those that could and would do things that were necessary at the time of war that other regular Soldier’s would not or could not do. Those types of Soldier’s are typically suited for life in U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC). This paper is a brief history of The Chemical Corps, USASOC/Delta Force, and a Chemical Soldier who gave the ultimate sacrifice, SFC Mickey E. Zaun.
In order to give the reader a sense of the role of the Chemical Corps in the U.S. Army it is paramount to give a brief history of the Chemical Corps. The Chemical Corps came to fruition during World War I, at the behest of General John Pershing because of the Germans use of chemical agents. However, during a period in the 1970’s the Chemical Corps was very close to being terminated. In 1973 the Army decided it did not need the Chemical Corps and recommended reducing it in size and eventually wanted to merge it with the Ordnance Corps (Hilmas, Smart, & Hill, n.d.). The Army disestablished the chemical school at FT. McClellan, but Congress blocked the complete disestablishment of the Chemical Corps (Hilmas, Sm...
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...rieved May 20, 2014, from chemicaldragon.com: http://chemicaldragon.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/index.85161805.htm
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Hilmas, C., Smart, J., & Hill, B. (n.d.). Chapter 2 HISTORY OF CHEMICAL WARFARE. Retrieved May 20, 2014, from www.hsdl.org: https://www.hsdl.org/?view&did=19099
U.S. Army Chemical School. (n.d.). History of the Chemical Corps (Essay). Retrieved May 18, 2014, from cbrn.wood.army.mi: https://cbrn.wood.army.mil/bbcswebdav/pid-47873-dt-content-rid-173075_1/courses/031_494-74D40-C46_CBRN_SLC_Phase_1_2014_000_01_N/031-SLA05%20History%20of%20Chem%20Corps%20%28essay%29%281%29.pdf
USASOC PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE. (n.d.). Retrieved May 19, 2014, from www.soc.mil: http://www.soc.mil/Memorial%20Wall/Bios/Zaun_Mickey.pdf
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Weapons manufactured at Rocky Mountain Arsenal included both conventional and chemical munitions, including White Phosphorus (M34 grenade), Napalm, Mustard Gas, Lewisite, and Chlorine Gas. Rocky Mountain Ars...
Trueman, Chris. "Chemical Warfare and World War Two." Chemical Warfare and World War Two. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2013. .
Fries, A. A., & West, C. J. (1921). Chemical warfare,. New York [etc.: McGraw-Hill book company, inc..
Poison gas was perhaps the most feared weapon out of all. Created to overcome the long stalemate style of trench warfare, its purpose was to draw out soldiers hiding in the trenches. One side would throw the poison gas into the enemy trenches and they would either wait for their enemy to come out into open fire or perish in the trenches. The first poison gas used in battle was chlorine at the start of the Second Battle of Ypres on April 22, 1915 by the Germans. Shortly after, followed the phosgene. The effects of these gases were ghastly. Chlorine was the most deadly as "within seconds of inhaling its vapor, it destroys the victim's respiratory organs, bringing on choking attacks" (Duffy). Phosgene had similar effects, except the fact that the effects started kicking in after 48 hours of inhalation. In September 1917, the Germans introduced the mustard gas or Yperite which was contained in artillery shells against the Russians at Riga. Those exposed t...
Chemical warfare is the use of chemical agents to injure, incapacitate, or kill enemy combatants. First seen during World War I (WWI), the devastating effects of widespread chemical warfare were eventually deemed inhumane by an international consensus and chemical agents were subsequently banned from use. Still, despite the tendency of the modern warrior to overlook antiquated tactics, the threat of chemical agents in the theater of war cannot be entirely discounted by today's Soldier. By analyzing the application, evolution, and overall legacy of chemical weapons in the Great War we can work to minimize the danger they pose in current conflicts and those of the near future. For it is only by understanding the past that we can understand the present and shape tomorrow.
FM 4-02.285, Multiservice Tactics, Techniques and Procedures for Treatment of Chemical Agent Casualties and Conventional Military Chemical Injuries (2007, CDC Emergency Preparedness and Response, (2003, April 3). This page includes links September 18), Headquarters, Department of the Army
Mustard gas was not the only example of chemical weaponry used during World War I. The first example of this was the Germans use of a gas called phosgene in mid-1915, which caused drastic damage to the lungs (Mack 2). The Germans began using mustard gas in 1916 and soon both sides began to use poison gas as a weapon. At a lab at American University, which at its peak employed over 1,200 scientists specifically to create chemical weapons for the war, a new gas called Lewisite was developed. Lewisite poisoned its victims through the skin and rendered gas masks useless against it. During the war as many as 50 different gases were used by both sides (Mack 2). When the war e...
Tu, Anthony. “Chemical Weapons Abandoned by the Imperial Army in Japan and China at the End of World War II.” Toxin Reviews 30.1 (2001): 1-5 Environmental Complete. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
A month after graduating from high school in June of 1940, young Othal T. Parsons joined the army to "serve my country, beat the draft, and become a bigshot." He was lured by the Army recruiting posters clarioning "I WANT YOU." Parsons worked his way up through four different armored divisions as an enlisted man until he became Second Lieutenant Othal T. Parsons, Mortar Pla...
The Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear Survey Teams find out information on an enemy target in order to defend the country against the threat of CBRN weapons and Weapons of Mass Destruction. The Army has drastically evolved in terms of the Chemical Corp. Today there are multiple units around the world that operate in Survey Teams. The two most popular units in the Chemical Corp are Technical Escort Units and Chemical Reconnaissance Detachments. There is much confusion about what the operations of these two units entail. This research paper will describe what they do as well as discuss the similarities and differences between the two.
HQ, Department of the Army. (2014). Army Techniques Publication 3-11.24: TECHNICAL CHEMICAL, BIOLOGICAL, RADIOLOGICAL, NUCLEAR, AND EXPLOSIVES FORCE EMPLOYMENT. Washington, DC: HQ, Department of the Army.
From the creation of the Army’s Technical Escort Unit, there has always been one mission that has never changed; the removal, transportation and disposal of chemical weapons. “The U.S. Army Technical Escort Unit was formed in 1944 and is the longest, continuously active, military chemical unit in existence... The unit was formed as a group of specialist to escort chemical weapons”(Cashman, 2000, p. 104). Although this mission type has not faded, the overall mission of these units has expanded to a larger arena.
The impact of the war was soon to leave a mark in history. The use of chemical weapons adversel...