Is it appropriate for a company to not bring a water buffalo to a week long field exercise?

2020-01-26T14:09:22-05:00

We have been relying on bottles of water we bought before the field.

Response by MSG Danny Mathers made Jan 26 at 2020 3:28 PM

2020-01-26T15:28:39-05:00

Good subjective question. Water in bottles is better than chlorinated water from a water buffalo.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 26 at 2020 6:26 PM

2020-01-26T18:26:40-05:00

Interesting question...I am sure there is a good reason as to why it is not at your training event. It could be a variety of issues such as licensing, maintenance issues, not passing the potable water inspection etc....

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 26 at 2020 8:49 PM

2020-01-26T20:49:20-05:00

No. It may not be in a reg but it’s pretty effing stupid

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Jan 26 at 2020 9:31 PM

2020-01-26T21:31:06-05:00

I think it is illegal to buy water bottles for training. Those who did the purchasing and authorization of the purchases should walk a tight line and be quiet about it. If it is an illegal purchase, it can be career ending for those involved with requisitioning bottled water.

Response by 1SG Steven Imerman made Jan 26 at 2020 9:33 PM

2020-01-26T21:33:45-05:00

Spent three months in the desert with no buffalo. Bottled water, baby, all the way. Truckloads of it.

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 26 at 2020 10:08 PM

2020-01-26T22:08:44-05:00

It's "appropriate" if that water buffalo was going to give everyone the runs.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 26 at 2020 11:56 PM

2020-01-26T23:56:10-05:00

In 1974, spent 3 months in the desert in the 82nd ABN, never saw a buffalo, water was in 5gal cans, air dropped, water was always hot in those metal cans, but we drank it anyway.
As long as it was wet, it was good to have, one day we got hot beer that was lost in the desert air drop for a day, I didn't drink it, I traded it for a can of fruit cocktail C-Rats.
I think it's appropriate, I'm living proof, as well as the rest of the battalion 2/505th Inf.

Response by LTC Jason Mackay made Jan 27 at 2020 12:27 AM

2020-01-27T00:27:53-05:00

So no HIPPO? No 5gal cans? No orange igloo water jugs? Just expected to go cactus mode? If your M149 trailer aka water buffalo was NMC or not certified by PM, you can still get other sources. Tisa likely won’t issue bottled water without special circumstances. What did your first line say? First Sergeant?

Are you on a small remote site? Like a retrans....then you need 5gal cans that get swapped at your logpac.
Are you in the field, but close to a potable source (like range control etc?).....5 gal cans that someone takes a cargo vehicle to go fill every day.

Sounds like bottled water purchased at your expense is shitty first line leadership. PS, the answer is Army issue 5 gal plastic water cans as part of your team's basic load. Recommend your first line grabs the Supply Sergeant by the ankles and shakes them until water cans come out. Your profile doesn't show unit data. There should be these cans at at the SSA. Google the NSN. Else the commercial igloo or gott blasting jugs locally purchased will do the same thing....again through unit supply.

Your TACsOP doesn't have 5 gallon cans on the vehicles clue as a load Plan item? Every unit I've ever been in specifies minimum one per vehicle in case you are marooned somewhere. Sorry, just having a hard time believing there is no water. Is there an MKT on your site? Then there has to be bulk water for,field san, somewhere.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 27 at 2020 5:17 AM

2020-01-27T05:17:34-05:00

I'm not sure what the issue is.

Response by MAJ Javier Rivera made Jan 27 at 2020 6:54 AM

2020-01-27T06:54:04-05:00

I’m sure there’s more to it than what I read in your posting.

Response by SGM Erik Marquez made Jan 27 at 2020 10:14 AM

2020-01-27T10:14:12-05:00

SPC Private RallyPoint Member It is appropriate and required for the unit commander to provide sufficient quantities of potable water for consumption and personal hygiene. How they choose to logistically support that need will very.

It is really a very black and white issue.
You have sufficient quantities of potable water available to you or you do not.

If you do, then the how is not vitally important at the user level. (That does not mean you can not make a suggestion as to how you could be better supported for your mission, just that the immediate concern is met)

If you do not have sufficient quantities of potable water, then it is an immediate chain of command / NCO support channel issue to be worked.

Response by CSM Richard StCyr made Jan 27 at 2020 10:52 AM

2020-01-27T10:52:58-05:00

Appropriate..... Depends on if the water buffalo is serviceable. If it's deadline then bottled water is probably the best answer the unit had.
Keeping the water buffalo up and the water purified during training is an important task for the units field sanitation team to practice.
During every deployment both combat and operational we used our water buffalos and during OIF I in 2003 they were critical on the pipeline build. We also supplemented bottled water when available.
In OIF 05-07 rotation we used them on remote COPs and large scale project sites with high Soldier density . There was only one per PLT by MTOE and many missions were squad sized, each vehicle carried a basic load of bottled water for short term missions, patrols and GACs. Bottled water was much easier to come by in the 05-07 rotation which reduced the strain on the units field sanitation teams.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 27 at 2020 3:02 PM

2020-01-27T15:02:30-05:00

To answer the question: That depends. Here is what I mean: Does the unit have a 400g Water Trailer on the MTOE? If so, was it deemed mission capable by the Field Sanitation Team and Preventive Medicine? If it was, then it should have been brought. If not, then obviously it can't be used.

Now, if the buffalo was not mission capable, then this is where other arrangements for water should have been figured out. Another buffalo from another unit. A HIPPO. Enough 5g water cans to accommodate enough Soldiers per day. Constant resupply of water bottles for the Soldiers? There is an actual standard amount of water consumption per Soldier per day per type of field environment. If self purchased water bottles were brought to the field....how are those bottles refilled? Or did each squad/platoon purchase a shit ton of water bottles to accommodate each Soldier per day?

I am curious as to what the Deliberate Risk Assessment stated about water. As Preventive Medicine, I am highly concerned by this situation.

Response by SPC Richard Zacke made Jan 27 at 2020 7:43 PM

2020-01-27T19:43:16-05:00

In August of 1979 at Fort Stewart, GA we were doing our mandantory road march ( i can't remember how many miles it was) during a heat wave. We were marching in 98 degree heat and around the 12 mile mark men started going down. Thank GOD for the water buffalo. They started letting us shed our duffle bags and in the deuce and a half, around 15 miles they cancelled it when the hippo got to low. I could'nt imagine going out without it because the 400 gallons really helped when heat stroke hits. I hear alot of you talking about the hippo's being down needing repairs well we were lucky in 79 most all our hippo's were near new and we were pulling two that day..800 gallons.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 27 at 2020 11:06 PM

2020-01-27T23:06:14-05:00

We did not bring any water supply out at all, not even water cans. I spent my own money on 2 cases of water,which many other drank. Also, I am married they are taking away our bas for this 1 week of training because “they fed us”.