1LT Nadine Wiley De Moura is the Public Affairs Officer (PAO) for the Texas National Guard Joint Counterdrug Taskforce and an Officer in Charge (OIC) for the 100th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment located in Austin, Texas.
By: Capt. Nadine Wiley De Moura
Texas Joint Counterdrug Task Force
Since 2017, Texas National Guard Joint Counterdrug Task Force members have been providing support for the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Tactical Emergency Casualty Care training by implementing their first-hand military experience for roughly 500 recruits and several multi-agency classes across the state.
“The Texas Guardsmen support is important because it adds additional instructors that can help us out, especially with large classes,” said Sgt. Jose Chavarria, the DPS Realty Based Training Unit instructor. “More instructors allow for a greater instructor to student ratio. The Guardsmen bring to the table different experiences and perspectives and they are able to share examples.”
“The TECC class is very similar to our TCCC so we are able to bring that same training along with the experience we have from the field or deployments,” said Master Sgt. Rolando Garcia, Texas National Guard Joint Counterdrug Task Force member. “In service year 2017 to now, there have been approximately 60 medical interventions– meaning troopers are using the knowledge and applying tourniquets, direct pressure, wound packing and basic fundamentals,” Chavarria said. “I think that has a lot to do with what we’re doing as a joint effort. As a whole team we are pushing this training and knowledge on our troopers.”
Agencies around the state have also begun implementing and seeking the TECC training.
Following the Santa Fe, Texas shooting, DPS Trooper and Emergency Medical Technician Colin Kolpski, reached out to the Reality Based Training Unit in order to bring the TECC training to law enforcement agencies in the Galveston region.
“After the Santa Fe incident I saw an opportunity to start this training, to bring it out to as many people as we can and bring it back to the county I work with,” Kolpski said. “We wanted to bring these life saving techniques and extra added tools to not only save themselves, but to also save the lives of others they come in contact with.”
Texas Game Warden Jennifer Provaznik, one of the 30 officers who attended the multiagency training in Texas City said that the training is going to save lives one day. “The state trains us very well,” said Provaznik. “I think this training was more involved with the wounds in the legs and more interactive scenarios over a two-day period”. As a Game Warden, Provaznik’s job is different from other law enforcement officers in the state because almost everyone she comes in contact with is armed.
“Everyone you deal with has a gun because they are either road hunting, deer hunting or doing some sort of hunting,” Provaznik said. “Everyone has a rifle so you have to be more prepared and on point because you never know what’s going to happen. That is why we train so vigorously .” Provaznik added that getting to hear the Guardsmen’s first-hand experience in addressing gun-shot wounds was especially useful for her in her line of work.
“This multi-agency training made me feel more comfortable because I know whenever I am struggling, we all know what is supposed to happen, we’ve all been trained with the same tactics,” Provaznik said.
Officers and Guardsmen alike agreed that the relationships that have been built through the multi-agency TECC training are invaluable. “it is such a mutually beneficial relationship for all of the agencies involved,” said Master Sgt. Rolando Garcia. “It prepares our state’s troopers, prepares other departments, refreshes training for the Counterdrug Guardsmen involved and makes us stronger as a state.”
“We are grateful that we have had the opportunity to work with the Texas Counterdrug program, and Iowa’s as well,” Chavarria said. “The counterdrug programs have helped us shape the program by providing perspective and assistance and so much knowledge—we couldn’t ask for anything more.”
1LT Nadine Wiley De Moura is the Public Affairs Officer (PAO) for the Texas National Guard Joint Counterdrug Taskforce and an Officer in Charge (OIC) for the 100th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment located in Austin, Texas. Her recent accomplishments include graduating from the 36th Infantry Division’s Executive Officer Academy (September 2018), serving as the PAO for the TNG JCDTF (June 2018-Present), serving as the Lead Forward PAO for the Southwest Border Mission (April-June 2018) and leading media operations and planning as the OIC for the 2018 Texas National Guard Best Warrior Competition.
Her awards and decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism medal and the Army Service Ribbon. LT De Moura, her husband and two-year-old son reside in Hutto, Texas, and her three stepdaughters reside in Brazil.
