COP SULLIVAN, AFGHANISTAN – When Corporal Victor Foster says he has a dirty job, he’s not exaggerating. As an MOS 5711 Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) Defense Specialist with the 1st Battalion 5th Marines, Foster is exercising his skills all day digging latrines and burning shit at his company’s combat outpost in southern Afghanistan.

To prepare for his critical role, Foster, 23, from Ames, Iowa, received five months of intensive training in hazardous material detection, containment, and decontamination at the Marine Corps’ CBRN School in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.

As part of his training, Foster was required to spend ten hours a day in his Mission Oriented Protective Posture (MOPP) suit in a hazardous materials environment, identifying various nerve agents and other chemical weapons. By the end of his training he could identify any chemical in ‘just seconds’, said Foster, as he poured diesel fuel into one of several shit-filled barrels.

“When I first arrived in Afghanistan, my commanding officer asked me when the last time was that the Taliban used a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear device,” Foster said. “When I told him never, he handed me a shovel and said ‘start digging’.”