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CHARLESTON, S.C. – Tough, realistic training is the
cornerstone of a successful Army. In order to make sure that
her drill sergeants can provide each new private with the
best training possible, Capt. Jessica Smothers, commander of
Company A, 1/321st Infantry Regiment, along with her
training staff coordinated some of the basic combat training
curriculum for their February battle assembly.
Originally, the unit was to participate in a brigade field
training exercise (FTX) which was cancelled. The FTX was to
take place from Thursday to Sunday. Since the time had
already been allotted, the unit decided to put it to good
use, practicing the very skills they would be imparting to
basic trainees. Army Reserve drill sergeants generally use
their 29 days of annual training (AT) in actual basic
training companies.
Basic Combat Training (BCT) is
broken up into three phases; red, white and blue. The
soldiers of Company A are tasked to do their next drill
sergeant annual training during a blue phase at Fort
Jackson, S.C. The tasks they practiced were specific to the
blue phase of BCT which included individual and squad
movement techniques and movement to contact. The twist for
this particular battle assembly was the usage of paintball
guns on a recreation course at Charleston Air Force Base.
Soldiers assigned to A Company, 1/321st
Infantry Regiment, 98th Training Division, 108th Training Command
(IET), engage each other with paintball guns during the unit's
Battle Assembly training on individual and squad movement
techniques. The unit utilized paintball training in order to
heighten the level of realism to the training at Charleston Air
Force Base recreation area Feb. 8, 2014. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt.
1st Class Joel Quebec) |
“We wanted to give them the most realistic experience that
we could,” said Smothers, “to refresh some of those things
they haven't done in a long time.” Most of the drill
sergeants have been doing red and white phase training
during their ATs.
Each task during the four days of
training built upon each other and culminated in the
paintball exercise. Soldiers separated into two teams and
moved from one end of the course to the other, employing the
proper movement methods and hand and arms signals, all while
trying to shoot the “enemy” and not get shot in the process.
Using paintballs brought a new level of reality to the
activity.
According to Sgt. Matthew Nelson, no one
really reacts properly when using the electronic Multiple
Integrated Laser Engagement System (MILES). “It's always
better to have something that's going to actually hit you
instead of blank rounds,” he said. “People just sit there
and stick their heads out or stand there with something
visible. With the blanks you don't know, but with the
paintball you're going to get hit and it reminds you of the
difference between cover and concealment.”
“Being
able to see the rounds drop around you,” said Spc. Matthew
Morgan, “gives you a better, more realistic idea of what
happens.”
The soldiers felt the training was very
useful, besides just a way to get out of the company area
for a change. “What we give to the privates,” explained
Staff Sgt. William Hall, “is that what they see [in
training] may not be what always actually happens.” Hall
went on to emphasize that the new soldiers will need to
understand that what they receive is basic training and that
their assigned units will augment what the drill sergeants
gave them with the standard operating procedures each unit
will have already developed.
“This was awesome,”
said Sgt. Jason Decker. “It reinforced the training I
learned 12 years ago.”
“I was kind of hesitant at
first,” 1st Sgt. Jason Johnson told his troops. “I was
thinking that paintball is going to be a free-for-all, but
you guys actually made some applications out there, adjusted
fire, talked and did everything you were supposed to do.” He
told them that their particular Military Occupational
Specialty didn't apply to the days' training. “What really
applied were basic soldier skills which are directly related
to our mission.”
“I think it went very well,”
Smothers said. “They were checking their references and you
could see it in their faces that they were remembering
things and the [training] concepts were clicking in their
heads. It was a huge success, especially since this unit has
never done this before.”
Due to the nature of
paintball, Smothers' first and foremost concern was safety
and each soldier did their best to keep that idea in mind.
There were no injuries as a result of the exercise
“As
far as Army training is concerned,” said Johnson, “it has to
be tough and realistic and this weekend was it.”
It
was suggested, during the after action review, to take the
training to the next step, by adding combat life saving
first aid tasks during similar engagements in the future.
Company A of the 1/321st Infantry Regiment is a drill
sergeant unit that falls under the 2nd Brigade, 98th
Training Division and the 108th Training Command (Initial
Entry Training). Soldiers bring with them several different
MOS backgrounds when they join the unit.
More photos available below
By U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Joel Quebec
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2014
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