210th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

Story by Staff Sgt. KaRonda Fleming

210th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. - Six units that fall under the Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 362nd Quartermaster Battalion, from Kinston, N.C., met at Marine base Camp Lejeune, Nov. 2-4, for an innovative training exercise.

The weekend exercise allowed for a weapons qualification range to merge with stations designed to teach 40 Warrior task training skills, said Capt. Robert G. Cooke, the 362nd QM training officer.

Reserve Soldiers are required to qualify on an M16 A2 weapon every six months. The 362nd decided to improve a typical range day by incorporating WTT for the Soldiers to successfully train on while they wait their turn to qualify.

"This is the first time we tried to cover Warrior task training and weapons qualification as a Battalion," said Sgt. 1st Class William D. Pierce, a water treatment specialist with the 431st Quartermaster Detachment, out of Jacksonville.

Pierce, also a native of Jacksonville said that it was important for the Army and Marines to coordinate with each other to have successful training exercises. The goal was to try and take Army standards and use them on a Marine range.

Marines are known to fire from different positions than we do, said Staff Sgt. Michael S. Young, Jr., a petroleum supply specialist with the 362nd.

"My overall reaction about this training is that all of the Soldiers are very attentive," said Sgt. Sharmisa D. Ford, a WTT instructor and supply sergeant for the 665th Quartermaster Detachment out of Winterville.

Ford, a native of Greenville, said it is necessary to have these classes, especially during a war-time environment. Many of the classes offered urban-like teaching, which is how it is in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Sgt. Chariss A. Williams, a WTT instructor and supply sergeant with the 665th, whose hometown is Bethel, said it was good to see that the Soldiers were getting involved with the training.

One class that every Soldier on the range trained on was the Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder class. This class offered Soldiers an outlook into the causes and effects of both conditions by showing several videos.

Each Soldier was also given a list of quick facts that can be used to recognize the common symptoms of brain injuries as well as ways to manage those injuries.

Other classes offered included using visual signaling techniques, performing movement techniques during an urban operation, movement over, through and around obstacles, how to engage a target in an urban environment, and perform mounting techniques during an urban operation.

Pierce said this weekend brought unit cohesion and communication for the Soldiers. It was also the first time that these units completed a training exercise together.

A Navy asset also helped with the training, providing a medic on-site.

"I am pretty confident with the training, so I feel comfortable if I were called to war," said Spc. Ismael Texidor, a light/heavy wheeled vehicle mechanic with the 650th Seaport Operations Company from Wilmington.

The Raleigh native said many of the things taught incorporated updated Army skills from the past.

Some of these updates included using the downtime of Soldiers as they wait their turn to fire on the range, to train on WTT. Otherwise the time would be wasted idly.

Texidor said it was good to be able to see the Soldiers faces from the other companies as he could possibly deploy overseas with them in the future.

The units plan to hold training exercises like this twice per year.

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