PWTC students train on RVTT

Photo By Sgt. Darryl Montgomery | U.S. Army Sgt. Selina Dibella, a paralegal with the 419th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, keeps watch of her surroundings during training on the Reconfigurable Vehicle Tactical Trainer at Fort McCoy, Wis., July 13, 2013. The training marked Dibella's first time in a turret. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Darryl Montgomery/Released)  

FORT MCCOY, WI, UNITED STATES

07.13.2013

Story by Sgt. Darryl Montgomery 

U.S. Army Reserve Command

FORT MCCOY, Wis. – Students taking the Paralegal Warrior Training Course started their first day of training off with a bang July 13.

The paralegal soldiers departed from the normal PWTC first-day training and got to spend time on the Reconfigurable Vehicle Tactical Trainer.

PWTC usually starts off with classroom training, according to Sgt. 1st Class Tammy Rodriguez, an instructor for the PWTC. But this year, to find a place in the schedule and get the students time on the RVTT, it had to be scheduled earlier in the course.

The RVTT is a set of four vehicle simulators used for combat convoy training and allows soldiers to virtually drive M998 Humvees and other military vehicles. The system has four modules, each surrounded by floor-to-ceiling screens on which a simulated battlefield is projected.

The vehicle trainers are equipped with mounted crew serve weapons, radios, and Blue Force trackers to allow entire platoons the ability to train simultaneously on the same mission while at the same time removing the costs of fuel and ammunition.

“It’s amazing,” said Sgt. Michael Rice, a paralegal with the Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the 4th Gulf Training Division, 75th Training Command. “I’ve heard people talking about it, and now that I’ve seen and done it, I’m impressed. It’s very realistic.”

Sgt. Selina Dibella, a paralegal with the 419th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, said she had never been in the gunner’s seat of a Humvee before the training began.

“It was fun being up there,” Dibella, a San Diego resident said. “It was my first time being a gunner and I think the scenario training was a good place to start because it allowed me to experience a combat situation without actually being in danger while learning the position.”

Rodriguez said that even though the RVTT was scheduled early to be able and get the students time with the training device, she it was a good thing it was moved up.

“I feel like this was a great way to start the course,” the San Antonio, Texas, resident said. “It’s hands on and it gets them working together and involved in teamwork right from the start.”

• Date Taken: 07.13.2013
• Date Posted: 07.17.2013 16:22
• Story ID: 110332
• Location: FORT MCCOY, WI, US
• Hometown: PHILADELPHIA, PA, US
• Hometown: SAN ANTONIO, TX, US
• Hometown: SAN DIEGO, CA, US