‘Always Ready’ battalion takes WLC prep into the woods

Photo By Sgt. Maj. Alexander Burnett | Sgt. 1st Class Jose Garnica, an operations noncommissioned officer assigned to the 21st Theater Sustainment Command’s 21st Special Troops Battalion and a native of El Paso, Texas, shows Spc. Ashley V. Kiphart, a human resources specialist assigned to the 21st TSC’s 1st Human Resources Sustainment Command and a native of New Port Richey, Fla., how to read an eight-digit grid coordinate during land navigation training on Rhine Ordnance Barracks Oct. 17.  

KAISERSLAUTERN, BW, GERMANY

10.17.2013

Story by Staff Sgt. Alexander Burnett 

21st Theater Sustainment Command

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany - Soldiers from the 21st Theater Sustainment Command’s 21st Special Troops Battalion conducted land navigation training Oct. 15-17 to prepare for the Warrior Leader Course in the Kaiserslautern Military Community.

Training began on Panzer Kaserne with classroom instruction covering every aspect of LANDNAV. Soldiers learned about terrain features including hills, valleys, ridges, saddles and draws, and how to read the legend on a map. They also received instruction on how to orient a map and determine its scale, said Sgt. 1st Class Jose Garnica, an operations noncommissioned officer assigned to the 21st STB and the course instructor.

“Land navigation is something a lot of these soldiers don’t use a lot in their day to day mission, but it is something all soldiers need to keep close to their heart,” said the infantry NCO and El Paso, Texas native. “In a time when people rely so heavily on technology, it’s important to know how to use a map in case those electronic systems fail.”

The class continued with instruction on reading an eight-digit grid coordinate and plotting it on a map. After plotting multiple points, the students learned to determine an azimuth and distance between two points. Finally, Garnica taught them the basics of terrain association; how to identify the location of terrain features in relation to a plotted point.

“Plotting points, determining the azimuth, determining distance and terrain association will help these soldiers find their points quicker,” said Garnica. “When they go to the Warrior Leader Course they will go into it with a better understanding of multiple ways to find their points.”

On the third day of training, the soldiers put everything they learned into practice with LANDNAV lanes on Rhine Ordnance Barracks. The “Always Ready” soldiers received starting grid coordinates, a map, a compass, a protractor and four points to find. During the first iteration the soldiers operated in buddy teams, during a second iteration they had to navigate alone, said Spc. Billy L. Phillips, a human resources specialist assigned to the 21st TSC’s 1st Human Resources Sustainment Command and a native of Wilson County, N.C.

“At first getting through the terrain in the woods was difficult, but as we became more comfortable with what we were doing it got easier to find our points,” Phillips said. “I think this training is going to help all of us when we get to WLC. Having this knowledge and experience will lead us to success.”

• Date Taken: 10.17.2013
• Date Posted: 10.17.2013 11:02
• Story ID: 115280
• Location: KAISERSLAUTERN, BW, DE
• Hometown: EL PASO, TX, US
• Hometown: WILSON, NC, US