Photo By Staff Sgt. Michael Crawford | Spc. Everett Jackson, a small arms and artillery repairman with the 1015th Maint....... read more read more
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FORT HUNTER LIGGETT, Calif. - Soldiers from the 1015th Maintenance Company, based in Fort Gillem, Ga., rose before the sun, preparing themselves to respond to small-arms fire, ambushes and improvised explosive devices as part of a convoy operations exercise June 14.
They rode through the mountainous and dusty terrain of Fort Hunter Liggett as part of a training convoy for the Combat Support Training Exercise held annually.
With only a handful of veterans, the 1015th largely consisted of new soldiers. For many, including the convoy commander, this would be their first experience with convoy operations.
“You’ve got to jump through hoops and do all sorts of paperwork to get a convoy moving,” said 2nd Lt. Matthew Everett, the convoy commander for the 1015th Maint. Company. “You can’t just jump in and play soldier.”
The convoy did move, and it set out for Forward-Operating Base Milpitas, where the convoy split before continuing to the training lanes. As the exercise began, every soldier found they had something new to learn.
Staff Sgt. Ralph Jordan, a small arms and artillery repair non-commissioned officer, had deployed to Afghanistan for a year in 2002. Not only was the lanes training new to him, so was the equipment.
“This is more advanced than when I went,” Jordan said. “We got the gear, and if our troops stay with it, we’ll be awesome.”
Despite having many new soldiers, the 1015th had an edge that a more veteran unit might not have had: updated basic training.
“When I came in [the service] in 2001, I couldn’t have handled it,” said Spc. Christopher Loveless, a small arms and artillery repairman with the 1015th.
Loveless, a former Marine from Atlanta, was taught how to fight in wooded and jungle environments; he didn’t learn about convoys, IEDs and urban conflict in his basic training.
“You can tell soldiers are better prepared and trained to handle convoys,” he said.
Soldiers applied what they learned from each encounter as they moved down the lanes. Half way through the exercise, observer control/trainers offered critiques based upon the unit’s performance. Knowing what to sustain and what to improve, soldiers adjusted their plan of action.
Originally lacking standard operating procedures, soldiers established when and where they would dismount and return fire if ambushed. Initially hampered by noisy communication equipment, soldiers developed hand signals and code words.
“We made mistakes, but we learned a lot,” said Spc. Jacqueline Sanabria, a native of Atlanta. “We got to see what it would be like for certain IEDs, [vehicle-borne] IEDs or how the enemy would attack us.”
Everett hopes to continue training on the lanes with his unit and participating in additional training exercises such as FOB defense. He wants to focus on establishing protocols until they become second nature.
“My goal is to get to the point where they don’t need me,” he said.
The much needed training revealed many of the unit’s strengths and weaknesses, Loveless said. With a deployment in the unit’s future, this much needed training has given hope to the many new soldiers within the 1015th.
“This is my first deployment, so I’ve been shaky about it,” Sanabria said. “When I have a day like this, it makes me feel confident.”
| Date Taken: | 06.14.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 06.17.2011 12:43 |
| Story ID: | 72268 |
| Location: | FORT HUNTER LIGGETT, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 183 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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