Photo By Sgt. Breanne Pye | Pvt. Ashley L. Fleury, combat medic assigned to Company C, 4th Brigade Support...... read more read more
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FORT CARSON, Colo. – All soldiers undergo training in warrior tasks and drills after they join the Army, but a group of combat medics and mechanics took that skill set one step further when they volunteered to undergo an intensive training course provided by Fort Carson’s 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne).
Fourteen soldiers, assigned to 4th Brigade Support Battalion, “Packhorse,” 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, participated in a three-week course with 10th SFG (Abn.), Feb. 6-24.
“This course was part of 10th SFG (Abn.)’s efforts to give their master instructors more experience in training men and women as part of their Internal Defense Training Program,” said Staff Sgt. William A. Whitecotton, combat medic assigned to Company C, 4th BSB.
“The program consists of the master instructors training indigenous men and women living in hostile environments, with the skills necessary to protect and sustain themselves in small communities and countries outside the U.S.,” said Whitecotton. “The instructors simulated the training they will be providing in that program by practicing their skills during this three-week course with our Packhorse soldiers.”
Whitecotton said 4th BSB participated in the training to offer their soldiers a more in-depth set of skills to add to their basic soldier tasks and drills.
When deployed, combat medics and mechanics perform a number of diverse missions in a variety of circumstances, said Whitecotton, a native of Wheeling, W. Va.
“Most of the men and women who participated in this course have only been in the Army for a short period of time, and haven’t become comfortable or confident in their skills as they pertain to real-life mission scenarios,” he said.
Soldiers spent the first week of the three-week course learning to improve their marksmanship skills and handle their weapons with more confidence and precision.
“The first day started with an exercise the instructors called ‘kit appreciation physical training’,” said Pvt. Ashley Fleury, combat medic assigned to Company C, 4th BSB. “We basically ran through an obstacle course with all of our personal protective gear on, so we could learn how to improve the way we wear our gear.”
Fleury, a native of Lafayette, Ind., said the instructors observed the exercise so they could teach each soldier how to properly assemble their personal protective gear in a manner that will allow them to maneuver through common obstacles more efficiently.
“After that came weapons training, something I was not looking forward to,” said Fleury. “When we started marksmanship training, I was afraid, because I am left-handed and never felt comfortable shooting my rifle.”
Fleury said the best part of the entire training course is the confidence she gained in her marksmanship skills after one-on-one training with the master instructors.
“The instructors noticed right away that I was having trouble shooting my rifle left-handed,” she said. “They went over every detail with me on how to hold my weapon, how to aim through the scope, and how to breathe correctly as I shot – all from a left-handed perspective.”
After perfecting their marksman skills, soldiers moved into week two of the course, where they received in-depth, hands-on instruction on how to use night vision goggles and sharpen their land navigation skills.
“Land navigation week was intense,” said Whitecotton. “Many of our soldiers had never used any kind of night vision equipment, and the learning curve was a sharp one, as we were immediately tested in real-life scenarios.”
Whitecotton said the soldiers navigated an obstacle course at night using their night vision goggles, which helped the entire team gain confidence that they would be able to use their equipment in a real-mission scenario.
“Every skill we learned during this course was put to the test in a very real and intense way,” said Whitecotton. “After learning each task, we were immediately put into a stressful real-life scenario in which we had to use that skill to succeed.”
Whitecotton said the incredible patience and one-on-one training on behalf of the instructors was evident throughout the entire three-week course, which also included training in simulated urban environments with role-playing civilians, and conducting entire missions from the planning to effecting stages.
“Even though our instructors were some of the toughest, most skilled fighters in the world, they were incredibly humble and patient with us,” he said.
Fleury added that the instructors always encouraged each soldier to ask every question they could think of when they were going through drills.
She said the training did not end until every soldier felt comfortable and confident in performing the tasks they were taught.
“The skills we acquired during this training will stay with us as we prepare for any mission we are given in the future,” said Whitecotton. “When the course ends, our training won’t. We will take all of the valuable skills we have acquired and bring them back to our units to teach our fellow soldiers.”
He added that he was incredibly thankful that the 10th SFG (Abn.) would take the time to give the soldiers skills, which will help keep them safe and save lives in the future.
“What really got to me was that our instructors obviously cared that we perfected the skills they were teaching us,” said Fleury. “When we struggled, they pushed us harder, and working through that stress built a confidence in all of us that we didn’t have when we started the course.”
| Date Taken: | 02.24.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 02.27.2012 19:39 |
| Story ID: | 84411 |
| Location: | FORT CARSON, CO, US |
| Web Views: | 209 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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