Today’s teacher, tomorrow’s leaders

Photo By Cpl. Antwaun Jefferson | Capt. Josef Wiese, a warfighting instructor, gathers his thoughts after his students clear a building during a training exercise at MOUT town, March 28.  

QUANTICO, VA, UNITED STATES

03.29.2012

Story by Lance Cpl. Antwaun Jefferson 

Marine Corps Base Quantico

QUANTICO, Va. — “Rounds are flying past your head, and the Marine beside you has just died. You can’t just lay there. What are you going to do?” screams an instructor for 5th platoon, Alpha Company, The Basic School, as the students attempt to suppress fire and advance through the tree line to clear the town of enemy combatants.

With the whistles and explosions of mortars dropping and lieutenants screaming “get down,” as they dive into the dirt, the instructors look on to see if their lessons are put into play during a training exercise at the Military Operations in Urban Terrain Facility, March 27.

“We’re trying to give the lieutenants simulations of real-life scenarios and complications in the MOUT town environment that they could encounter in country,” said Cpl. Robert Schmitt, combat instructor. “From the holes in the walls and other similarities to out in country, this place paints a good picture for what they will be doing.”

After a brief by the instructors, the students headed out for their first assault on the MOUT Facility. The results weren’t as smooth as the instructors would have liked it as many Marines were killed before getting to the first infrastructure. The problem for the instructors was not that the lieutenants were getting killed, but that they were taking the training it was — a training event with no actual danger.

“MOUT is one of my favorite events to go through with them (lieutenants) because it’s 360 degrees of on-your-toes thinking ‘top, down, left, right,’” Schmitt said. “How often do you get to kick doors in? But the lieutenants know this is a training exercise and, at times, that prevents them from seeing the seriousness of their situation. So we try our best to make sure they understand the importance of the training by keeping it as realistic as possible.”

Before the second time around, each instructor has a chance to talk to the lieutenants and explain what they saw, what was right and wrong, and how to attack it better next time. As Marine mentors, many instructors take time and effort with each and every lieutenant and, after a couple of months, like any Marines, such as Schmitt, say they take pride in what they do.

“You get out of it what you put into it,” Schmitt said. “If a student doesn’t perform well, we’ll look back at ourselves and think ‘what more could we have done?’ which is why in the end, it’s equally rewarding for both the instructors and students.”

The lieutenants were set to begin the exercise again, and this time they went in with more fire and intensity in their eyes. They cleared buildings quicker and screamed out command louder, making it easier to communicate over the sounds of gunfire. As they cleared and secured the last room, they came out having met their instructor’s expectations.

“The best part of my job, for me, is seeing the growth of each individual student, from their change in character to their maturity level,” said Capt. Michael Phillips, 3rd platoon, staff platoon commander. “With each lesson, they walk away more confident in their combat abilities and ability to lead Marines.”

• Date Taken: 03.29.2012
• Date Posted: 04.03.2012 15:18
• Story ID: 86189
• Location: QUANTICO, VA, US