Photo By Spc. Andrew Orillion | Staff Sgt. Nicholas Garza (left), a Special Forces demolition expert with the 91st...... read more read more
FORT HUNTER LIGGETT, Calif. - Sometimes life takes soldiers down unusual paths. For Staff Sgt. Nicholas Garza of the C Company, 2nd Battalion, 91st Training Division, the road to Combat Support Training Exercise-91 has been very winding.
It began six years ago, when Garza started training to become a Special Forces demolition expert. The training took two years, but Garza passed the course and became a Special Forces engineer.
Garza said a Special Forces engineer functions as the team’s supply sergeant, as well as its demolition expert. After leaving active duty, Garza worked in the private sector for a year before returning to the Army via the Reserve.
He came back because he just enjoyed being around military weapons and teaching people how to use them properly, said Garza.
For the past six months, Garza has been part of a Small Arms Readiness Team, currently deployed to Fort Hunter Liggett’s Base Camp Tusi.
“What we do is, we train other units on using different weapon systems,” said Garza. “Specifically, weapons systems that are organic to them when they actually do deploy.”
The training is not standard to every unit, Garza said. It varies according to the mission the unit is deploying for and what the unit does.
“It also depends on what the unit actually wants. If the want guys to zero and qualify, then that’s what we try to train them for,” said Garza. “Like a lot of the other guys inside of our unit, they have so much combat experience that it’s hard not to bring personal things into it.”
Personal choices when it comes to shooting include different ways of holding a weapon and different ways of placing your body, said Garza.
“You’re normally taught to hold the weapon with the palm of your hand on the heat shields,” he said. “Another way you can do it that we were shown, is to use a c-grip, really close to the magazine. With this, you can control the rise of the barrel easier. This is especially good for the kneeling position.”
Army Reservists weren’t the first troops Garza trained. In 2008, he helped to train members of the Afghan National Army and police force.
“It was difficult because of the language barrier. But, we got there and trained them up as best we could,” said Garza. “We’ve got a lot of good people doing a lot of good things out there.”
When not training troops on weapons systems, Garza works as a battle-tracker and command post Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge of the Base Camp Tusi Exercise Command Cell. This is Garza’s first time working such a mission and he’s transitioned well according to Master Sgt. Ryan Randall, Master Instructor with the 91st Training Division, Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, Small Arms Readiness Group
“When I came into the unit, he’d been here before me and he’s kind of gotten me up to speed on what our role is with the SARG unit,” said Randall. “I use him frequently for questions asked of me and I depend on him when missions come out to get it done and he’s always ready and available.”
| Date Taken: | 07.18.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 07.20.2012 00:12 |
| Story ID: | 91868 |
| Location: | CA, US |
| Web Views: | 699 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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