Photo By Staff Sgt. Jon Soles | Spc. John Glisson of the 650th Transportation Company of Wilmington, N.C., emerges...... read more read more
FORT BRAGG, N.C. - The 650th Transportation Company’s motto is “locked and tight,” and that is what the Wilmington-based unit is aiming for when it comes to preparation for an upcoming deployment to Kuwait.
Soldiers of the transportation company rehearsed their battle readiness with some of the basics – rifle marksmanship and land navigation, as well as some of the more exotic training such as surviving a Humvee rollover, during a four-day battle assembly on Fort Bragg, N.C., Feb. 28 to March 3, 2013.
The transportation company, assigned to the 362nd Quartermaster Battalion, is training to prepare for a deployment to Kuwait, where the unit’s cargo specialists, truck drivers and heavy equipment operators will be tasked to handle customs and border security in Kuwait.
Soldiers of the 650th Transportation Company qualified with the M16 rifle and the M-249 Squad Automatic Weapon in cold, sometimes windy weather. The M-249 is heavier and requires a soldier to learn control and accuracy.
“Giving the soldiers experience with a weapon of this firepower is important,” said. Sgt. 1st Class Chris Redden a native of Wilmington, N.C., and a senior non-commissioned officer in charge of cargo operations, assigned to the 650th Transportation Company. “By engaging multiple targets, it not only ensures they know how to use it; but they know how to fix jams and malfunctions as well, especially when they won’t have a moment to lose.”
Soldiers also marched across the hilly, piney woods of Fort Bragg to practice land navigation – a skill that comes up over and over in Army training. However, this land navigation exercise came with a surprise.
“When we were on the land navigation course, no one told us we would encounter enemy contact out there,” said Spc. Matthew Staton, a cargo specialist from Elizabeth City, N.C., assigned to the 650th Transportation Company.
Another part of the 650th Transportation soldiers’ training was the Humvee Egress Assistant Training (HEAT), which was developed as a result of rollover accidents involving the top-heavy Humvee.
Learning how to survive a rollover or escape an overturned vehicle in water is essential battle knowledge, said Staff Sgt. Glenn Lemay, a truck driver from Wilmington, N.C., assigned to the 650th Transportation Company. Lemay was in charge of running the HEAT trainer, which uses a real Humvee body that can be rotated 360 degrees to simulate a rollover accident.
“It has been documented that soldiers who go through these classes have a 250 percent higher chance of surviving a rollover,” Lemay said.
The HEAT simulator is also used to simulate a rollover into water, such as a canal in Iraq. Though no water is involved, the teamwork and calmness required to survive a water rollover.
“We are teaching them the steps to survive, such as removing their vests first and then keeping three of the four doors locked and all the soldiers escaping from the same door,” Lemay said.
“Under good conditions, soldiers only have two minutes to egress from a submerged Humvee before it fills up with water.”
Soldiers said experiencing a simulated rollover was difficult, upside down and cramped in the small interior of the vehicle.
“I found it disorienting until you get your bearings,” said Spc. John Glisson, a cargo specialist from Wilmington assigned to the 650th Transportation Company “And I’m 6 foot 7 inches tall so it was especially uncomfortable for me.”
Confidence and trust in battle buddies was another essential part to surviving a rollover.
“It teaches you how to mobilize yourself in a confined area,” said Spc. Donna Sessums, a truck driver from Fayetteville, N.C. “It helps, it really helps.”
Spc. Zack King, a truck driver from Hampstead, N.C., said trust was built in the HEAT trainer. “Being the gunner was tough because I found out there was nothing to hold on to and you had to trust your battle buddies,” said King. “This prepares one if something bad happens downrange, to know what to do to save my own life and the lives of my fellow soldiers.”
It is often said practice makes perfect. The kind of practice the 650th Transportation Company got during the FTX will help ensure the soldiers are trained, capable and highly motivated for their August deployment to Kuwait.
| Date Taken: | 03.01.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 03.11.2013 14:09 |
| Story ID: | 103266 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 234 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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