Photo By Staff Sgt. Adam Keith | Sgt. Jamaal Wesley, a cargo specialist with the 330th Transportation Battalion, guides...... read more read more
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FORT BRAGG, N.C. - Staff Sgt. Josh E. Clark, an Army truck driver for the past 10 years, said there are many hazards to be on the lookout for when operating heavy equipment, but the danger he worries about most is complacency.
“Even if you have 20 years of experience on a piece of equipment, the one time you think you don’t need to follow safety procedures because you think you know what you are doing is when an incident is going to occur,” said Clark. “Accidents can happen to anyone.”
Clark, now the operations noncommissioned officer in charge with the 330th Transportation Battalion, said combating complacency and reinforcing safety procedures were the main objectives during accident awareness training held by the battalion April 10 on Fort Bragg, N.C.
“We are trying to get the soldiers in the mindset of how important safety is when conducting operations,” he said. “We want to make sure our soldiers are trained to do things the correct way, the safe way.”
The soldiers began the day in pre-dawn darkness with night vision device training that was combined with the unit’s usual physical readiness training.
A Humvee push, movement drills, sprints, all while contending with darkness and for some, the unfamiliarity of night vision equipment.
“I think it was really important training, especially for some of our new soldiers who might not have used the night vision equipment since basic training,” said Spc. Viktoria Ratliff, a supply specialist with the battalion. “It’s important we train regularly so we are familiar with the equipment when we are depending on it.”
The event continued into the afternoon with training that included ground guide procedures, sleep area training, tactical standard operating procedures, assembly areas, area plans, the military decision making process, troop leading procedures, pre-combat checks and rehearsals.
Ratliff said she hoped to take as much as possible from the training to pass down to her soldiers once she becomes a noncommissioned officer.
“I want them to know what the right looks like, no shortcuts,” she said. “It’s as basic as operating your personal vehicle, you have to pay attention to your surroundings, to the signs, if you start skipping those little steps something could happen.”
Clark noted the training not only prepared soldiers to make safe decisions while on duty, but also how to use those skills off-duty.
“This training really goes into being aware of what’s going on around you, you never know what type of driver is in the vehicle next to you,” said Clark. “They could be texting or driving impaired and you have to be ready for that.”
For Ratliff, the training boiled down to taking care of those closest to you.
“When you’re off-duty and you go out with your family you always have their safety in mind, on-duty you have to have the safety of your battle buddies in mind,” she said. “In the Army you have to treat each other as a family.”
| Date Taken: | 04.10.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 04.16.2015 14:44 |
| Story ID: | 160205 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 37 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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