Photo By Master Sgt. Deborah Williams | Staff Sgt. James Ott, 3rd Bn., 321st Inf. Regt., 104th Training Div. (LT), teaches a...... read more read more
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FORT JACKSON, S.C. - Observe a training mission run by the 104th Training Division’s 3rd Bn., 321st Inf. Regt. and you’ll see a couple of familiar faces at the forefront of just about every class.
Those "go-to" guys are none other than Staff Sgt. Jim Ott, and Army Reserve drill sergeant, Staff Sgt. William Adsitt: two seasoned veterans in the unit, well versed in just about every Army Warrior Task imaginable, from basic rifle marksmanship to chemical and biological weapons defense.
“Today we are supporting the 12th Legal Operations Detachment, but next month you will find us teaching at the Chaplain School,” said Ott, who has been training chaplain candidates in the Basic Officer Leaders Course at Fort Jackson, South Carolina since 2008.
“There will be 40-60 chaplain candidates in the class starting 25 May until 6 June. The training was even filmed one year by a popular news station.”
And right on script, Ott, with Adsitt by his side, sat perched high atop Victory Tower teaching chaplain candidates the art of repelling.
Without missing a beat, candidate after candidate repelled with Adsitt and Ott helping them every step of the way.
Adsitt, who became a drill sergeant while on active duty in 2009 compared training candidates in chaplain basic to new Soldiers transitioning from civilian life to basic combat training.
“When you push privates in BCT, you see light bulbs come on, but the average age of a BCT class is 21-24. The average age of this class is 33. So I am speaking to adults that have real life experiences,” Adsitt said.
“I am not explaining, ‘hey this could happen.’ Some of them have been through some real life hardships. They may not be in as good of shape as the BCT Soldiers but they will put out just as much heart as their BCT counterparts.”
And heart was just what this particular group of candidates gave in return for Ott’s and Adsitt’s efforts.
Take chaplain candidate, Capt. Anthony Bernas, 206th Regional Support Group out of Springfield, Illinois.
“This is very good, I love it, but I had some mixed emotions at first. Once I repelled down I saw there was nothing to worry about and I wanted to do it again,” Bernas said. “It is kind of like shock-n-awe.”
And then there was Capt. Sladjan Vlajic, a chaplain with the Serbian Army.
“This is totally new. Only special forces get to do this in my country, but if they can do it, so can I,” he said. “Chaplains in the Serbian Army have only been established since 2014, and I am the Chief Chaplain. I am the first Serbian to train with the United States so the U.S. and Serbia can connect.”
“We train Chaplains from all over the world, but this is the first Serbian we have trained. He is a really nice guy and wants to learn,” Ott added.
But the training was not done, and neither were Ott and Adsitt.
A few days later, the two were seen challenging the candidates once again at the obstacle course, but with a twist.
“We pair the candidates up with an assistant and run them through, it’s going to be a good time,” Adsitt said. “This is my third time running the lane for the candidates’ course, but I’ve been through this particular lane a lot as a drill sergeant on Fort Jackson.”
The advanced initial training chaplain’s assistant leads the candidates through the obstacles, communicating as they move. Since the candidate is considered a non-combatant, the only weapon they have to defend themselves is their assistant; it’s the assistant that carries the weapon.
“It’s pretty entertaining to watch; you take a lot away from this. You get just as much out of this 2-week training as pushing a whole cycle of Soldiers in Basic Combat Training because they want to learn. They will come to me and ask for extra stuff, ‘where can I find this on line’, or ‘is there more that I can look into,” Adsitt said.
So what does the future hold for this dream team of instructors from the timberwolf division?
For Adsitt, it means earning his wings. But not jump wings. Adsitt is training to be a commercial pilot.
“I am trying to finish my civilian helicopter instructor certificate so I can teach people how to fly. I am a commercial pilot now but not with a company because I am in school,” he said. “It is unbelievably hard to get into a school, if you go full time you can’t work, but if you don’t go full time, you can’t build your hours. Working as a part time guard for the EPA in Athens Georgia, I am able to spend time working with helicopters out of Atlanta to get my instrument instructor and instructor rating.”
And as for Ott, he currently works as a branch manager for Jones Glass, Inc., a commercial glass company out of Macon, Georgia.
“I have a degree in computer drafting but I plan on completing a baccalaureate in Engineering Management by next year, hopefully.”
So the next time you head out to the field with the Army or Army Reserve, look around at the faces of those instructing you. Those faces might just be those of Ott and Adsitt.
And pay attention, because with these two moving up the corporate ladder in the civilian sector, it’s only a matter of time before they move up in the Army Reserve as well.
| Date Taken: | 06.09.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 06.09.2015 12:13 |
| Story ID: | 165972 |
| Location: | FORT JACKSON, SC, US |
| Hometown: | ATHENS, GA, US |
| Hometown: | MACON, GA, US |
| Web Views: | 114 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Familiar faces carry the load for Timberwolf Division, by MSG Deborah Williams, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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