Photo By Kimberly Hackbarth | A Soldier with 4th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 69th ADA Brigade,...... read more read more
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FORT HOOD, Texas – Motorcycle riders with 4th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 69th ADA Brigade, participated in a post-deployment motorcycle refresher course Sept. 1, here.
According to Army Regulation 385-10, the Army Safety Program, motorcycle refresher training is required for Soldiers who are deployed for more than 180 days. Soldiers of the battalion returned from a yearlong deployment to Southwest Asia in August, therefore, any motorcycle riders were required to attend the course.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jason Bauerkemper, an automotive maintenance technician with Company E, 4th Bn., 5th ADA Regt., led the course for the battalion and said that holding the course was not only to appease Army policy, but to ensure the safety of the Soldiers.
“This is kind of just brushing off the cob webs and getting them back into the swing of things, so when they are out there riding their motorcycles over block leave, we minimize the risk levels out there of them getting into accidents,” said Bauerkemper, an El Paso, Texas, native.
Even experienced motorcyclists such as Sgt. David Jacobson, a utilities equipment repairer from Houston, Texas, attended the course.
“I’ve been riding since before I could drive a car, so it’s kind of like getting on a [bicycle], but some of these guys got a [motorcycle] one year before we left, so … they probably need to polish up on their riding skills,” Jacobson said.
The course included information found in the basic rider’s course, including turning and stopping procedures, safety and required personal protective equipment, said Bauerkemper.
Though the information the Soldiers received was familiar, Jacobson said he still found it beneficial.
“Personally, I think it’s helpful,” he said. “It helped me polish up on the things that are basic skills and much needed skills.”
The benefits of the course impact the Soldiers of the unit, but also the local community, said Bauerkemper, who explained that the safer the Soldiers are, the safer the community becomes.
“Since we’re a post in a military town, everything that the Army does here is magnified tenfold,” he explained.
After watching cautionary videos and applying hands-on motorcycle retraining, the Soldiers were ready to get back on the roads, with safety in the front of their minds.
| Date Taken: | 09.01.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 09.08.2015 16:36 |
| Story ID: | 175449 |
| Location: | FORT HOOD, TX, US |
| Hometown: | EL PASO, TX, US |
| Hometown: | HOUSTON, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 180 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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