Photo By Sgt. Elizabeth Raney | Sgt. Claudio Sebastiao, a U.S. Army Reserve supply sergeant with the 103rd...... read more read more
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FORT POLK, La. - At the Intermediate Staging Base in Alexandria, La., Soldiers with 103rd Quartermaster Company prepare for their upcoming deployment by supporting 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, La. during rotation 16-04.
In addition to the Soldiers putting their combat and job training to use, they also learn what a deployed environment could be and how to work well with their peers and leadership. For some Soldiers, these lessons are learned in a Tactical Operations Center, or TOC, where personnel and supplies on the battlefield are tracked.
Staff Sgt. Sandra Ortiz, the TOC non-commissioned officer in charge during the exercise, said that even though the entire unit could not join in the exercise, the participating Soldiers will take the lessons back to her remaining Soldiers in the unit so everyone is prepared for deployment.
“If we go to war, we are going to be able to go and fulfill our mission when we deploy,” said Ortiz, the training non-commissioned officer for the 103rd Quartermaster Company out of Houston.
Ortiz went on to say that the unit intensified their training, sometimes from daybreak to sunset, as soon as they learned of their upcoming deployment.
Spc. Shinetra Castillo, a petroleum supply specialist with the same unit is functioning as the part of a human resource specialist in the TOC during the exercise, said the unit prepared them well for the training.
“The mission was known to us several months ago, and each month that we reported to drill, we had a particular mission that would help us become more efficient out here,” she said.
Castillo said this is her first deployment-style training exercise, but feels that it is helping her understand what her deployment will be like.
“We came here ready,” Castillo said. “The moment we got here, we were ready to go with our mission. Things change, but we came ready, we got those changes and then made the effort to make those improvements.
“Being on a mission, nothing runs as smoothly as you’d like it to, but what I like about my unit and chain of command is that when there is something difficult, we find ways to work around it or to improve it,” Castillo continued. “Being able to be in this environment and learning this skill, I’ve been trained and taught how to, whatever the mission is, be able to not just understand it but be able to make it move with whatever the obstacles are.”
For deployed Soldiers, communication is a round-the-clock responsibility.
“It’s all about communication,” Ortiz said, stressing the importance of units communicating with the TOC. “We all have to be on the same page.”
Castillo echoes Ortiz’s sentiment on the benefit of teamwork.
“We have two different platoons that are out here for different missions,” she said. “I’ve noticed that the teamwork from both of those platoons makes everything so much smoother.”
“I came here so mentally prepared to experience something chaotic,” Castillo said. “But I’ve learned that with the communication, as well as the camaraderie, and the support we’ve had for each of the platoons, it’s been much better than I expected.
With the real-world field training provided by the ISB and JRTC, pre-deployment Soldiers learn to hone their skills in order to improve their readiness and become combat-tried leaders.
“I find myself being a better and more ready Soldier,” she continued. As reservist, we report to drill and we do train in our MOS, but when you’re in your full battle rattle and you’re ready to go as if you’re on deployment, it’s amazing to understand the mindset of how ready you actually have to be.”
“With my unit and leadership, I feel confident in being able to deploy,” Castillo concluded. “Seeing how their minds work, how they plan things, and how they communicate with each other, and more than anything, how they respect us as Soldiers.”
| Date Taken: | 02.17.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 02.17.2016 22:31 |
| Story ID: | 189100 |
| Location: | PORT POLK, LA, US |
| Web Views: | 132 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Trained, ready and confident: Soldiers take advantage of ISB experience, by SGT Jeff Shackelford, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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