Photo By Sgt. Geoffrey Ingersoll | Sgt. Santiago Cervantes, instructor, Advanced Infantry Training Center, Multi-National...... read more read more
Subscribe
By Cpl. GP Ingersoll
Multi-National Forces - West
SHADOW RANGE, Iraq – Cpl. Jayme D. Lunt can shoot a 40 mm M203 grenade round through a window 200 yards away.
He isn't an infantryman, but his particular Military Occupational Specialty doesn't matter. He's a non-commissioned officer in the United States Marine Corps.
"Every corporal is a leader, every corporal should know not only how to do common combat skills, but he should know how to teach his team or his squad how to do those skills," said Chief Warrant Officer 5 Stuart J. White, gunner, Advanced Infantry Training Center, Multi-National Forces - West.
Combat-capable NCOs are what Shadow Range's new Tactical Small Unit Leaders Course delivers. The course, slated to begin, Oct. 20, 2008, is 14 days of intense, basic infantry training.
"I took the [Training and Education Command]'s TSULC, which [School of Infantry] runs right now, took that as a baseline, added a couple things, took away a couple things, to tailor it to what we need out here," said White, from Joshua Tree, Calif.
White said that although the subjects taught in Corporals Course are necessary, they do not sufficiently equip a young NCO to lead Marines in a forward-deployed environment.
"Corporals Course does not prepare our corporals to be that provisional team leader, like running a vehicle outside the wire, the skill sets needed to do that are provisional in nature," said White.
Just as each Marine lieutenant learns provisional infantry platoon leading skills at The Basic School, AITC's class teaches every NCO, corporal or sergeant, the basics behind leading teams and squads of Marines in combat.
The opening classes are "Combat Mindset," which details the different conditions a leader should know and expect in combat, and "Team Squad Training," which teaches NCOs the proper methods of instructing their Marines. Then students learn every weapon organic to the infantry, including how it should be deployed. They complete a live-fire shoot, move and communicate course; a team assault on a fixed objective. They live-fire qualify on every weapon and pass practical application tests on many integral pieces of military equipment, from Blue Force Trackers to PRC-119 radios.
They'll log 15 hours of early-morning combat-fitness circuit training, and march five miles carrying a 60 pound rucksack. If someone breaks a leg during the march, no problem, they'll each have eight hours worth of combat lifesaver's instruction from a field corpsman.
Students must also demonstrate the ability to teach every subject they learn to someone else, so graduates can go back and train their own unit's Marines.
"We have to arm these NCOs. Our units aren't doing traditional missions anymore, there are NCOs outside the wire and inside the wire doing security who would never normally be tasked with that. We've got to set them up for success," White said.
One graduate of the pilot course held in Habbaniyah described Corporals Course as everything "administratively that an NCO needs to be a motivating Marine in the rear," said Lunt, 23, Charleston, S.C.
"Every Marine is a rifleman, and the way the Corps is, they'll deploy you wherever they need you," said Lunt. "You wear that rank as a corporal, you need to know how to be a squad leader, how to deploy weapons."
Lunt is deployed out of his primary military occupational specialty to be a team leader with Guardian Company, I Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, I MEF (Forward). Guardian Company is responsible for Camp Fallujah's base security, as well as security for any unit in I MHG that cannot provide their own security element.
"Units deploy to Iraq with guys who expect to sit behind a desk, then they [individually augment] to another unit to go to security forces on other [forward operating bases]," said Staff Sgt. Todd A. Rosalez, chief instructor for TSULC, AITC, MNF-W. "With the nature of security and support operations, everybody is involved; everybody is a part of the combat operations. There are Motor [Transport] guys going out on the road every day, fighting and dying beside the grunts."
Rosalez, 31, from Temecula, Calif., said the class increases non-infantry Marines' understanding of infantry-tactics and techniques. And it's only 14 training days.
"If a unit has six months to deploy, their not losing their NCOs for a lot of time, what they're getting for those 14 days is a combat multiplier," Rosalez said. "They're getting an NCO who can operate all those combat arms effectively and teach others how to."
If White had his way, the course would extend it's time to include the administrative aspects of NCO leadership, to become the ultimate Marine Corps NCO course.
"Is there any way that we can capture those required skills out of Corporals Course and add them as an extra to TSULC?" said White. "Lets get the corporal out here for those 14 days, he goes through the TSULC, gets the fighting and winning mindset, and then we give him the required classes, so he can get his certificate at the same time."
Lunt agreed.
"We've got to get back to the basics of every Marine being able to do whatever's called of him, from filling out a proper counseling, to putting a 203 round through a window at 200 meters," Lunt said.
Having graduated Corporals Course, Lunt can do sword manual and inspect uniforms. He can even march a platoon.
Having graduated TSULC, Lunt knows how to lead a squad attack, day or night. Lunt can call for fire if his team is pinned down. Lunt can "put a 203 round through a window at 200 meters."
Lunt may be an electronic maintenance technician, but he's also a Marine NCO.
| Date Taken: | 10.14.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 10.14.2008 16:51 |
| Story ID: | 24980 |
| Location: | IQ |
| Web Views: | 295 |
| Downloads: | 170 |
This work, New course to create combat-capable NCOs, by Sgt Geoffrey Ingersoll, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
