Photo By Staff Sgt. Dustin Biven | Spc. William Ritter, a military policeman with 287th Military Police Company, 97th...... read more read more
Subscribe
HOHENFELS TRAINING AREA, Germany – Military police from Fort Riley, Kansas are improving their skills under the watchful eye of experienced Soldiers during the Allied Spirit VIII training exercise at Hohenfels Training Area, Germany Jan. 25, 2018.
The keen eyes of mentors, called observer controllers, evaluated MP Soldiers on their ability to perform key tasks that are designed to test each participant’s ability to perform under pressure.
OCs are trained U.S. Soldiers tasked with evaluating and assisting units participating in training exercises like Allied Spirit VIII.
“The most rewarding part about being an OC to me, is seeing the professional growth in young Soldiers,” said Staff Sgt. William G. Threadgill, an OC at Hohenfels Training Area, Germany. “I've been through 12 rotations (mentoring various units) so far, (and) I've seen junior-enlisted Soldiers become non-commissioned officers and really grow as Soldiers because of these kinds of training.”
Soldiers who have participated in other exercises in their military career are able to use the knowledge gained from their past experiences and put them to use in the hills of Hohenfels Training Area.
“When people think of military police, they usually associate it with guarding gates and issuing tickets,” said Spc. William Ritter, a military policeman with 287th MP Co. “What they might be surprised to know is that in a combat environment we have a hand in the handling of prisoners of war and also use unmanned aircraft to locate possible threats nearby."
Allied Spirit VIII is the third large-scale training exercise for Ritter. He’s previously participated in Danger Focus, a training exercise held at Fort Riley, Kansas, and another drill at the U.S. Army’s National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California.
“During Danger Focus, I learned how to be a gunner,” said Ritter. “During NTC, I learned how to be a driver for my squad. Now that I am a specialist during Allied Spirit VIII and have a Soldier of my own, I am able to share with him the knowledge I have gained from previous exercises.”
Training events like Allied Spirit VIII are designed to provide Soldiers with a realistic combat environment experience, offering an opportunity to put into practice lessons learned and receive feedback on how improve their skills.
“Seeing Soldiers learn from past exercises and then use that knowledge in future exercises shows that what we do out here works,” said Threadgill. “It's these training events that happen here that build our Soldiers into the lethal fighting force that we need.”
| Date Taken: | 01.26.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 01.26.2018 16:45 |
| Story ID: | 263482 |
| Location: | HOHENFELS, DE |
| Hometown: | FORT RILEY, KS, US |
| Hometown: | MANHATTAN, KS, US |
| Hometown: | WITCHITA, KS, US |
| Web Views: | 781 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, U.S. Army Europe: Soldiers gain valued experience during rotational exercises, by SSG Dustin Biven, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT