Photo By Tech. Sgt. Christopher Dyer | U.S. Army cadre and participants accomplish objectives during a field training...... read more read more
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Forty service members stationed at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, participated in a field training exercise at the Djiboutian Range Complex, Djibouti, Aug. 28-29, 2021, in preparation for the French Desert Commando Course (FDCC) scheduled for mid-September.
Lead cadre and a graduate of the FDCC, U.S. Army Sgt. Curtis Ruckey, infantryman, A Company, 1-102nd Infantry Regiment (Mountain), Task Force Iron Gray, Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa, was one of the FTX instructors.
“Before we send a random selection of individuals into the French Desert Commando Course to represent the United States to the French, we like to do our own training beforehand so we can make sure we are sending them our best," Ruckey said. “We are learning basic infantry skills. We are going over things like react to contact, squad attack, platoon attack, ambushes and things of that sort to prepare our platoon and also experience working together.”
While the U.S. Army security forces infantrymen from Task Force Iron Gray made up the majority of the joint exercise participants, there was still a diverse range of military occupational specialties and ranks from across three military branches. Together, all the participants traversed an 18-kilometer ruck march that tested their ability to move as a unit, communicate, respond to fire and handle weapons.
“So far I think we have a really good select group of people,” Ruckey said. “It is not just Task Force Iron Gray. We have Air Force and Navy, and I feel like a lot of them are doing pretty good.”
U.S. Army Spc. Kaeleb Freeman, infantryman, B Company, 1-102nd Infantry Regiment (Mountain), found the training to be extremely beneficial.
"I loved the training,” Freeman said. “The instructors did a good job going over all of the battle drills. It was good to learn new tactics and techniques that I wasn’t familiar with.”
U.S. Army Sgt. Kyle Monroe, infantryman, B Company, 1-157th Infantry Regiment, Task Force Iron Gray, said the FTX was a good introduction to infantry tactics.
“Not everyone is infantry and these training lanes are based on infantry tactics, and we got to really slow things down,” Monroe said. "These lanes really helped paint a picture for individuals who aren’t in the infantry, or even the Army on what they can expect in the French Desert Commando Course.”
Ruckey said the FTX participants have worked really well together and are beginning to understand what is required of them. He said he feels they are strong candidates for the course.
The FDCC consists of knot tying, mountain confidence, basic infantry skills and night operations. The French Army – who have an expeditionary base in Djibouti near Camp Lemonnier – invites a select number of U.S. service members to participate in the course where participants compete to earn the FDCC qualification badge upon successful completion of the course.
U.S. service members stationed at Camp Lemonnier participate in the FDCC approximately every quarter to strengthen the relationship between French and U.S. forces in East Africa.
| Date Taken: | 08.28.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 09.02.2021 09:25 |
| Story ID: | 404408 |
| Location: | DJ |
| Web Views: | 1,151 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, U.S. service members train for French Desert Commando Course, by TSgt Christopher Dyer, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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