Photo By Staff Sgt. Joe Roudabush | U.S. Army Soldiers rig an overturned vehicle during the Wheeled Vehicle Recovery...... read more read more
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FORT BRAGG, N.C. — Soldiers from across the U.S. Army are learning crucial vehicle recovery skills at a schoolhouse run by the North Carolina National Guard's 139th Regional Training Institute. The 16-day Wheeled Vehicle Recovery course, known as the H8 course, trains mechanics from all three Army components—National Guard, active-duty Army, and Reserve—to recover damaged or disabled vehicles.
The course is part of the One Army School System, which standardizes training across all three Army components’ training locations, and is taught at the Regional Training Site-Maintenance facility at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Managed by the 139th Regiment Regional Training Institute, the RTS-M is one of 13 sites nationwide operated by the National Guard.
"We're proud here at the schoolhouse to be able to teach all three components," said U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class David Robertson, a senior NCNG instructor and H8 course manager. "We teach National Guard, Reserves, and active-duty from all over the country."
A key part of the training is the "mire pit" event, where students recover a truck stuck in a deep mud hole. The pit provides a challenge that maintainers may face in the real world.
"Everybody likes to play in the mud, at least mechanics do," Robertson said. "You get a chance to get out here and have a good time while still learning and doing things safely."
Students must first assess the situation, calculating the vehicle's weight and the resistance of the mud and water, which can be chin-deep for some Soldiers. They then determine the necessary rigging, including winch cables and chains, to safely extract the vehicle.
"The students have to watch what's going on around them," Robertson said. "Verify that the chains and everything they're using is strong enough, and pay attention to where they're walking."
The course also includes training on recovering overturned vehicles and practicing driver maneuvers while towing a disabled vehicle. Soldiers learn to operate the Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck and the Medium Tactical Vehicle, known as a HEMTT wrecker and MTV wrecker.
"It's not just a chance for us to just throw a bunch of gear out there and say this is how you can set it up," said U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Steve England, one of the NCNG H8 senior instructors. “It also teaches them to think outside the box.”
Soldiers who complete the H8 course are qualified to operate and maintain recovery vehicles, a skill crucial for maintaining military readiness.
The training emphasizes safety, as recovery operations can be dangerous. The instructors highlighted the importance of proper rigging and constant vigilance to prevent equipment failure.
"As it's being winched under load, there's a lot of potential for breakage in the chains and pins," Robertson said.
One mission of the 139th RTI is to ensure that soldiers from all components of the Army receive standardized, high-quality training, a mission Robertson describes as "just another day in the North Carolina National Guard."
| Date Taken: | 08.08.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.05.2025 12:39 |
| Story ID: | 547324 |
| Location: | FORT LIBERTY, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 90 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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