Warrior Transition Course
SPC Beverly Sage jumped ship to answer the Army’s call. Today she wears combat boots instead of Navy blues, and can fire an M-16 like her life depends on it. “The Army is on the frontlines of the war. If joining means I have to serve in Iraq, I’m ready,” said the ex-sailor. Sage’s confidence is a product of the Army’s new Warrior Transition Course at Fort Knox, Ky. The course is designed to make Soldiers of former Airmen, Sailors and Marines. It’s also an incentive for second-time volunteers wanting to rejoin the Army’s ranks without repeating nine weeks of basic training. “We train these Soldiers with the expectation that every single one of them will see combat. The accepted generalization is that about 50 percent of them will be in combat within six months. Over a three-year period, they all will be,” said MAJ Ralph Hudnall, executive officer for 1st Battalion, 46th Infantry Regiment, which trains Warrior Transition Course students.
The Army Way
Trainees spend the first week at Warrior Transition Course learning the Army’s rank structure and military courtesies, and brush up on such core tasks as teamwork development, first aid, drill and ceremony, and land navigation. The goal is to introduce those coming from other services to the Army’s way of working, and to refresh the skills of former Soldiers. Week two is spent at the firing range, where trainees engage targets with a variety of weapons in day- and night-firing exercises. By midcourse, trainees feel the strain of having to pass a physical-fitness test with just three weeks to prepare. “The hardest thing is the physical part,” said SGT Jeffrey Coleman. “I exercised at home, but it was nothing like this. This reminds me that I’m not 18 anymore.” Coleman, 36, served five years in the field artillery before entering the civilian workforce. “I got out because my wife wasn’t comfortable with the deployments, but I always felt I was out of my element after that,” said the Desert Storm veteran. “This is where I’m meant to be — in the Army.”
Reality
Tactical training is the longest and final part of Warrior Transition Course. This segment is a reality-check for trainees who expect they’ll never cross enemy lines. “We’re training students on the specific tasks they’ll need to survive in Iraq,” Hudnall said. Skills taught to make Soldiers combat-ready include convoy and checkpoint operations, urban warfare, live-fire operations and recognition of improvised explosive devices. Training sites mirror the operating bases Soldiers currently see in Afghanistan and Iraq, complete with convoy routes, checkpoints, media representatives and milling locals. Wrecked vehicles, telephone polls and guardrails also cover the convoy route, and scenarios are peppered with enemy ambushes and IEDs. The final exercise takes squads through a four-hour convoy mission. They receive indirect fire during movement through an urban area, fight back, get hit by an IED, and clear and secure a building — all while treating and evacuating casualties. “The capstone exercise is a very detailed event that pushes them to their limit — it’s a taste of reality, especially for Soldiers who will go to support units, which are just as likely to be in a firefight as any other unit,” Hudnall said. “There is no rear area on today’s battlefield, no safe zone.” Students serve in leadership positions twice during the course. As in professional-development classes, trainees are expected to put their experience and maturity to work. “Some of these students were NCOs when they left their prior services, or they were NCOs before taking a break from the Army,” Hudnall said. “We take advantage of that, and let drill sergeants be teachers, coaches and mentors instead of stern, authoritarian figures.”
Blue to Green
The Warrior Transition Course was initiated so the Army could profit from the experience and training of individuals leaving the other services due to force reductions. Personnel officials estimate cutbacks will push 16,000 airmen and 8,000 sailors off the rolls in fiscal year 2005. “We’re getting top-quality folks who are committed to continuing their service in the military,” Hudnall said. “A lot of folks are choosing the Army out of patriotic duty, feeling that if they’re on the ground they’ll have greater impacts on the war.” SPC Keonta Lewis craved change after five years in Navy logistics, but still felt driven to serve his country. “The rank structure and way of doing things is very different from what I was used to in the Navy,” Lewis said. “I know in my heart that I made the right decision to join the Army. And also, this is the best way for me to financially support my family.” Sage said her interest in the Army was piqued by the programs and training it offers. Promises of quicker promotions sealed the deal. “It took me six years to become a petty officer third class in the Navy. I followed my dad and my brother into the Navy, but if I’d joined the Army to start with, I’d probably be an officer by now,” she said. When asked if she’s still a Sailor at heart, Sage said “I’m a Soldier now.” The Warrior Transition Course will relocate to Fort Bliss, Texas, in May 2005.
The Army Way
Trainees spend the first week at Warrior Transition Course learning the Army’s rank structure and military courtesies, and brush up on such core tasks as teamwork development, first aid, drill and ceremony, and land navigation. The goal is to introduce those coming from other services to the Army’s way of working, and to refresh the skills of former Soldiers. Week two is spent at the firing range, where trainees engage targets with a variety of weapons in day- and night-firing exercises. By midcourse, trainees feel the strain of having to pass a physical-fitness test with just three weeks to prepare. “The hardest thing is the physical part,” said SGT Jeffrey Coleman. “I exercised at home, but it was nothing like this. This reminds me that I’m not 18 anymore.” Coleman, 36, served five years in the field artillery before entering the civilian workforce. “I got out because my wife wasn’t comfortable with the deployments, but I always felt I was out of my element after that,” said the Desert Storm veteran. “This is where I’m meant to be — in the Army.”
Reality
Tactical training is the longest and final part of Warrior Transition Course. This segment is a reality-check for trainees who expect they’ll never cross enemy lines. “We’re training students on the specific tasks they’ll need to survive in Iraq,” Hudnall said. Skills taught to make Soldiers combat-ready include convoy and checkpoint operations, urban warfare, live-fire operations and recognition of improvised explosive devices. Training sites mirror the operating bases Soldiers currently see in Afghanistan and Iraq, complete with convoy routes, checkpoints, media representatives and milling locals. Wrecked vehicles, telephone polls and guardrails also cover the convoy route, and scenarios are peppered with enemy ambushes and IEDs. The final exercise takes squads through a four-hour convoy mission. They receive indirect fire during movement through an urban area, fight back, get hit by an IED, and clear and secure a building — all while treating and evacuating casualties. “The capstone exercise is a very detailed event that pushes them to their limit — it’s a taste of reality, especially for Soldiers who will go to support units, which are just as likely to be in a firefight as any other unit,” Hudnall said. “There is no rear area on today’s battlefield, no safe zone.” Students serve in leadership positions twice during the course. As in professional-development classes, trainees are expected to put their experience and maturity to work. “Some of these students were NCOs when they left their prior services, or they were NCOs before taking a break from the Army,” Hudnall said. “We take advantage of that, and let drill sergeants be teachers, coaches and mentors instead of stern, authoritarian figures.”
Blue to Green
The Warrior Transition Course was initiated so the Army could profit from the experience and training of individuals leaving the other services due to force reductions. Personnel officials estimate cutbacks will push 16,000 airmen and 8,000 sailors off the rolls in fiscal year 2005. “We’re getting top-quality folks who are committed to continuing their service in the military,” Hudnall said. “A lot of folks are choosing the Army out of patriotic duty, feeling that if they’re on the ground they’ll have greater impacts on the war.” SPC Keonta Lewis craved change after five years in Navy logistics, but still felt driven to serve his country. “The rank structure and way of doing things is very different from what I was used to in the Navy,” Lewis said. “I know in my heart that I made the right decision to join the Army. And also, this is the best way for me to financially support my family.” Sage said her interest in the Army was piqued by the programs and training it offers. Promises of quicker promotions sealed the deal. “It took me six years to become a petty officer third class in the Navy. I followed my dad and my brother into the Navy, but if I’d joined the Army to start with, I’d probably be an officer by now,” she said. When asked if she’s still a Sailor at heart, Sage said “I’m a Soldier now.” The Warrior Transition Course will relocate to Fort Bliss, Texas, in May 2005.
posted by Petty Officer Cruel Kev. at Monday, March 14, 2005
<< Home