Guardsmen conduct battlefield movement, room clearing training

By Matthew J. Wilson
Ngmo.pao@US.ARMY.MIL

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. - About 45 Missouri National Guardsmen from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 35th Engineer Brigade spent part of their most recent drill weekend on battlefield movements and room clearing.

The Fort Leonard Wood unit utilized one of post's many military operations on urban terrain sites to practice crossing open areas, stacking up outside entrances to buildings, checking doors and windows for booby traps, navigating past obstacles and developing proper techniques for sweeping safely through rooms.

Spc. Katie Gonzalez, who lives at Fort Leonard Wood, called the training a good refresher.

"It was a good review for me," she said. "I got to see some of the things we need to work on."

Gonzalez said using noise discipline to keep the element of surprise and better overall communication were areas her group needed to work on.

"It was nice to get out of the armory, get into the field and get some real training," Gonzalez said. "That way you are prepared when you get deployed. The instruction was good and the instructors didn't get too detailed into it, so it was easy to understand. It was fun."

Pfc. Dru Luckey, of Columbia, said he loved the instruction.

"It was good to actually get out and get some great training in," he said. "I like this kind of stuff - it's the main reason I joined anyway."

Luckey said these types of training activities are his favorite because it generates interaction with other Guardsmen and develops teamwork and accountability.

"You are making sure people are covering your back and you are covering theirs," Luckey said.

Although he's received this type of instruction before in basic training, Luckey said he picked up a few more tactics from fellow Guardsmen who have real-world experience clearing rooms in Iraq or Afghanistan.

"We've got people who actually do this - have been deployed to do this," Luckey said. "They showed us some stuff that was pertinent that helped them come back safely. So it's nice to know that information."

It also was a good experience for Luckey because he got to be a team leader during the exercise.

"That was great," he said. "It's a good way to get me prepared to become a noncommissioned officer. My superiors know I want to be a sergeant, so they treat me that way."

Luckey's platoon sergeant, Staff Sgt. C.J. Smith, was the senior instructor for the training. Smith, who lives in St. Charles, said all Guardsmen, no matter what their job, need to know how to conduct urban operations.

"Basically this is the transition of where our military is going now when we go into these urban areas," Smith said. "Soldiers get a chance here in the training area to see what kind of obstacles can be in their way. They learn the movements they need to make to execute room clearing."

Because Guardsmen can never be sure what they'll encounter during an urban operation, Smith said the main thing he wanted them to take away from the training was how to think on their feet.

"This gives them a first-hand look at what could possibly be out there," he said. "Basically they get a chance to get back in a military mindset."

Staff Sgt. Chris Distler, who lives in Springfield, also helped with the instruction. He wanted to emphasize to the Guardsmen that there were many ways to successfully clear rooms.

"There is not really any one way to do it," Distler said. "You have general tactics that you follow and then they, as team leaders, can develop different variations of that and basically make it their own plan."

Distler said it's also very important for people on teams to develop cohesion and train with each other to be effective.

"I think you've really got to learn to rely on each other, just like you would in sports," Distler said. "If somebody doesn't do something right, that can cause somebody to get hurt or killed."

Smith was pleased with the overall motivation from the Guardsmen considering the cold temperatures they were training in.

"Spirits seemed to be pretty good," Smith said. "It went real well. Everyone took care of each other."

For more information about the Missouri National Guard, please call 1-800-GoGuard or visit www.moguard.com.