Jefferson City unit completes a variety of training during monthly drill

By: Silas Allen
Missouri National Guard Public Affairs





NEOSHO, Mo. - During a marathon drill weekend at Neosho's Camp Crowder, the headquarters company of the 835th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion completed a wide array of training exercises.

Among other activities, the Jefferson City-based unit completed land navigation training, qualified with their M-16 rifles, trained on a Humvee rollover simulator, and completed hand grenade training during their training weekend on April 9-10.

Capt. Douglas Frank, the company commander, said the unit's ambitious schedule was by design. Camp Crowder offers a particularly varied set of training opportunities, Frank said, so the unit made sure to take full advantage of their time at the training site.

"When we get the opportunity to come to a place like this," Frank said, "we try to fit as much life into it as possible."

Frank said he was pleased that the company was able to participate in such a wide variety of training in the course of one weekend. In many cases, Frank said, the company is only able to complete one or two different kinds of training, so it is especially important to take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves.

The Humvee Egress Assistance Trainer, a machine that simulates a Humvee rollover, consists of a Humvee chassis mounted on an axle. During the training, Soldiers sat inside while Warrant Officer Michael Jordan rotated the chassis first 25 degrees to the left, then 25 degrees to the right. A fully armored Humvee begins to roll at about 25 degrees, Jordan said. Jordan then rotated the Humvee 90 degrees, and then 180 degrees, so that the Soldiers inside were upside down. The Soldiers then exited the inverted Humvee.

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Stephanie Leonard said she had used a similar trainer once before, at Fort Leonard Wood. She appreciated the opportunity to go through the training, she said.

"It's really important for Soldiers to learn what a rollover feels like," she said. "But even more important is getting out."

Following the simulator, Soldiers moved to a hand grenade range for the next round of training. Using mock grenades, Soldiers moved through six stations, each one presenting a different scenario. At each station, a group of silhouettes served as targets. Signs at each station dictated how participants would throw the grenade: while standing, while lying on the ground, while running toward the target or from a kneeling position.

Staff Sgt. Jason Duffy served as the instructor at the range. Because hand grenades explode roughly four to six seconds after the pin is pulled, Duffy said some Soldiers wait a few seconds before throwing the grenade.

"I wouldn't gamble, myself, but I guess every situation is different," he said.

Pfc. Dan Brocksmith, of Jefferson City, particularly enjoyed the hand grenade training. Brocksmith, a recent graduate from basic combat training, said the training gave him hands-on experience handling military hardware.

"It's challenging," Brocksmith said. "It gives you some real-life situations."

The following day, the company completed its annual qualification on M-16 rifles. Before moving to the qualification range, Soldiers fired at paper targets on the zeroing range, and used the results to adjust the sights on their rifles. The Soldiers then moved to the qualification range, where they shot at pop-up targets.

In the months leading up to the qualification, the unit used a number of training systems to prepare to qualify. One such trainer, called the BeamHit Target System, uses a laser-based system to test Soldiers' marksmanship. Another, called the Engagement Skills Trainer 2000, places Soldiers in a realistic, video-based firing range scenario, allowing them to work on fundamental techniques such as breathing, trigger squeeze and sight picture.

Following the qualification, the members of the unit completed land navigation training. Using maps, protractors and compasses, groups of Soldiers navigated their ways through several different sets of waypoints. The waypoints were color coded to help Soldiers distinguish one set of points from another.

Sgt. 1st Class Brian Hoff, the instructor for the land navigation portion of the weekend, said the course was especially useful for Soldiers who had land navigation experience in the past, but might need to review their skills.

"It's a pretty short course," he said, "but it will test your skills and refresh you."


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

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For more information about this release, please contact Silas Allen at (573) 638-0236 or e-mail him at silas.w.allen@us.army.mil.



Posted: 4/13/2010 6:11:38 AM