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Archive for the ‘Training’ Category

Core Vision Training: Teaching You To Be Ready For The Unknown

Wednesday, August 24th, 2022

An area of increasing concern for all of us is the occupied home invasion, which can be defined as an incident where the family occupies the house, and they are confronted with an imminent lethal threat by one or more intruders.

Recently, the number of reported violent encounters inside the home has increased. These violent encounters aren’t even limited to your home anymore. You could be thrust into a violent encounter when shopping at a mall or even walking to your car afterward.

This growing concern has prompted a surge of new gun owners who intend to keep that newly purchased firearm for the primary purpose of home defense. Additionally, many states have adopted constitutional carry where gun owners now don’t need to attend any training to carry concealed.

There is a void in the training industry regarding preparing for violent encounters, at least in the context of home defense. Core Vision Training has stepped into that void in a big way.

Why Spend The Money and Time on Training

Self-defense, home defense, and other preparedness training are necessary to effectively defend yourself, your family, and your home when targeted by crime or violence. There will always be criminals who want to take what isn’t theirs and predators who want to hurt the innocent. When you train to become more proficient in these skills, you gain the tools to stand your ground and live to see another day.

As with any training courses you attend, you want to ensure it fits your context of use and goals. However, many “tactical” training courses claim to train students in the art of fighting with a pistol and rifle, room clearing within your home, and a host of other “tacticool” courses. 

Many courses people attend for the experience rather than for learning life-saving skills. Nevertheless, teaching these concepts takes days to execute correctly with the proper instructor cadre.

Core Vision Training employs instructors with proven operational experience, some of which are still operational, which gives you the most up-to-date relevant training available.

Why Choose Core Vision Training

Core Vision Training is the top self-defense training company and facility in the Pacific Northwest. Their instructors bring decades of relevant operational experience to provide their clients with the highest quality training possible.

In addition to their premier courses, they also offer a monthly membership program. By signing up for the recurring monthly membership, individuals who have taken any form of our Structure Assessment courses now have the opportunity for additional reps and recurring training to maintain and master the skills they acquired in our classes.

Recurring training covers medical, structure assessment, teamwork, land navigation, live fire, vehicle work, and several more.

Let’s take a quick look at a few of their premier courses.

Structure Assessment Active Defense Course

If you are unlucky enough to find yourself in a fight with an armed assailant, learning to load and clear a malfunction is far easier if you are familiar with that weapon or type of weapon ahead of time. This is something you won’t want to figure out on the fly.

Imagine fighting your attacker in a dark parking lot or inside your home, and gaining control of his loaded weapon, only to die because you didn’t know how to operate the safety.

When you become skilled with your primary defensive tool, learn to use other weapons. Clint Smith said it best “There’s nothing that says you are going to fight with just your gun.”

The Core Vision Training Structure Assessment courses prepare you for just that. The Active Defense course, which is a combination of the home defense course and trauma training, is tailored to the everyday citizen looking to sharpen their skills and better protect their family.

What’s Covered

• 1 & 2 person structure assessment
• CCW Pistol mechanics & manipulations
• Link up procedures
• Casualty assessment and treatment
• Call up procedures for 911
• Center fed, corner fed rooms & hallways
• Positive Threat Identification

Vehicle Escape Concepts

Let’s look at a different type of EDC; your Every Day Car. This is your daily driver, whether a Honda Civic or a Rolls Royce.

When you leave the safety of your home and get into your vehicle to take kids to school, pick up passengers, or go to the store, it becomes your mobile command center.

When you get behind the wheel of your vehicle, think of yourself as the Transporter. It’s not only an excellent movie but highlights some key points. Such as how he maintains driving the car and moves within and around the confines of his vehicle. Everything is done professionally and with a purpose.

The Core Vision Training Vehicle Escape Concepts course teaches you to be ready for a fight in and around your vehicle. Everything they teach you is done professionally and with a practical purpose.

What’s Covered

• Avoidance
• Preparation
• Movement within and out of a vehicle
• What is and is not cover on a vehicle
• Gear & Equipment Preparations
• Vehicle Considerations

Land Navigation

When many of us first enlisted, there was no handheld GPS to tell us where we were and how to reach our destination. Instead, we had to learn how to use a compass and protractor with our maps. Land Navigation courses were taught with the old school military issue Lensatic compasses and a map whether it was daytime or night-time.

The use of a compass is a perishable skill, much like shooting. It requires practice. Nowadays, we have wrist-mounted GPS units, handheld units, and smartphones that provide us with navigational aids. But what if the batteries run out or your GPS gets submerged and shorts out? Now what? How do you get back home? Do you have a backup method of navigation?

The Core Vision Training land navigation course teaches you how to read and orient a map and navigate using a compass so that you make it back home safely. The two available courses are Intro To Land Navigation and Basic Map Reading.

What’s Covered

• How to read and orient a map
• How to familiarize yourself with a map using a compass
• Individual Pace Count
• Dead Reckoning & Terrain Association
• How to identify significant terrain features
• How to identify minor terrain features
• How to read contour lines
• How to plot locations on a map

In the end, the time you invest in training for an event that may never occur is your responsibility. The flip side of that is if that event ever does happen, do you want to be the one who lets your spouse and children down?

We encourage you to reflect on the cost of your personal decisions and how you choose to spend your time and money. Remember, when seconds count, law enforcement is minutes away, and a lot can happen in that time. You can lose your whole world in those few minutes.

If you are ready to accept that risk, that’s on you. But, if you believe your life and the lives of your loved ones are worth every ounce of your effort, train like it. Train like they matter. Train with Core Vision Training.

For more information, you can find them on InstagramFacebook, and YouTube.

CCAF Electronic Transcripts Now Available, Faster Delivery Time

Monday, August 22nd, 2022

MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. —  

Community College of the Air Force students can now order their transcripts electronically and have them processed within a week instead of what usually took up to 45 days.

CCAF has partnered with Parchment, a digital credentialing service, to deliver transcripts electronically. 

To request their transcript, students register for an account with Parchment and add CCAF to their list of schools attended. They then order a copy of their transcript to send to the address of their choice: school, third party or home address. The transcript orders come into the CCAF Student Services section, where technicians will retrieve, verify and process the requests.

Parchment then processes the transcripts for delivery. Although CCAF does not charge a fee for providing student transcripts, Parchment does charge a small processing fee. The transcript request is usually processed within two to three days.

“We’re excited to offer this service to our students,” said Lt. Col. Kevin Pond, commandant, CCAF. “We’re always looking for new and innovative ways to streamline our processes while increasing customer satisfaction. I believe our new automated transcripts process does just that.”

To be the “College of Choice” for enlisted members, and to assist them in paving a way to success, CCAF continues to seek better ways through technology to improve its services. The electronic transcript request and delivery service through Parchment is but one example of current and upcoming improvements to the student experience at CCAF.

By Benny Seawright, CCAF Media and Outreach

First Tactical Medicine Fellowship Launched at TTUHSC El Paso

Sunday, August 21st, 2022

EL PASO, Texas — Texas Tech University Health Sciences El Paso is putting together a team of health care heroes who will run toward danger to save victims of violent crimes before the scene is clear.

The newly formed TTUHSC El Paso Tactical Medicine Program includes the first Tactical Medicine Fellowship in Texas, and the fourth nationally. The fellowship is a one-year program, and a new fellow will be chosen every July.

Tactical medicine is a specialty in which health care providers, in this case physicians, respond to critical incidents to provide first aid to victims, law enforcement or anyone else at an on-going crime scene. This new program can save lives because when rendering aid in a mass violence situation, minutes can make the difference between life and death.

Stephen Schwartfeger, M.D., is the first doctor who has been accepted into the fellowship. He is also a graduate of the TTUHSC El Paso Emergency Medicine residency program. For the next six months, he will train at the El Paso Community College Law Enforcement Academy and graduate with full police credentials.

“Being the first fellow means there will be trial and error components to work through, and having the opportunity to provide direct input into how the program will develop is an invaluable aspect to being the first fellow,” said Dr. Schwartfeger, who is also studying for his emergency medicine board certification. “The specific appeal to tactical medicine is being able to work with and alongside law enforcement. It’s a way of giving back to them and the community at the same time.”

Once Dr. Schwartfeger completes his police training, he will begin working with the rest of the Tactical Medicine team, which consists of four Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso doctors. The team is led by Robert Root, D.O., an emergency medicine specialist who spent four years as an emergency medicine doctor in the U.S. Army.

As the medical practice of the Foster School of Medicine, the physicians who comprise TTP El Paso each hold faculty appointments at the medical school, where they teach the next generation of doctors.

“We will be delivering health care to individuals who are caught in dangerous environments, such as gunshot or stabbing victims,” said Dr. Root, who was deployed in Afghanistan and stationed at William Beaumont Army Medical Center prior to joining TTUHSC El Paso. “We will bridge that gap between police and paramedics, who have to wait about three to four blocks away until the scene is cleared and declared safe by officers. In certain situations, a patient needs medical care while the scene is still active and there’s still a potential danger.”

Dr. Root said tactical medicine is a small but growing field in many metropolises across the country, including Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston, but this will be the first regionally. They are currently working with the El Paso Police Department’s SWAT team, but Dr. Root would eventually like to provide 24/7 coverage for all El Paso law enforcement. He envisions a relationship where the Tactical Medicine team would regularly train with law enforcement teams, provide on-scene support during dangerous situations, and help teach life-saving techniques to officers in the region.

“We’re trying to help in the best way we can. Unfortunately, there are people out there who try to hurt our communities through mass violence,” Dr. Root said. “These incidents aren’t new, but they are more salient. El Paso’s experience in 2019 shows us that it can happen here, and we need to be prepared. We’ve all heard the motto ‘El Paso Strong,’ and this program is a concrete action to make El Paso stronger.”

As the program grows, Dr. Root hopes there will be more physicians and fellows added to the team. Currently all the physicians on the Tactical Medicine team are emergency medicine doctors, but he said any specialty that has experience with trauma injuries are welcome. He would also like to include cross training with paramedics and fire departments. Dr.Schwartfeger added that he hopes to be a part of that expansion.

“El Paso has a large and diverse law enforcement community due to its position with the border. There are many opportunities for us to work with multiple agencies and help elevate the medical training and support we can offer the law enforcement community,” Dr.Schwartfeger said.

“Hopefully after completing the fellowship, I’ll continue working with the program and its development, while also working as an emergency medicine doctor, learning and growing as a physician, and providing emergency care to this wonderful community.”

TTUHSC El Paso is the only health sciences center on the U.S.-Mexico border and serves 108 counties in West Texas that have been historically underserved. It is the only health sciences center along the U.S.-Mexico border designated as a Title V Hispanic-Serving Institution, preparing the next generation of health care heroes, 48% of whom identify as Hispanic and are often first-generation college students.

TTP El Paso is the region’s largest multispecialty medical group practice, with over 250 specialists providing world-class patient care right here at home. Our physicians are dedicated to excellence and committed to caring for Borderplex patients at convenient locations across the city so families never need to leave the region to find the latest medical and treatment opportunities.

2nd MAW Marines Train Using Video Games

Friday, August 19th, 2022

CHERRY POINT, N.C. —

The tension in the room was palpable as the prototype of the Gaming Environment for Air Readiness system was booted. Program stakeholders loomed over the shoulders of anxious developers as the Marines of Marine Air Support Squadron 1 prepared their demonstration of the program. Unit leadership observed as the Marines worked through air-control scenarios while plotting points on their maps, giving commands to a simulated pilot programmed with artificial intelligence. The Marines who work in the Direct Air Support Center were training with only a desktop computer instead of using a large quantity of vehicles, gear, personnel, and time.

“The role of the DASC is to control airspace,” said 2nd Lt. Joseph B. Greer, an air-support control officer with MASS-1 who was testing the GEAR. “While aircraft are in that airspace, we’re the ones who are telling them where to go and how they will go, as in altitude or specified route. We can deconflict aircraft paths with other supporting arms, like artillery, just to make sure that everyone’s getting where they need to be safely.”

“I’ve been at MASS-1 for almost a year, and I think this could be really beneficial for newer Marines, myself included.’

LCpl Matthew R. Gignac, an MASS-1 air-support operations operator

Marines that work in the DASC have an important role in military exercises involving aircraft. Controlling the ebb and flow of airspaces requires ample and continuous training, which can often be challenging to implement and maintain.

“Just to train personnel takes a lot of equipment, a lot of time, and upwards of 60 Marines just to go out and do a live exercise,” said Kyle B. Tanyag, the lead software developer for the GEAR program. “I think [GEAR] would benefit the Marine Corps by allowing them to train without restricting them to just these live exercises.”

Electronically replicating a DASC is no easy feat, for many Marines are required to fill in the roles necessary to run the center. To supplement this, the GEAR features artificial intelligence characters to interact with the user.

“When I speak, there’s a speech-to-text feature that is sent to the AI,” said Greer. “From there, the AI picks out the critical pieces of information from what I spoke and discerns a proper response in order to simulate what a pilot would be saying to me.”

“We call it a rule-based AI system,” said Tanyag. “The student either text chats something or responds via voice. We take that and parse through what was said or typed. The AI takes that input, and given the context of those messages, is able to respond.”

Although still a prototype, the Marines of MASS-1 are optimistic about the potential impact the GEAR could have on training.

“I’ve been at MASS-1 for almost a year, and I think this could be really beneficial for newer Marines, myself included,” said Lance Cpl. Matthew R. Gignac, an air-support operations operator with MASS-1. “Doing it like this, in a way less stressful environment, makes it really good training. If it was more developed it could definitely help progress Marines.”

The Marines of MASS-1 will continue to test new versions to help determine if the GEAR can potentially augment or replace traditional on-the-job training in the future.

By LCpl Elias Pimentel, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing

Sig P320/M17/M18 Handbook from VSS

Tuesday, August 16th, 2022

Adding to their handbook series, VSS just released a new handbook on the Sig P320/M17/M18 pistol.

The Sig P320/M17/M18 is pocket reference intended for use by shooters of every level.  It gives a quick reference as well as a refresher prior to giving or receiving instruction and contains all the fundamental information needs to operate, maintain, and train with the Sig P320/M17/M18 pistol.  It is currently available as a 4”x6” paperback version with plans to release an eBook version in the future.

Authored by Erik Lawrence and Ash Hess.

Erik Lawrence served in the U.S. Army Special Forces and other projects worldwide. His broad range of operational and training experience has perfected his methodology used to help students rapidly advance their skills with a great degree of precision. It revolves around not only the mastery of the basics but a thorough understanding of how and why they work.

Ash Hess was the U.S. Army Senior Writer for Small Arms in the Weapons and Gunnery Branch at the Maneuver Center of Excellence Fort Benning, GA.

https://shop.vig-sec.com/product/sigp320-m17-m18-handbook/

US Paratroopers Kick-Off Exercise Super Garuda Shield with Trilateral Airborne Operations

Tuesday, August 9th, 2022

BATURAJA, Indonesia — Paratroopers from 11th Infantry Division (Airborne), Tentara Nasional Indonesia and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force conducted trilateral airborne operations with the 36th Airlift Squadron during exercise Super Garuda Airborne 2022 in Baturaja, Indonesia on Aug. 3, 2022.

The operation is the kick-off event for Super Garuda Shield 2022. Part of Operation Pathways, Garuda Shield is a longstanding annual, bilateral military exercise conducted between the U.S. military and Indonesia National Armed Forces. The exercise reinforces the U.S. commitments to allies and regional partners, ensures joint readiness and bolsters interoperability to fight and win together.

The 2022 Garuda Shield exercise is significantly larger in scope and scale than previous exercises. Service members from Indonesia and the United States will be joined this year by those from Australia, Japan and Singapore. In addition to the active participants, Canada, France, India, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste and the United Kingdom are expected to join Super Garuda Shield as observer nations.

“We were really focusing on partnership,” said Lt. Col. Ben Wisnioski, assistant Army attaché, U.S. Defense Attaché Office Jakarta, Indonesia. “We focused on training, working with each other, and building significant rapport.”

Hundreds of distinguished visitors including Gen. Charles Flynn, commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific, watched as over 200 paratroopers jumped into the fields and dense tropical forests of Baturaja.

“It was the softest landing I’ve ever had,” said Wisnioski with a smile, as he pointed at his uniform, doused in thick mud.

The paratroopers then completed an airborne seizure, navigating through narrow bridges, marshes, and dense foliage to reach their objectives.

Following the parachute portion of the operation, representatives from the three armies participated in a wing exchange ceremony. Gen. Andika Perkasa, commander, Tentara Nasional Indonesia, and Lt. Gen. Kuzuki Ushijima, command chief of staff, Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, pinned wings onto six U.S. Army paratroopers.

“We’re here for a free and open Indo-Pacific,” said Sgt. 1st Class Eric Green, 2nd Platoon, Apache Company, 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment, 11th Infantry Division (Airborne). “We’re just here to let our partners know we’re here to help. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

In addition to the ceremony Soldiers from the United States, Tentara Nasional Indonesia and Australian Army, showcased weapon systems to the senior leaders and distinguished visitors.

Sgt. Alexander Clarke, mortarman with 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Division, explained the functions and capabilities of the M224, 60mm Lightweight Company Mortar System.

“It’s just breaking down our capabilities and what makes them the best that we’ve got,” said Clarke. “I think we’re super grateful to be able to train alongside the [Tentara Nasional Indonesia] and get to know them better. It builds that cohesion.”

Super Garuda Shield provides opportunities for Department of Defense experimentation and joint collaboration. The exercise increases readiness of both for all participating nations. With focus on specific tasks, tactics and procedures to conduct combined arms maneuver, air assault, aviation and mission command.

By SGT Nicholle Salvatierra

Air Force Units Support Navy Valiant Shield Exercise

Monday, August 8th, 2022

U.S. Air Force Airmen from the 505th Command and Control Wing at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, and Beale AFB, California, supported the U.S. Navy’s ninth iteration of exercise Valiant Shield 22.

VS field training exercises are biennial, joint exercises focused on enhancing integration between the U.S. forces by conducting joint domain operations at sea, on land, in air, and in cyberspace.

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command headquarters staff forward deployed a joint-force headquarters to Andersen AFB, Guam, for the 12-day exercise.  VS 22 provided a venue to support the demonstration of USINDOPACOM’s forward presence in the Western Pacific, while supporting the test of current and new technologies and platforms, to advance critical areas such as multi-intelligence, artificial intelligence, and long-range fire experiments.

The exercise took place in the Joint Region Marianas area of operations including Palau, Naval Base Guam, Andersen AFB, and the off-shore Mariana Island Range Complex, with some training events also occurring in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The exercise balanced real-world assurance with competitive overmatch for the theater’s rapid procurement campaign strategy.

“This exercise was the perfect opportunity to conduct integrated deterrence, which was the cornerstone of our approach,” said U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Robb Chadwick, VS 22 Joint Exercise Control Group director.

For this year’s event, the USINDOPACOM commander sponsored the first ever live-fly kickoff of Joint All-Domain Command and Control, or JADC2, best of breed demonstration, where the service components were given the opportunity to execute their own vision using current technology to turn concepts into reality.  JADC2 is the Department of Defense’s vision for a future command and control construct that connects the battlespace cross every domain. 

605th Test and Evaluation Squadron, Detachment 3, Airmen at the Common Mission Control Center, Beale AFB, informed the USAF’s approach to realizing its contribution to JADC2, the Advanced Battle Management System, during VS 22.  The CMCC’s direct support to combatant commanders provides the most comprehensive situational understanding of operations while allowing them to synchronize multi-domain effects. 

“These demonstrations are critical to the transformation and dissemination of targeting and intelligence information to achieve the goal of sensor-to-shooter connections,” said USAF Lt. Col. Mikita Brown, 605th TES, Det 3 commander, Beale AFB, California.

During the exercise, the CMCC enhanced real-world situational awareness by feeding the joint force through detecting, locating, tracking, and directing engagement of units at sea, on the land, in the air and in cyberspace.

The CMCC provided capabilities for improving critical C2 and battlespace awareness functions which include: over the horizon target custody across distributed C2 nodes, decreasing the time required for Electronic Order of Battle updates, and rapid dissemination of enemy locations from emerging and traditional intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, or ISR, capabilities such as the MQ-9 Reaper and the Raytheon Multi-Program Testbed, or RMT-727. 

“The CMCC’s Open Mission Architecture was critical to allow the correlation of multi-intelligence data to the U.S. Army Multi-Domain Task Force and U.S. Marines Corps Expeditionary Fire Battalions,” said Brown. “The CMCC successfully conducted operational test of the operational prototype to identify areas of acceleration while measuring the accuracy provided by its machine-to-machine technology during complex ISR collection and targeting problem sets centered on USINDOPACOM’s larger JADO [joint all-domain operations] initiative.”

Brown continued, “Valiant Shield 22 made vital steps forward for both JADC2 stakeholders, allowing them to see advanced demonstrations in an operationally realistic environment.  Incorporating CMCC technology into a modernized C4I [command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence] architecture expanded operational options to disseminate timely access of exquisite ISR feeds into multi-domain CTPs [Common Tactical Pictures] and CIPs [Common Intelligence Pictures] for machine-to-machine solutions.”

Additionally, the 505th CCW participated in VS 22 from Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, where the 705th Combat Training Squadron, also known as the Distributed Mission Operations Center, quickly and effectively responded to a USINDOPACOM commander requirement to support Valiant Shield 22 with joint live, virtual, and constructive capabilities. 

In a first-ever proof of concept which was directly applauded by the U.S. Navy INDOPACOM commander, the DMOC integrated joint LVC capabilities into the exercise by hosting an E-8 JSTARS crew from the 12th Airborne Command and Control Squadron and an MQ-9 crew from the 89th Attack Squadron, connecting them to the exercise through the USN’s Continuous Training Environment.  These crews were able to successfully track and engage enemy shipping, greatly contributing to the overall goals of the exercise. 

“The 705th CTS’s accomplishments during Valiant Shield were providing realistic ISR and tactical kinetic actions utilizing MQ-9 and JSTARS [Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System aircraft] in the maritime environment,” according to USAF Lt. Col. Michael Butler, 705th CTS commander, Kirtland AFB, New Mexico. “We incorporated Chat, Link-16 tracks and electro-optical video which greatly enhanced C2 processes in JWAS [Joint War at Sea] operations against threats including high-end Level 1 and 2 surface combatants.”

Butler continued, “In recognition of the DMOC’s seamless short-notice integration both operationally and technically into a combatant commander exercise architecture, Admiral Aquilino [U.S. Navy INDOPACOM commander] added “Joint” to Joint War at Sea.”

The planning for the Valiant Shield 2024 execution has already begun; incorporating lessons learned from VS 22 will enhance USINDOPACOM joint forces’ ability to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific.

By Deb Henley

505th Command and Control Wing

Public Affairs

Soldiers Share Their Experiences About WAREX 782202

Saturday, August 6th, 2022

Blue skies dotted with fluffy clouds. Fields of green surrounded by groves of trees. Gentle breezes and the swaying of branches from time to time. A typical tranquil setting, suddenly interrupted by the cracks of unexpected gunfire in the distance.

Soldiers spring to action to defend the perimeters of their bases. They mount machine guns, aim their M4 carbines equipped with blank firing adapters toward the sound of danger, and shoot, move, and communicate intently during Warrior Exercise (WAREX) 782202 on Fort McCoy, Wisconsin.

WAREX serves as an annual training opportunity for many U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers. The training exercise works on practicing Army Warrior Tasks and drills, reinforcing skills that keep a Soldier ready to fight.

“Our Soldiers have learned a lot in regards to base defense,” said Spc. Melina Lambert, a transportation management coordinator with the 940th Movement Control Team. “We’ve been really focusing on improving our strategies for base defense. A lot of them are newer, so they don’t really know much about [annual training] in general, so they’re getting a sneak peek of what the Army and the Reserve is really like.”

“And now with WAREX, we’ve been able to do a lot more AWTs [Army Warrior Tasks] which has helped … with our normal Soldier tasks that we should be working on, every time we come out,” she continued. “And I feel as though it’s been a lot nicer than being in the office.”

But being in the field presents its own challenges. Beads of sweat form on foreheads, and wearing a full long-sleeved uniform with load-bearing vests and protective helmets along with a combat load introduces fatigue just from carrying a Soldier’s weapon and gear.

“The training has been a little difficult at first… especially with the heat and climate conditions,” said Army Sgt. Juan Stamps, Jr., a transportation movement coordinator with the 940th Movement Control Team. “We’ve had a lot of heat casualties, unfortunately. But we learned to adapt and keep our Soldiers hydrated and out of the sun so that we can continue our training.”

The exercise also presents opportunities to identify and strengthen weaknesses with individuals, and thus, units, as a whole.

“I feel with our Soldiers, our communication could be better, and that has been a work in progress,” Lambert reflected. “Otherwise, we’ve been doing a really good job learning a lot of information.”

“It’s all about getting new perspectives on the same thing we all do, which is train and be better. Without failure, success would never come. But I feel that this AT has definitely helped with creating a team now. And we feel a lot closer.”

“We’ve learned a lot not just as a unit but as individual Soldiers as well,” Stamps said. “We’ll come back, we’ll all talk about the things that we learned. The funny things, the bad things. We learn about each other and we help each other out when we don’t know as much as we should.”

“It’s been a fun bonding experience for the unit.”

Overall, Soldiers are coming out of WAREX with newfound experiences, thoughts, and wisdom. Through trial and error, thick and thin, even just a few weeks of working in austere environments and training as one would fight enhances the capabilities of the Soldiers of the U.S. Army. And Soldiers welcome the challenge.

“Embrace the suck,” Lambert said. “[Annual training] can be difficult and have difficult moments. But within those difficult moments you can find peace and making sure to focus on that peace is very important.”

Story by SFC Raymond Boyington, 361st Theater Public Affairs Support Element