Photo By Sgt. Thomas Belton | Drill sergeants from the 1st Battalion, 304th Infantry Regiment load crew-served and...... read more read more
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The drill sergeants trained Navy individual augmentees in basic combat skills and serve as an essential part of Task Force Marshall’s mission. Their objectives are to train Ready and Available Joint Service Warriors to augment deploying unit’s missions.
“We are here under Task Force Marshall from the 108th Training Command, and part of their mission is to train Reserve component engineering duty officers who deploy with the army combat engineers,” said Ensign David Segala, an engineering duty officer from SURGEMAIN North London. “This training today is for the junior officers to get some additional pointers from the drill instructor unit. The NCO s here are excellent, and very knowledgeable about weapon systems we don’t use that often in the Navy Reserve. I want to bring more officers from my unit to training like this.”
The joint training environment provided the drill sergeants with a unique opportunity and gave the Navy officers valuable hands-on skills training with unfamiliar weapon platforms. Joint training is always beneficial for both services working together, and both teams value time working with crew-served weapons.
“The Navy officers sought us out looking for weapons training, because they don’t get this sort of training that often in the Navy,” said Army Maj. Stacey Carroll, Battalion Commander of the 1st Battalion, 304th Infantry Regiment. “We’ve worked with the Navy Survive, Evade, Resist, Escape (S.E.R.E) school to provide water survival skills training for our drill sergeants, so we do a lot of beneficial interagency exercises.”
The drill sergeants emphasized core task training and serve as a force multiplier for units they attach to by being subject matter experts on Army Warrior Tasks and Drills. They take their unique skillset on the road, and train servicemembers from allied partner nations to enhance global readiness for the War on Terror.
“Recently I was in Saudi Arabia, teaching people how to fire their version of the M240B, the RPK,” said Army Staff Sgt. Lee Gaudette, a senior drill instructor. “Regardless of job in the military, every soldier should be able to get behind any weapon in the arsenal and execute. You never know when you’re going to be that soldier that needs to operate that weapon to potentially save your life or your fellow soldiers.”
Drill sergeants play an essential role in maintaining unit readiness and developing the force behind the fight. These elite trainers exemplify the Warrior Ethos, and serve as the living embodiment of the Army as a profession.
| Date Taken: | 06.03.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 06.04.2017 16:40 |
| Story ID: | 236305 |
| Location: | FORT DEVENS, MASSACHUSETTS, US |
| Web Views: | 148 |
| Downloads: | 4 |
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