Texas Guardsmen go through French Desert Commando Course

Photo By Capt. Aaron Moshier | Texas National Guard soldiers complete the French Desert Combat Course in Djibouti, January 2018. The course exposed troops to the fundamentals of desert combat, desert survival, weapons training, troop movements, and obstacle courses based on mountain and water environments. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Jason Robertson)  

DJIBOUTI, DJIBOUTI

01.15.2018

Courtesy Story

Texas Military Department

DJIBOUTI - Task Force Bayonet, assigned to Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa, at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Africa, sent two groups of Texas Army National Guard Soldiers to the French Desert Commando Course beginning in November 2017 at the camp.

The course exposed troops to the fundamentals of desert combat, desert survival, weapons training, troop movements, and obstacle courses based on mountain and water environments. Other parts of the course taught students survival cooking, trap setting, to locate water sources and other skills that could save lives in a desert environment.

The desert-combat training helped Soldiers become better suited for operations with other countries’ military forces in many different environments. The training showed American and French troops how to overcome language and cultural barriers to improve tactics and joint-operation outcomes.

The first group to attempt the course consisted of 30 combat arms Soldiers, of which 30 graduated, earning the French Desert Combat Badge. The second, a more diverse group, went through the course in January 2018 and included 17 combat support personnel, a Chaplain, a Staff Judge Advocate and 4 combat arms Soldiers, making a total of 21 Soldiers to graduate.

“I believe it is good for all non-combat personnel, specifically JAGs, to participate in combat arms training,” said Texas Army National Guard Capt. Dustin L. Banks, a staff judge advocate for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 144th Infantry Regiment. “I benefitted tremendously in seeing how legal frameworks such as the rules of engagement are applied in an operational environment.”

The French Desert Combat Course is oriented toward combat arms Soldiers, so seeing the combat support soldiers to go through the course and graduate, gave combat arms Soldiers new confidence in the support personnel. Now, combat arms Soldiers can focus on and complete the mission given to them without worrying about support personnel being able to keep up.

“As a Chaplain, my ability to provide religious support to Soldiers, particularly warfighters, is contingent upon my relationship with them,” said Capt. Jason M. Huntington the chaplain assigned to unit. “Completing a course that is known to be difficult, not only motivates others to do the same, but gives me credibility with the Soldiers I support. After all, if the Chaplain can do it, anyone can, right?”

Story written by U.S. Army National Guard Sgt. Jason Robertson, 3rd Battalion, 144th Regiment Unit Public Affairs Representative

• Date Taken: 01.15.2018
• Date Posted: 03.09.2018 13:27
• Story ID: 268817
• Location: DJIBOUTI, DJ