Photo By Spc. Emilie Sheridan | 2nd. Lt. Christopher Daniel (left), a platoon leader with the 811th Engineer Company...... read more read more
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The normal wear-and-tear of the field is evident, said Staff Sgt. Vince Gillfillan, a platoon sergeant of 1st platoon, 811th.
The welfare of soldiers is his job.
“It’s kind of like a roller coaster,” he said. “At the beginning they’re motivated. Then you hit that tired, worn out feeling, but that’s where your leadership comes in. You have to keep your motivation and give the soldiers what they need. We’re really loving this training.”
The 811th is a Sapper unit, made up of mostly combat engineers. Sappers support the front line infantry and perform engineer duties such as breaching fortifications, demolitions, laying or clearing minefields and field defenses.
“It’s a great unit,” said Pvt. Albert Hernandez, a combat engineer with the 811th. “We actually do a lot of high-speed stuff. My team leader and squad leader are great, and they always keep me motivated. Even though we wake up early in the morning, I’m always motivated and always hooah. They give me the motivation I need to keep going every single day, whether it’s raining or it’s hot.”
This unit is used to the hardships of field training. They spend almost every drill camping in a foxhole, practicing survivability, executing operations orders and soldier tasks. During this annual training they are building these skills.
“The main result of this training is to understand the concept of being environmentally tactical at all times and knowing the role we play in the bigger picture,” said 1st Sgt. David Hall, the first sergeant of the 811th. “We are securing this area, and our lanes are basically clearing obstacles and emplacing obstacles for both moving forward and retreat units.”
The Ohio Army National Guard has tasked Observer Controller Trainers (OC/Ts) to evaluate units on their readiness and tactical abilities over the course of this annual training.
“We are actually conducting a mission against another unit that is being evaluated as well,” Gillfillan said. “When they are doing mobility and being evaluated, we are actually being evaluated on counter mobility. They are bringing their best, and we are bringing our best, and that is the ultimate training. It’s truly amazing.”
Strong leadership allows Soldiers to bring positivity and motivation to the mission everyday.
“I am really grateful for my leadership,” Hernandez said. “They are the ones who make this happen. They have allowed me to be able to do this training and helped me perform as a great Soldier. This has been an awesome first annual training.”
The 811th is focused on meeting the higher demands of the Ohio Army National Guard. They focus on being ready at a moment’s notice and being able to complete any mission.
“We train to fight tonight. We pack light, and we can pack up and go,” said Hall. “There’s no finer non-commissioned officers (NCOs) tactically or as efficient as ours are. This is what we do, and this is their element. We are here to support and train.”
| Date Taken: | 06.23.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 06.25.2018 15:44 |
| Story ID: | 282118 |
| Location: | GRAYLING, MICHIGAN, US |
| Web Views: | 69 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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