Photo By Staff Sgt. Jake SeaWolf | U.S. Army National Guard Soldiers from the 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne)...... read more read more
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Story by Sgt. James J. Bunn, 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne)
Photos By Sgt. Jake Cox, Sgt. Connor Mendez, and Spc. Skyler Bradsby with 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne)
Camp Williams, Utah- The need for National Guardsman to be ready doesn’t end even in the midst of a global pandemic. Ensuring their readiness, Soldiers of the 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne) (19th SFG(A)) conducted annual training July 18 through July 31. The unit is the first in Utah to conduct in-person annual training since the outbreak of the new coronavirus.
“From the Soldier’s stand point they were ready to train,” said Capt. Kenny McWilliams, the company commander for the 19th SFG (A) Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC). “They didn’t want to sit idly by anymore. I think virtual training had run its course. Getting back out and doing the Army training, the stuff that they raised their right hand to do, is really what they wanted.”
Although Soldiers wanted to get out and train, extra risk of infection due to the virus outbreak created challenges for the unit when planning the training. Staff Sgt. Bryan Taylor, the readiness noncommissioned officer for HHC,19th SFG (A), said the biggest planning challenge was the constant change, from travel bans and confirmed cases of COVID to new masks and social distancing procedures.
The requirement to stay ready and the additional risks of COVID played a big role for the unit during the training. Those risks required leaders and Soldiers to adopt new mitigations techniques to keep everyone safe during the training.
“COVID has definitely thrown a new norm our way and it’s one that we needed to look at to ensure it wasn’t going to affect our readiness,” said McWilliams. “The risk mitigation has been everything from our masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, cleaning surfaces, social distancing, even in the field, that overall protection against the COVID outbreak is something we are taking in to consideration.”
The addition of a mask and social distancing guidelines are not a usual requirement for Soldiers, but, during the annual training Soldiers had to adapt to the new requirements.
“Wearing a mask makes it a little harder for us to do certain training, but, we make do because that’s what we do, that’s our job,” said Pfc. Janet Emfield, a supply Specialist with HHC,19th SFG (A). “We learn how to work with the things we have to work with.”
During the training the unit conducted a variety of Soldier tasks. 1st Sgt. Joshua Lowery, the first sergeant for HHC, 19th SFG (A) said the training went well and the Soldiers were successful and well adapted.
Although the unit had to take steps to protect against the virus, the main reason for the training was readiness. Even during a global pandemic, the unit may be mobilized to respond a national crisis.
“We gotta be ready all the time,” said Lowery. “Our unit, and our citizens, and our Governor, and our President, they rely on us to be ready when they call and we will be.”
| Date Taken: | 08.01.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 08.06.2020 13:12 |
| Story ID: | 375090 |
| Location: | CAMP WILLIAMS, UTAH, US |
| Web Views: | 463 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, 19th Special Forces Group Conducts Annual Training amid COVID, by SSG James Bunn, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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