Photo By Master Sgt. Raymond Boyington | Spc. Alexander Elliot surveys his surroundings while conducting a land navigation...... read more read more
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ROCHESTER, N.H. – Over the course of a few days, the 362nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment (MPAD) conducted a field training exercise (FTX) here in Strafford County Aug. 17-20, 2020.
The FTX was a part of the unit’s annual training (AT) as well as Exercise News Day ’20. The 362nd MPAD trains regularly to maintain mission-essential public affairs skill sets and proficiency with Army warrior tasks.
“We train our Soldiers to uphold a high level of readiness in both public affairs and soldiering skills,” said Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy Fowler, first sergeant of the 362nd MPAD. “Due to the COVID-19 pandemic this year, we have had to make adjustments to much of our AT plan: personnel able to be present due to travel restrictions and local guidelines… even training locations. It’s been dynamic, but we still managed to make it work, kept the training effective, and kept it fun and safe for our folks.”
Those restrictions and safety precautions may have kept the personnel available down, but Fowler cites that as an unforeseen benefit.
“The reduced number of personnel gave us the ability to be more agile with our training,” he said. “That flexibility allowed us to train on much more, in greater depth, and faster than if the entire element was in the field.”
Originally, the unit annual training was scheduled to be away from the home station and center mostly around public affairs training – the unit’s wartime function. Due to the pandemic, the unit was tasked to conduct training at home. The plan soon evolved from being centered around news gathering operations to having a significant tactical field training component, the FTX.
The unit started with an eight-mile ruck march on Aug. 17 on an old railroad bed in the White Mountain National Forest, finishing in three hours. They then literally cooled their heels in a mountain river before reporting to the field site the following day.
“It was tiring, but a great way to soft-start field training” said Army Cpt. La’Nita Eaton, the outgoing commander of the 362nd MPAD. “It helped mimic real operations in the field where you get there and are already exhausted before it even begins.”
Soldiers in the unit put their knowledge with land navigation, individual and squad movements, and other skills to the test during three days in an austere environment, pushing forward but keeping positive and making the most of it.
The unit was able to temporarily procure single person tents so that they could remain socially distant and prevent spread of any possible illness in the field environment.
“It was great to get that equipment,” said Fowler, “I really don’t think we could have proceeded with this training without those single person tents … It allowed us to keep the training tactical in nature, reduce overhead and our footprint, and keep the Soldiers away from each other.”
Prioritizing safety did not hamper performance, however.
“The training was a great refresher on perishable skills,” said Army Sgt. David Marquis, a public affairs non-commissioned officer from the 356th Broadcast Operations Detachment, attached to the 362nd MPAD for annual training due to travel restrictions. “Everyone performed remarkably well. I used to be part of this unit, but I’m glad to be a part of this [annual training] and witness how the guys have not strayed from setting the bar high as they’ve always done.”
“It was actually a lot of fun,” said Spc. Christie Ann Belfort, a public affairs specialist in the unit. “It was like camping coupled with extreme outdoors activities. I was physically and mentally exhausted, but we pushed our limits and will be so much better for it.”
This was Belfort’s first AT, but she wasn’t the only one. Another Soldier found the exercise beneficial for future opportunities.
“This was a great experience,” echoed Spc. Alex Elliot, another public affairs specialist in the unit. “The things we learned here will make [Basic Leaders Course] so much easier. And I’m sure this will help me with the next Best Warrior Competition and just my military career as a whole.”
“It’s all about professional development,” Fowler said. “We are always learning, always adapting. It’s about staying hungry to be better than everyone else. Competition is healthy, and it fosters a unit’s spirit to be the best at what they do, trust and rely on each other, and ultimately, surpass expectations and accomplish any mission. That’s our tradition here, and we’ll continue that excellence.”
| Date Taken: | 08.20.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 09.07.2020 15:36 |
| Story ID: | 376621 |
| Location: | ROCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE, US |
| Web Views: | 28 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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