Photo By Terrance Bell | A team of students work to move cables connecting the Hercules M88A2 recovery vehicle...... read more read more
FORT GREGG-ADAMS, Va. – Receiving instruction in climate-controlled classrooms is one thing, but when the learning environment is outdoors, mother nature is in control and students are subject to elements ranging from searing heat to freezing rain.
In the vehicle recovery world, that might elicit shoulder shrugs. The weather – pleasant or extreme – comes with the territory, say Soldiers charged with removing disabled vehicles from the battlefield or other locations. For the most part, weather cannot be an impediment to mission accomplishment.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s rain, snow, heat, sleet – we’re out there,” said Chester Barrett, Recovery Training Division Chief, Ordnance School. “And we tackle not just the weather, but insects and wildlife when we’re out on this range.”
Barrett failed to mention the leeches infesting the muddy pits at “this range” – Training Area 26, near the Petersburg correctional complex. There, ordnance Soldiers undergo training for additional skill identifiers H8 and H9, Wheeled and Tracked Vehicle Recovery Operations, respectively. There, they accept the challenges of an ever-changing environment.
“Every recovery mission is unpredictable, and every recovery is different, no matter the weather or situation,” Sgt. 1st Class Alexander R. Lantz, an H9 instructor. “That’s why it’s such a different dynamic when it comes to this course because we’ve got to fight the elements and the vehicles – when they break down – every day. That’s what gives these Soldiers a different perspective on the worst-case scenario.”
Soldiers trained in the three-week recovery operations course are deployed when vehicles and equipment are stuck in mud or snow or disabled due to difficult terrain, rollovers, turnovers, accidents, or incidents.
The hardiness and adaptability of those in the profession were on vivid display during June 21, when wet weather caused a mud-caked, marshy mush in the training areas – a stark reminder of how difficult real-world conditions can be, said Spc. Dylan Holcomb, an H9 student who graduated recently.
“It sucks, but it is what it is,” said Holcomb, a tracked vehicle repairer assigned to the 4th Engineer Battalion at Fort Carson, Colo. “You’ve just got to stay motivated and keep on pushing.”
Recovery course students – a mix of advanced individual trainees, permanent party personnel including noncommissioned officers and warrant officers and foreign military personnel – are not just soaking up the real weather conditions. They also get plenty of hands-on training time operating the massive M88A2 Hercules recovery vehicle; wading and navigating through muddy water; operating winches; and lifting, sorting and securing heavy chains, hooks and cables.
The training is demanding, said Lantz, because it can be dangerous.
“The students learn the principles behind the operation of the M88 (A1 and A2) … so that when they do have to execute, they do it by the book with safety being the priority, so that they don’t get themselves or anyone else hurt or cause further damage to equipment or the environment,” he said.
Holcomb, a native of Michigan, said one of the main reasons he wanted the training was to learn by-the-book practices so he could keep Soldiers safe.
“I’ve been waiting four years for this slot,” he said. “I finally got it at my second unit. I just wanted to take the opportunity to finally do it and get my certification.”
The training, along with the certification, makes the H8 and H9 training worthwhile to wheeled and tracked vehicle repairers, said Lantz.
“It attracts those who want to be the most developed in their craft,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s an additional skill that will allow Soldiers to stand above their peers. It also really helps them experience things those without it won’t experience and provides them with a different perspective when they have to manage a motor pool.”
At Fort Gregg-Adams, roughly 450 students undergo training yearly for the H8 and H9 additional skill identifiers, said Barrett.
The H8 and H9 training is also available to reserve component Soldiers at various other locations.
The Recovery Training Division – staffed with one civilian and 19 military instructors –is an element of the Ordnance School’s Track, Metalworking and Recovery Training Department, which oversees the training.
| Date Taken: | 07.07.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 07.07.2023 15:19 |
| Story ID: | 448733 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 184 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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