Photo By Senior Airman Xaviera Stevens | Two security forces members, students at the Patrol Course, coming up to the pavilion...... read more read more
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MILAN, Tenn. (AP) — Airman 1st Class Wesley Pitts, a participant in the annual patrol course, displayed remarkable endurance following an arduous 11-mile ruck march. Pitts, pushing through exhaustion, sprinted the final leg of his journey to seek refuge in the shade. The patrol course, a two-week training program held at Milan's Volunteer Training Site, required its members to complete a field tactical exercise on August 25, marking the culmination of the course. Their last ruck march began promptly at 6 a.m., with the first participants crossing the finish line nearly nine hours later.
Facing scorching temperatures of 98 degrees, even seasoned instructors sought shelter under a pavilion to escape the oppressive heat, patiently waiting for the 14 service members to complete the most grueling portion of their training challenges.
Brig. Gen. Warner A. Ross II, adjutant general of Tennessee, and Col. Jason W. Glass, assistant adjutant general for the Tennessee Air National Guard, undertook the journey to the training grounds to recognize the achievements of the Tennessee patrol course.
This marked the fourth iteration of the program developed by Master Sgt. John Hogue, Unit Training Manager of the 164th Security Forces Squadron. The last ruck of the course, designed by 164th security forces training personnel, aimed to enhance skills in land navigation and other defense tactics, offering an authentically rigorous training environment, said Hogue.
“While we can’t fully replicate the fog of war, we can put them through stressful environments like the Tennessee heat,” said Hogue.
He explained that the heat forced participants to maintain focus throughout multiple physically demanding trials and acted as pressures that made their physical comfort secondary to completing the mission.
This year, the course attracted students from across the United States, including active-duty members and guardsmen from Maine, Minnesota, New York, and Wisconsin. Hogue emphasized the course's significance in imparting tactical skills that service members might not acquire until deployment.
During the final ruck march, participants carried backpacks weighing between 35 to 40 pounds, covering six designated points spread over distances of 9 to 12 miles. At each checkpoint, participants discovered an ammunition case containing a card with a single letter, ultimately spelling out the word "patrol" when they finally assembled them in front of the guard leadership.
“All the way through the security forces tech school in Texas, I knew I could make it,” said Pitts. “But this course really challenged me. Actually, right before I found this check point, I sat back against a tree trunk, not sure if I could make it to the end.”
Despite being covered in dirt, Pitts told a lighthearted anecdote about a rock they had painted as a class and named Leeroy Jenkins, inspired by a video game character they could find humor in and bond over. During the graduation ceremony, the rock joined a stack from previous classes, cementing its place as a cherished course tradition and a symbol of the demanding training they endured.
After witnessing the students' struggle and unwavering commitment, Glass and Ross returned to Nashville. The 12 students, fatigued but resolute, who had not yet reached the final checkpoint on their own, ventured back into the woods, with only a short distance remaining to cover.
| Date Taken: | 08.25.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 09.16.2023 11:13 |
| Story ID: | 452899 |
| Location: | MILAN, TENNESSEE, US |
| Web Views: | 44 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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