Photo By Spc. Michael McDevitt | Soldiers of the 671st Engineer Company based out of Portland, Ore., conduct "man...... read more read more
FORT McCOY, Wis. — Expertise and experience assist units as the 78th Training Division organizes Observer-Controller/Trainers (OC/T) to oversee units conducting missions during Combined Support Training Exercise (CSTX) 78-12-02 here.
OC/T members are a training team that are comprised of soldiers who have recently been deployed overseas and have attended the OC/T academy. OC/T soldiers act as mentors, coaches, and evaluators for units conducting training missions which are observed and evaluated by the OC/T team to determine their mission readiness.
As soldiers of the 671st Engineer Company based out of Portland, Ore., constructed an Improvised Ribbon Bridge (IRB) during their CSTX at Fort McCoy, they were under the careful eye of an OC/T team. The team observed the 671st throughout the day, from morning mission briefs, tactical convoys both to and from the mission site, to an After Action Review (AAR) at the conclusion of the training exercise.
Having non-organic observers like the OC/Ts on-hand during a unit’s training, allows for commanders and soldiers to receive an objective review of their unit’s readiness which allows for shared knowledge to be spread amongst the force.
U.S. Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Joshua Gallup of the 492nd Engineer Company based out of Mankato, Minnesota is a designated OC/T team member who was on hand to observe the 671st. Gallup is a recent graduate of the OC/T academy, a course which is designed to hone the skills of commissioned and noncommissioned officers, and immerses them in tactics, procedures, and lessons learned from overseas operations.
As well as observing soldiers, Gallup also took part in the training when he purposely leapt from the IRB platform into the lake, creating a 'man overboard' scenario. The 671st sounded it's alarm and within 90 seconds Gallup was safely pulled from the lake and placed inside a designated rescue boat.
OC/T teams are an integral part of all large training exercises conducted in the Army Reserve. Soldiers are able to communicate, learn, and interact with OC/T members face to face in real time. By dispersing these subject matter experts throughout the force at ground level, all soldiers have been able to utilize and benefit from the constant sharing of ideas and information.
| Date Taken: | 08.11.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 08.13.2012 15:37 |
| Story ID: | 93134 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 417 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, Observer-Controller/Trainer teams assist units through experience, by MAJ Sean Casey, SPC Michael McDevitt and SSG Phillip Scaringi, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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