Re: Experience and Training

On Sat, 29 Dec 2001 00:57:20 -0500 "Thomas Barclay"
<kaladorn@fox.nstn.ca> writes:
>A brief contribution:
<snip ggod points>
>3) It isn't frequent (you get out of training quite 
>fast....). One of the main problems in the units I 
>served in or with was a puny training budget. 
>Doing 1 trip to the rifle range per year isn't 
>enough for an infantry reserve unit. Everyone 
>should shoot and engage in section attacks and 
>other trade training at least 3-4 times 
>throughout the year in the reserves. Better yet, 
>once a month! And the training should be 
>serious.

Personal testimony.

Active time:  7 years 3 months, 12 days (they counted for me) in USAF as
medic and (last three in Orthopedic Clinic sh redout) fired M-16 ONCE
during basic in 1971 (four clips) - and they wouldn't even teach/let us
clean the things afterwards!!! - flight member next to me qualified top
category we could get because they shuffled us around at last minute and
he and I *both* hit target (39 centered hits for (officially) 20 rounds)
because we both thought we both were shooting at target number "9". 
Never saw a M-16 again until I was in the Army reserve (college years, 
round 2, via GI Bill) over ten years later.  

While I was in the USAF I was moved to Hospital Central Supply and my
NCOIC was just back from a tour in Vietnam.  What did they issue him as
his personal weapon?  A .38 revolver, 6 loose rounds, 12 rounds in two
speed loaders, and a pamphlet on how to load, shoot and clean the thing.

Guess they figured medics didn't do base/hospital  defense?  Funny he
got
to hear a M-60 "used in anger" inside the hospital itself during a  raid
on the base by the local VC.

I qualified very high while in the Army reserves.  I do okay with a
rifle
(learned as a kid from some NRA instructor types) but it helps a ton
when
the targets were pulled in the same order every year on the same range
set up.  Like that's going to happen in combat.

>4) It trains you into inflexible ways of thinking or 
>it trains junior officers and NCOs not to display 
>initiative but to wait and wait for higher 
>command to micromanage

"LT, the White House is on the line!"

>5) If it trains you in your trade, but with no 
>appreciation for the other trades and branches 
>that produce the combined arms battle plan - 
>for example, having an infantry CO with no real 
>clue about artillery employment or fireplans 
>coming up with impossible mission objectives 
>for the arty that is to support his infantry....

How about something simple like "what do you do if the Hospital is hit"
(war or mass disaster) we did that once in our monthly triage drills) 
but they forbid us to do it again, the rest of the base (who were not
"pre-informed" of the nature of that month's drill) ranged from failed
to
marginal success.  Our was based on the scenario that the next door
training facility (IIRC, altitude chamber type building) for the Flight
Surgeon's techs 'blew up' in a training disaster and took out both the
functionality of the Hospital to one side and the Hospital barracks on
another side.

Ugly.  

Lesson learned?  

Don't run that scenario again.	Sheesh.

Good post, Tomb.

Gracias,
Glenn/Triphibious@juno.com
This is my Science Fiction Alter Ego E-mail address.
Historical - Warbeads@juno.com
Fantasy and 6mm - dwarf_warrior@juno.com

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