WHINSEC headquarters unit
amps up Soldier training
Steps taken to offer standardized combat-readiness training program for
U.S. Soldiers
| Story and photos by Jo Kennedy/WHINSEC Public Affairs Office FORT BENNING, Ga. (TRADOC News Service, Nov. 19, 2005) – In the past few months, U.S. Soldiers have been taking several office breaks at the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, located on Fort Benning. However, it does not mean the institute’s personnel are working less. In fact, they have been working harder. WHINSEC Soldiers have been juggling their daily organizational duties to take advantage of new specifically designed training opportunities that concentrate on combat-readiness skills. WHINSEC’s training calendar, which is normally focused on educating and instructing Latin American military, police and civilian officials, is now speckled with training for U.S. Soldiers, thanks to those in leadership positions at Headquarters and Headquarters Company. “Our goal is to get all our Soldiers trained in all common-task skills and introduce them to more advanced skills,” said HHC’s 1st Sgt. David Gonzalez. “The bottom line is these Soldiers will eventually go back to deployable units, and I would like them to be prepared.” Spc. Gerardo Salazar, who works in an administrative position in WHINSEC’s Human Resources Division, is grateful for this chance to hone his Soldier skills. “Because we are in a (Training and Doctrine Command) environment, it isn’t expected for us as Soldiers to go downrange to participate in combat training,” said Salazar. “But this refresher training gives us the opportunity to go to these ranges to experience what infantry Soldiers do everyday.” And experience is exactly what they are getting. In the past three months, WHINSEC Soldiers have already taken advantage of training events in combat water-survival techniques, rifle and pistol marksmanship, land navigation and map-reading skills. Soldiers will also have the opportunity to train in military operations in urban terrain and with improvised explosive devices to help them prepare for possible deployments overseas – specifically to Iraq, said Gonzalez. According to HHC’s commander, Capt. Jorge Albin, these types of training have to reoccur several times a year to accommodate the constant addition of new Soldiers. More importantly, regular training is necessary to produce a desirable outcome overall. “For example, a person who shoots once a year is not going to be proficient,” Albin said. “Shooting is a perishable skill and, along with shooting, there are other tasks involved that need to be second nature for the Soldier.” Albin pointed out that a Soldier should know additional combat-shooting skills such as clearing a jam, transitioning from a primary weapon to a secondary one, and zeroing a new weapon. Considering the temporary shortcomings in providing comprehensive training, creating a standardized combat-training plan for WHINSEC Soldiers is still a work in progress, said Albin. But these training opportunities are positive steps in the right direction. “I would like it to be standardized and on a recurrent schedule; that way it stays with them,” said Albin. “I would like to see us get to the point where we are presenting effective training on a quarterly basis.” |
Spc. Gerardo Salazar, who works in the Department of Human Resources at the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation on Fort Benning, Ga., takes a break from his desk job to spend 'a day at the pool' during combat water-survival training for U.S. Soldiers in August. View and/or save high-resolution photo
Capt. Jorge Albin, center, commander of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, Fort Benning, Ga., demonstrates the proper shooting stance for Spc. Gerardo Salazar, left, and Staff Sgt. Maritza Rosales during WHINSEC's combat-pistol marksmanship training for U.S. Soldiers in September. View and/or save high-resolution photo
From left, Lt. Col. Kelly Lawler, 1st Sgt. David Gonzalez, Spc. Gerardo Salazar and Staff Sgt. Maritza Rosales from the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation prepare to fire during a combat-pistol simulation training exercise at the institute's Engagement Skills Trainer 2000. View and/or save high-resolution photo |
