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For the Soldier ... anytime, anywhere 
Soldiers converge for ‘crash’ intel courses
Story by Sgt. Kristi T. Jaeger
Photos by Pfc. Joy Pariante
Scout staff
FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. (Feb. 5, 2004) -- More than 100 U.S. Army Reserve and National Guard enlisted Soldiers arrived Jan. 31 to take part in training for military occupation specialty 97B, counterintelligence agent, and 97E, human intelligence collector.
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(Click on thumbnail for higher-resolution photo) Sgt. Samuel G. Lockhart, 141st Military Intelligence Battalion, Logan, Utah, spent part of Saturday afternoon stacking duffel bags in front of Riley Barracks, where the Reserve and National Guard Soldiers will be residing throughout their MOS training.
(Click on thumbnail for higher-resolution photo) Spc. John C. Ponczock, 142nd Military Intelligence Battalion, Ogden, Utah, helped unload one of the trucks used to transport the Soldiers’ rucksacks from Fort Bliss, Texas. |
The Soldiers, from Reserve and Guard units throughout the country, will be part of Detachment 4, 2nd Battalion (Military Intelligence), 3rd Brigade (Combat Support), 84th Division (Institutional Training), whose division headquarters is in Milwaukee. All students are reclassing from a variety of MOSs, said Lt. Col. Christie Nixon, commander, Det. 4, 2nd/84th (MI). The Soldiers will train for three months, with the help of more than 50 Reserve and Guard instructors who have been mobilized from five divisions and National Guard units, throughout separate classrooms on post. They will be billeted in Riley Barracks, with accommodations for three Soldiers per room. “Obviously we want to make them as comfortable as possible,” said Col. Rich Thevel, assistant chief of staff, U.S. Army Reserve. Following reclassification, Soldiers will be able to deploy to areas around the world to assist in the Global War on Terrorism, said Thevel. “The need for human intelligence (counterintelligence agents and human intelligence collectors) is great,” said Nixon. “We’re starting to fill that need. This is the smart way to do it.” Many of the Soldiers who are being trained were already working in the positions but they weren’t MOS qualified, said Sgt. Maj. Robert Pinter, sergeant major, Det. 4, 2nd/84th (MI). Most of the Soldiers stepped up to the plate and volunteered to reclassify MOSs, said Nixon. “The mobilize, train and deploy concept is going a long way toward elevating human shortage in various high threat areas,” said Thevel. |
This is the first time Thevel has seen the "mobilize, train and deploy" concept put into action. Usually, units mobilize just what they have, he added.
Soldiers will reclassify into the two MOSs, complete training as part of the mission and then deploy to areas around the world to assist in the GWOT, Thevel said.
Thevel feels the new concept will work well and is expecting motivated "top-quality instructors" to produce motivated "top-quality students."
