Posted on 02/14/2004 7:13:37 PM PST by woofie
DOÑA ANA RANGE— Soviet-built tanks and burned-out cars litter the area. Sand and dust coat the prayer rugs, power generators and other goods hawked by vendors.
Some wary villagers in headdress sip water bottles and draw smoke from hookahs, eying the Yankee soldiers.
Iraq's red, white, black and green flag flies overhead, and anti-American grafitti is scribbled everywhere.
On the southern outskirts of White Sands Missile Range sits a new classroom modeled after war-ravaged Iraq. Here, nearly 3,000 reservists from around the country bound for the occupation's front are learning the latest tactics in staying alive and protecting foreign civilians.
"We want to create the danger, the sights, the sounds, the smells, the culture," said Lt. Col. John Turner, who is overseeing training at the mock village.
The largest troop rotation since World War II is under way. About 110,000 fresh U.S. soldiers are headed for the Middle East to replace the 130,000 who have put in a year's time in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The 3,000 reservists training at Doña Ana Range are among those going into the fight. Most of them are everyday Americans plucked from their family and work and sent overseas to handle explosive booby traps, convoy assaults and urban battle.
"It's not suburban America— or any part of America— that they're used to," said Turner, of the Army Reserve's 3rd Brigade, 91st Division, from Travis Air Force Base in California.
Part of the course work is taken from hard-learned lessons in Iraq, among them an infamous assault last March on Fort Bliss' 507th Maintenance Co.
That assault, which stemmed from soldiers in the group taking a wrong turn on the push for Baghdad, left 11 soldiers dead and six captured.
Woven on a bumpy patch of Doña Ana Range are roads and lanes where Army convoys are today driving through. Cut-out wood and metal targets resembling vehicles and people line the routes, and soldiers are tested on suppressing any hazards that pop up.
On a recent morning, Spc. Damian Useda ran the test to provide rear security for one convoy. Riding high in a tan-painted armored Humvee, the 24-year-old California bank employee searched for roadside dangers while manning an M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, the heaviest assault rifle distributed to his group.
Targets, in this case cut-out vehicles, arose from the ground. A barking instructor overseeing Useda gave directions for his role in the moving convoy.
"Let it go. Fire," instructed Sgt. 1st Class Wayne Benton, as Useda popped off bursts of six and seven rounds, spraying spent bullet cartridges, pounding eardrums and pummeling the target. "Go on. Good shot, good shot. Now finish it."
The assignment here is hitting targets from a moving vehicle, a skill the Army has taught few rear-echelon soldiers.
"It doesn't get any better than this," said Benton, a 14-year Army veteran who served as a Ranger in the 1989 Panama invasion. "With the changing of the fight, you've got to change your tactics, how you train your soldiers."
Organizers say the most important mission here is giving reservists an idea of the situation in Iraq and how they must conduct themselves. The daily assaults there continue, and trainers cite the current numbers of killed and injured U.S. troops as evidence.
As for Useda, he is readying for his first deployment overseas in his seven years as a reservist. His orders say he could be away from home for 545 days, although he is looking forward to the time.
"I'm excited. I want to go see— check it out and see what's out there," Useda said. "To say that I did it."
Back at the Iraqi village, reservists are assigned to set up an encampment, keep it secure and protect the Iraqis leaving nearby. Signs in Arabic writing are posted throughout, and the villagers aren't shy about approaching the soldiers.
Like real life, some are friendly. Others don't mean well.
"They are very sophisticated," said Benton, when asked about the insurgency. "You can never underestimate your enemy. You always have to be prepared."
(look closely and you can see the tipoff that this isn't Iraq)
I was raised near that area, with White Sands National Park being a major playground.
This article implies that our troops are being plucked, untrained from their homes to be sent into battle. This is a far cry from the truth. They are mostly well-trained before being shipped out. And as my Army Reserve niece would tell you, this is a possibility they signed up for, and what they've been being paid for in all their years of belonging to the reserves.
Are you refering to the Coca Cola ad?
Good thing we have so many capable and willing hands working to rebuild what took over 34 years to destroy.
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