Posted on 02/20/2007 5:14:03 PM PST by SandRat
Soldiers train for IED and other situations they may encounter in Iraq on convoys and maneuvers. In the most recent training, an extra training aid was introduced to create a realistic setting for the soldiers. Paintball gun AK-47s, M-4s, M-16s and IED's were used instead of the MILES (A laser system used to detect hits) gear. Photo by TRADOC
FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. (TRADOC News Service, Feb. 15, 2007) -- Cadre of Company B, 305th Military Intelligence Battalion completed the evaluation part of two weeks of training, Saturday. The cadre had trained during hours outside of teaching classes.
"We've organized the permanent party FTX so Soldiers go through different battle drills ... making sure our permanent party stays current with TRADOC tasks that are essential for going out on convoys and maneuvers, because they are directly training the students and for when the cadre leave here ... and go back to line units," said Executive Officer 1st Lt. Matt Foster.
Special to this and subsequent exercises are the realistic training aids. The unit employed actual IED simulators and paintball gun which are replicas of M-4s, M-16s, and AK-47s.
"The training aids are a lot better than when I was going thorough basic and AIT," said Sgt. 1st Class Michael Case, U.S. Army Intelligence Center. "We have IED simulators which are not just something we have to point at saying, 'This is what it looks like." Soldiers actually get the loud explosion right by their vehicle."
The training aids add realism because Soldiers can actually see the marks made by the exploded IED or where the paintballs hit.
"It's much better than the MILES (A laser system used to detect hits) gear. You actually feel this stuff, not just hear an annoying beep. They actually jam up if you don't use them right, so they're more realistic," said Pvt. Allen Wrozek, Company B, 305th Mi Battalion, who helped maintain the paintball guns during the exercise
I love military paintball training. It almost seems like a crime to collect pay for something that's so much fun.
Rob could use an editor...
That's for sure.
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