Quote:
Originally Posted by HorseSoldier
I think 4th ID or 9th ID in Vietnam was built as a cohorted unit from the ground up -- draftees from day one grouped, trained, sent to Vietnam together on that division's deployment there. Apparently worked well, but they subsequently turned into the usual individual replacement format after the first year.
Anyway, in a T2K sense -- cohorts coming out of training units would be broken up, but an effort might be made to front load people from the same training cycles to the same units needing BCPs.
Sending the drill sergeants off with them wouldn't probably be done. The military has tried pretty vigorously to build a robust and redundant training cadre capability and shafted lots of guys with drill sergeant duty who're only there because their career demands it. Still, even with that there's going to be heavy attrition among qualifed Drills and most likely the preferred course of action at the big picture level would be to keep guys in those positions until such a time as the need for mid level NCO casualty replacements (and mobilization of the USAR drill sergeant units) pulled them out of the mix as a last resort.
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This is why I would believe lead to maybe initially some new Divisional formation would be made in the short term. For at least one rotation of training, maybe if we had extended build up period maybe two rotations where new Brigades and Division could be built. I think at this time depending on if you had the 1st PG War in your time line or not, that a Forward Support Battalion/Sustainment Battalions and Special Troops Battalion would be need at Brigade level as well as the Artillery, Engineer, and possible Cavalry units assigned to them. Of course this would mean troops would be drained at Army and Corps level to fill these roles in Divisions and Brigade already in the fighting and in turn these unit would have to be replace.
One thing I never put much into were the Reserve and National Guard Brigades that had been re-tasked into Infantry Brigades. I can see to a point that they were made into something like the Enhance Maneuver Brigades in which they would be Corps or Divisional level asset helping to secure areas where needed. With the shortage of certain types of units that would be needed, it seems to me that to use excess Air Force and Naval personnel to be re-tasked into infantry if there was such shortage once they no longer had aircraft and ship to support. Just my opinion.
I can see several Brigades of troops being raised like this. Especially after they start opening replacement and training centers and reopening closed bases. In many cases Fort Bragg, Fort Campbell, Fort Hood, Fort Lewis, Fort Stewart, Fort Carson and Fort Riley being used to trained combat Brigades from basic through until the unit ships out. Many of the troop would get 11B training, while as the unit get through Basic/AIT phase and some troops of other MOS are brought introduced such Suppy, Commo, Medics, Scouts and what other specialist may be found in Battalion and Company level HQ. Many of the men with 11B and 11C will be trained by the few specialist to perform the other needed jobs while they continue their training. The major shortage I see would be the Medics and other Medical/Dental MOS overall.
There are also many National Guard and Reserve Camps that probably could be pressed into training and replacement centers too. Such as Fort McCoy, there is one in MN, that I can't remember the name of right now, and Camp Grayling in Michigan and other locations where unit could further their training before being shipped overseas.
Then again there is nothing like going to your new unit, and few months later one of your old Drill Sergeants show up as Staff Sergeant in another platoon in your company. So you can't go, we never cover that story line. lol. Of course, this individual was one squared away guy anyways and made E-4 and E-5 quickly. I am sure having a uncle who was a Major in the Division helped just a tad bit in getting the promotion, especially he had only been in the unit few months before I got there and E-5 in about 9 month after I got there.
Of course at this time the Staff Sergeant who had been his Drill Sergeant got his E-7 and couple of E-5 were promoted up to E-6. Of course, at the time these new E-6's as well the E-5 had plenty of the other E-6 and higher in the Company grumbling too about how fast they were promoted to their position considering many of them had sent at least multiple terms (8 to 12 years) in before getting E-6.
Seems like back in Basic Training it seem that many of the Drill Sergeants even the E-5s had been in for 6 years or more. Many were just filling the billets for promotion points for their next promotion, while some had been sent back to be Drill Sergeants because it was their turn to fill in their time there. For example the E-7 for our Platoon was working on he required rotation out of Special Forces community. While the E-6 one had been injured on the Q-Course and couldn't be placed on hold-over status, nor could he go back to his original units, so the Army in it wisdom sent in to Drill Sergeant School and he passing his time to get done and head back to the Q-Course. The other E-5 like many Drill Sergeants in the Company didn't really want to be there at all, while there were few that never really gave the impression they didn't want to be there as Drill Sergeant duty.
Then again our Company was out of training cycle with the rest of the Battalion for some reason. At this time Cohorts units were being processed and the last Infantry Battalions for the 10th Mountain Division were finishing their training at Fort Benning. Somehow the training company was established with something toward 120-130 men instead of the upward to 200 men. CO, XO, and the First Sergeant weren't happy either. I guess they were told to organize the Company into three Platoons since even they would be understrength. There were couple times when out transportation issues, was cut way shorter than it should of been, in which the CO turned to the First Sergeant and stated, "Next time we don't have enough troops to fill out the four platoons, we will still organize them anyways, it's BS that we can't get enough transport to move our troops safely." On the other hand the Drill Sergeants for the fourth platoon after about the 4th week were finally assigned on to the other three platoons, after they had been rotating helping out where needed in the Company, so each Platoon had 4 Drill Sergeant instead of 3.
With some of the BS like lack of adequate transportation and other issues going on, probably had lot to do with some of the Drill Sergeant negative attitude about their current assignments. One has to remember this was the start of Zero Tolerance. Many knew if something happen during transport, they knew the risk to their career even if they had little control. It was the start of when common sense was out the window, and people who were being held accountable for silliness for decisions being made up higher along the chain of command. Or the fact that things like the Obstacle Course and the Bayonet Training Course were shut down during our train cycle (May I remind you we were Infantry One Unit Training Station).
That and the fact that all of Drill Sergeant had gone through old school basic training where it wasn't uncommon for you to get your ass handed to by the DS for doing something stupid. I know by the time my brother had enter the army 4 years later, it only gotten worse with none stress training environment. So I can't blame many of them for being a little disgruntled in the job they were being asked to do. Just hope they have done away with a lot of the non-stress bs since 9-11, but I bet probably not.
Sorry about the soap box. Getting off it now...
Just some thoughts...