First Drill Complete

[kato13]

Webstral 02-09-2004, 03:28 PM I had my first drill with B/1-184 IN (AASLT) [CANG] this weekend. I've just been made a team leader in a rifle squad. This is going to be different. Last time I was in a combat unit, I was a mechanized engineer. There's little in common with the world of light infantry except that we're both combat arms. The last unit I was in was 111th MI Brigade (thus my fixation on southern AZ), which is another world entirely from combat arms. Not to mention the switch from officer to NCO. Oh, life is going to be interesting!


Fortunately, B/1-184th has allayed most of my fears about the National Guard. In terms of the attitudes of the guys and the whole conduct of operations, it's quite close to active duty. Thankfully, no one wears the black beret except on certain occasions in garrison. (Thank you General Shinseki for robbing the Rangers of their distinctive beret and giving it out to everyone in a pitiful effort to give every soldier an I'm-special-too warm and fuzzy.) Everyone is addressed appropriately and not by their first names. The one thing that bugged me was that we didn't pull a very diligent security at night. On one level, I was glad enough to be in my sleeping nag while ice was forming on the outside of it. On the other hand, I would have preferred to see us getting in the habit of pulling security the way it's supposed to be done. Still, that's only one aspect of many.


The unit is almost all guys with prior active duty time, and the overwhelming majority of them are infantry. (In this regard, I'm a rarity.) This is very encouraging. There are lots of EIBs and CIBs out there. There are fewer Air Assault Badges than there should be for a unit that is designated air assault and which is supposedly highly deployable. You'd think there would be a more concerted effort to get everyone air assault qualified. That's life in the Guard, I guess. I haven't seen very many Ranger tabs, which tells me that it's going to be pretty tough for me to get a Ranger slot. Still, I guess that's something I can worry about after I get my 11B skills up to speed and getting myself squared away as a team leader.


1-184 is part of the 29th Infantry Brigade (L)(Sep), for anyone curious about the unit subordination. 29th Brigade is Hawaii National Guard, so I'm not associated at all with 40th ID (M).


I'd be most appreciative for any words of advice from the 11B's out there. (Paul?)



Webstral

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pmulcahy 02-11-2004, 04:52 PM You know those mythical people you hear about that have "forgotten more than you'll ever know"? They're in the Guard. A lot of these units are stacked to the gunwales with people who have mountains of military experience, both on on and off active duty. Some of them are, in their civilian jobs, police officers, firefighters, engineers, paramedics, etc. They know a whole lot of usefull tidbits and just love it when they have an audience.


What I'm saying is for you to "play sponge," keep your ears open, and absorb everything you can. Especially nowdays, when it can without notice turn all too real for the National Guard. And since you are one of those guys I mentioned in the paragraph above, pass on your experience! I actually learned some explosive work in the Guard, taught to me by a former engineer in an infantry unit, sort of like you.


Learn to move fast and quiet. Carry extra socks. Keep your weapon clean. Make the armorer into a friend. Don't forget your gloves when you fast rope. Sleep whenever you have a chance, even if it's only for 10 minutes. A light infantry unit's most powerful tactic is the ambush; learn all you can about them. (Your fellow soldiers will love what your engineer self can bring to an ambush party!)


As for schools, most Guard units simply don't have the money to do it for many of it's people. It's a sad fact of life.

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Webstral 02-11-2004, 07:03 PM Thanks, Paul.

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