By LTC Melanie Meier
Doing its best to simulate the Iraq weather, the Fort Hood weather starts off with an overcast sky, but by lunch time the sun is out and reaching into the 80s. That may account for my first minor case of a sunburned nose, cheeks and hands. So I am now armed with SPF 70.
And I'm still armed with my 9 mm Beretta here at North Fort Hood, where the actual pre-deployment training has begun. At first it was "hurrying up to wait," another part of the Army that has not changed since I was here nineteen years ago. When things finally got going, I took part in the familiarization of the Arabic language, learning 15 commonly used terms such as "what is your name, stop or I will shot, and turn off your vehicle." The experience reminded me of what my Russian language instructor at KU told once told. I do not have an aptitude for language, so I found Arabic particularly challenging.
Called Common Task Training nineteen years ago, "Warrior Task Training" is the most challenging part of my preparations for war in Iraq so far. The main change lies in IED (Improvised Explosive Devices) recognition and Combatives, however, the basics continue in map reading, throwing a grenade, donning your protective mask and suit, using a radio, calling for a MEDEVAC, crossing obstacles such as concertina wire and walls, and employing a claymore mine. IEDs are the biggest killers in Iraq today, so we are spending a lot of time studying how to recognize them and what to do when you find one or one goes off. Combatives are basic hand to hand fighting. We learned holds and how to escape them. When you consider today's combat environment and all the gear we have to wear, I must admit that holding someone until your buddy arrives is the most I could ever hope for in hand to hand combat.
What is called our "full battle rattle" includes a Kevlar helmet and Individual Body Armor with Kevlar "sappy plates" that actually stop bullets. I also have my protective mask on one side and of course my 9mm Beretta on the other. And I cannot forget the "camel back" water system on my back. In my "assault pack" are wet-weather trousers and jacket, an MRE (meal ready to eat), first aid kit, gloves, and elbow and knee pads. Developed for the urban environments that today are combat veterans experience, the Kevlar plates and elbow and knee pads are new to me. And so are the first aid kits, which are much more complex than the ones we used when I first came in the Army. Back then they consisted of a large bandage with tie-on straps, but today they consist of self-clotting bandages, tourniquets and trachea tubes.
For two days we studied IEDs, how to recognize them and what to do when you find one. We watched videos of the effects different types of IEDs have when exploded. We handled actual IEDs and detonated training devices. We drove HWMMVs (the military hummer truck) through a course and tried to spot IEDs and their indicators. We practiced how to cordon off an area when an IED was found. And more intensely, we learned what to do when a vehicle bearing IEDs or a person bearing IEDs comes at you. We also practiced "Escalation of Force" measures, coupled with key Arabic terms such as "Halt, put your hands up, turn around, and lie down on the ground." And that was just the beginning. Next week the Force Protection training starts and that includes vehicle rollover drills and firing at the range.
