Sergeant complains his troops aren’t trained for deployment
One of the “actions” that IVAW is planning for this weekend is the deployment of Indiana-based 656th Transportation Company. According to one of their so-called Non-commissioned Officers, SGT Alejandro Villatoro, his troops aren’t trained for the up-coming mission to Afghanistan;
The main reason I am doing this is that I want people to know the lack of training and education our soldier have been receiving, and the focus on the mission is just not adequate to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. All I am asking is more time to reevaluate the training and mental health of these soldiers before sending them into war.
He claims that his troops haven’t had time to train on the weapons they’ll be using or the vehicles they’ll be driving. Sounds like they’ll be using Star Trek phasers and driving spacecraft, huh? Nope, the weapons he hasn’t had sufficient training on are the .50 cal machine guns which have been in the Army’s inventory since before World War Two – it was designed by John Browning just after WWI.
Do you mean to tell me that there’s been no time in the last 90 years that Villatoro’s troops couldn’t find time to acquaint themselves with the simplest and most durable weapon on any battlefield in the history of warfare? Why would Villatoro complain about his shortcomings in public since it’s his job to train his troops to a standard for combat?
The unit spent two weeks training up prior to the deployment and he didn’t go to the arms room and sign out an M2 and go over the weapon and it’s characteristics and maintenance? Firing it from a vehicle mount is easy – you put the wooden grips in your chest, squeeze the butterfly trigger and walk the rounds into the target with your body.
And the vehicle they’re not trained on is the MRAP – I’m sure they’ll get training when they get there, because strangely, the Army figures it’s more important to have MRAPs where they’re needed rather than dormant in an Reserve unit motorpool.
Villatoros claims he’s afraid that it’ll be a repeat of the invasion of Iraq when he had to drive a truck with a standard transmission and he didn’t know how to drive a stick. Really? A guy in a Trans Co. that couldn’t drive a stick? How stupid would we have to be to believe that one?
First of all, besides 60s era duece-and-a-halfs, what Army vehicle has a stick? Even five tons were automatic before the 90s. Secondly, since the whole Advanced Individual Training for truck drivers is getting a license and qualified on trucks, who didn’t have the opportunity to drive the old stick shift trucks?
Even if the Reserve Trans units still had old sticks, it was the NCO’s fault the troops didn’t know how to drive them. Just like it’s Villatoro’s fault his troops aren’t trained. Instead of training them the young sarge was probably playing spades instead of overcoming the shortfalls in the unit’s training plan. That’s what young sergeants are for, buck.
In addition, Villatoro is claiming the unit is deploying “wounded” soldiers;
Some mentally ill soldiers are able to keep their diagnoses secret from the military, which is not screening before deployment, while those with known mental illnesses are deployed regardless.
Wait a second, troops don’t tell their supervisors that have mental problems and some how that equates to the military “not screening”? Sounds to me like those soldiers want to deploy with their unit – how is that the military’s fault?
This young buck sergeant needs to do a long, slow self-evaluation on the flight over and admit that he’s the one screwing his troops and not the command structure. Oh, by the way, Villalobo is an IVAW member.
Category: Antiwar crowd, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Terror War
Yeah I remember all that pre deployment training we got before going to Grenada, Somalia, Panama, Bosnia, etc., etc., etc.
It’s frequently true that the NG and Reserves don’t ‘provide’ adequate train-ups (so much of our time was taken up with useless ‘annual briefings’ and other time-fillers), but Platoon Leaders and Sergeants and Squad Leaders that care about their readiness, always find ways to insure good training, and will scream until heard for more.
Out of my 20+ yr career I spent the last 12 in a ‘stand alone’ National Guard Medium Wheeled Vehicle Transportation Company, I’m here to tell you John, no, The Army does not effectively train anyone on how to drive a stick shift at Basic or AIT any more, and hasn’t for over a decade or more. Right up until we received our newly issued FMTV’s in 2002, our unit still had M818s and 16 speed M915 tractors in our inventory. Over the years, when we had access to vehicles with a standard tranny and wriggle room in the training schedule allowed, we rotated our own personnel through them as frequently as possible at the platoon (detachment) level. And it was a good thing to, for when we arrived in Kuwait we had to draw pre-positioned duece-n-halfs to run our first missions with the SF and the Free Iraqi Forces. (March, April, and May 2003) As for training on the M2, I was one of two designated marksmanship instructors for our 40 man detachment. While it was nearly impossible to coordinate range time with the beauties, we still pulled the big bastards out at every opportunity to give hands on instruction on it’s basic functioning, how to check head-space and timing, and proper tear down procedures. We lived and breathed the maxim “If it’s to be, it’s up to me!” When we deployed however, we were issued Mk19s to mount on our security trucks, a weapon system none of us had ever touched. We were given two days of instruction on the system at Ft Bliss, and one day of live fire before shipping overseas with it. As the damn thing is almost useless on convoys in a MOUT environment, myself and three of the other security personnel did everything except stage a sit down strike to get the damned things off our trucks and remount with the .50s. There’s no accounting for the lack of professional knowledge amongst the brass sometimes. As it was, most of our live fire training was conducted ‘in country’, and had to be of… Read more »
May be he hasn’t read this lately. May be some one should mail it to him.
Emphasis mine……..
NCO Creed
Posted Friday, October 7, 2005
No one is more professional than I. I am a Noncommissioned Officer, a leader of soldiers. As a Noncommissioned Officer, I realize that I am a member of a time honored corps, which is known as “The Backbone of the Army”. I am proud of the Corps of Noncommissioned Officers and will at all times conduct myself so as to bring credit upon the Corps, the Military Service and my country regardless of the situation in which I find myself. I will not use my grade or position to attain pleasure, profit, or personal safety.
Competence is my watchword. My two basic responsibilities will always be uppermost in my mind — accomplishment of my mission and the welfare of my soldiers. I will strive to remain technically and tactically proficient. I am aware of my role as a Noncommissioned Officer. I will fulfill my responsibilities inherent in that role. All soldiers are entitled to outstanding leadership; I will provide that leadership. I know my soldiers and I will always place their needs above my own. I will communicate consistently with my soldiers and never leave them uninformed. I will be fair and impartial when recommending both rewards and punishment.
Officers of my unit will have maximum time to accomplish their duties; they will not have to accomplish mine. I will earn their respect and confidence as well as that of my soldiers. I will be loyal to those with whom I serve; seniors, peers, and subordinates alike. I will exercise initiative by taking appropriate action in the absence of orders. I will not compromise my integrity, nor my moral courage. I will not forget, nor will I allow my comrades to forget that we are professionals, Noncommissioned Officers, leaders!
I love the fact the article states that Soldiers with mental issues are not reporting it to their chain of command and in the same sentence they chastise the Army for deploying mentally ill Soldiers. If they don’t tell anyone, how can they be treated and possibly not deploy if it is serious enough.
Also, don’t get me started on a NCO not informing the chain of command if he knows someone with serious mental issues is being deployed.
I’m sorry but any time someone in any of my unit has come forward they have been treated. However, the problem seems to be the “resister” definition of treatment. Mental illness or even PTSD does not mean you can’t work or be productive to a unit. It is treated according to the severity of the patient as determined by a Doctor either through therapy or drugs.
Unfortunately these idiots feel that no one should have to work for anything so they continue to bemoan the deployment of damaged Soldiers. We deployed a Soldier with a broken wrist because he could still assist in the TOC, heal, and still receive treatment while deployed but heaven forbid someone that is injured actually have to come to work.
There are so many things wrong with this “NCO’s” actions and words that I have to agree with him: his unit is deploying a mentally ill individual, HIM! He clearly has failed to train his Soldiers.
But his command is indeed partially to blame for retaining and shipping his mentally ill sorry excuse for an NCO forward.
With that being said, they need to refer to DoDI 1325.06 and begin prosecution, whether before or after they prosecute him for conduct unbecoming an NCO, for endangering his Troops, etc.
The “Village Madman” Villalobos is a perfect example of a bad NCO and should not see a second stripe until he learns to not only man a .50 cal (or stick shift) AND teach every member of his crew to do so also. Perhaps he didn’t realize that E5 comes with responsibilities as well as a pay raise?
Here is one better for you:
About 5 minutes in Matthis starts crying and compares the Afghanistan conflict to slavery in the US.
As a fellow Soldier and NCO, and a Civil Affairs Soldier with two tours (one to OIF one to OEF), WTF does this truckdriver/REMF know about winning the Hearts and Minds of anybody?
Just my $0.02
I think some old engineering equipment and 7-tons are manual transmission. That’s about it, I think.
As a good officer, when called away from my duties to perform the duties of an NCO who has failed to perform his, I can rapidly generate solutions to the problems.
This is a set of solutions:
1. SGT becomes a PFC. Incapable of identifying and correcting training shortcomings prior to deployment which has been on the patch chart for over a year.
2. Unit is diverted to Kuwait, will receive every one of every prepositioned standard transmission vehicle, MRAPs, and .50 caliber MGs. Unit will deploy to Udari range, where they will live in shelter half-tents, eat MREs, and bivouac until every single member of the unit is able to drive each vehicle, and all members are able to score 90% or better on MG tables, as well as perform -20 level maintenance on weapons and vehicles.
3. Once the Unit has met all qualifications (and completed ROE, COIN, and Pashto language training) they will then fly to Afghanistan, where their tour will begin. They will still deploy for the full duration of their tour, the time in Kuwait will not count.
Problem solved.
As a former NCO, I will take issue with Chuck Z’s plan. Mass punishment is NOT the answer. The problem is ONE E5 and his Soldiers and Colleagues should not be punished furhter for his idiocy and failures. They’ve already suffered more than they deserve by his presence.
How much do you want to bet the ‘mental illness’ is alcoholism? That would be why they ‘hide’ it. Once the Class 6 is 1000 miles away; whala, problem solved.
Hmmmm…seems to me that on one deployment on my “new” boat, I wasn’t yet fully qualified RO/SRO. Funny, I didn’t hear anyone bitching about how we weren’t “ready” because we had non-quals on board.
Sounds to me like there’s a nice “teachable moment” from that command’s Sgt. Major towards one buck Sgt. And nearly 8 years and still a buck sergeant? Seriously?
I don’t think so, Ozzie. The “mental illness” is just IVAW’s broad brush to paint the Army as uncaring, and uncivilized. How can the Army screen soldiers with a “mental illness”, if the soldiers are keeping their “mental illness” a secret? It’s a circular argument, and just about impossible to disprove.
And, maybe this E-5 just doesn’t want to go, so he drags out the IVAW talking point?
We did have quite a few dueces that were manual in 02-03 but orders from the top was that everyone be evaluated on driving stick and those that couldn’t were to be given training if you failed training you stayed behind. This wasn’t a unit or battalion thing either this was everyone working in or around transpo units. As for the M2 issue I heard there were problems among the support platforms with M2 training which dumbfounded me because in the weeks leading up to the invasion there really wasn’t much to do but train and the issues I saw were cleanliness (support units had this idea that if you just kept spraying CLP on a weapon it’ll be clean. You can imagine what that did in a sandstorm), headspace and timing, and clearing a jam. All of which can be trained on anywhere and I took the course multiple times because what else was there to do
Yeah UpNorth, after I read the article a few more times, I realize I was trying to find the validity in the problem, rather than considering the whole problem is created from sackcloth to begin with. I was unaware of the whole IVAW thing until I got linked here a week ago. Now I’m going through old posts and it’s a clearer picture.
Great blog.
IVAW: douchebags, wussy-boys and putos.
There are MRAPs to train on at Camp Aterbury…I know this because we left there in February where our drivers trained on them before we came to Afghanistan…our drivers also trained on them in McCrady Training Center just outside Ft Jackson…of course theres no way in the world to simulate the terrain over here, thats a given, and our whole unit didnt get the training either…once we got overseas we made sure all our troops got some driving time around the big bases and eventually on the roads…now all our soldiers are qualified on our trucks..BTW all the Mraps are automatics…was the training perfect before we deployed? nope…some of it was stupid and didnt apply at all…but we made it work…not that hard…
Let’s not be too hard on Sargent Villatoro. You were in the old military. He is in the Obama military. The new King-in-Chief has issued extra training instructions. Some of them are:
(1) FEELINGS
Try to imagine living in a country that is oppressed and poor because of the USA. “What would you do if you were in their situation?”
(2) SHOULD I FIRE?
We don’t want to harm any “innocent” civilians. They have to learn that if there is a “possibility” of there being any “innocent” civilians in the area, they are to hold their fire. It hasn’t been determined yet how many soldiers are allow to die while waiting for the “innocent” civilians to leave the area.
(3) YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE DONE THAT
Intense training on the consequences of a soldier’s actions on the poor oppressed people. “Will your actions lead to more oppression?”
(4) MAKES FRIENDS OF YOUR ENEMIES
The idea now is not to go over and destroy our enemies, but to make friends with them first. Offer the hand of friendship first. If they cut it off, they probably had a good reason. Try to find out what we did that made them so mad at us and apologize.
(5) PROPER APOLOGY PROCEDURES
Learn how to say, “I am sorry for what we have done to you” in their language. We don’t want to say it the wrong way or we will have to apologize for that too.
(6) WHITE FLAG WAVING
Learn how to wave the white flag and show it the proper respect it deserves. It will be used a lot.
Look how much longer it would take you to be trained in the Obama military.
As far as driving a stick transmission, shouldn’t all front line troops be REQUIRED to learn how to drive one, even if we wouldn’t have any. They might need to drive an enemy vehicle that is a stick.
Somebody check his pappers.
Oh, by the way, Villalobo is an IVAW member.
Missed that one. Yeah, that explains a lot. Why show some initiative, leadership, and competence when you can just violate the chain-of-command and whine?