First Army Trainer/Mentor Academy Keeps TMs Current on War Fighting Tactics

By Sgt. First Class Victor L. Gardner, 189th Infantry Brigade, Division

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Insurgent techniques and battlefield scenarios in Afghanistan shift as quickly as the desert sands.

For First Army trainer/mentors, who each year provide post-mobilization training for tens of thousands of Army National Guard and Army Reserve Soldiers for deployments to Afghanistan and other contingency missions, that means regularly going through training themselves. At Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg, Miss., TMs from First Army's two divisions - East and West - receive the latest information on how to better prepare deploying units.

The instructors at First Army's Trainer/Mentor Academy have a responsibility to make sure all TMs are trained to one standard across First Army.

Staff Sgt. Robert Barhorst, left, a trainer/mentor from 1-393 Infantry Regiment, 479th Field Artillery Brigade, First Army Division West out of Fort Hood, Texas, and a native of Fort Loramie, Ohio, and Sgt. Edwin Fumbuena, middle, a TM assigned to 1-363rd Training Support Battalion, 189th Infantry Brigade, Division West, out of Dublin, Calif., listen to instructions from 1st Lt. Amanda McDonald, a TM with 3-348th Infantry Regiment, 158th Infantry Brigade, Division East, out of Camp Blanding Training Center, Fla., during recent training at Camp Shelby, Miss.

"It's very important that the instructors are on the same page, because there is no reason to have one unit trained differently than another," said Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Frazier, an augmented instructor for the Trainer Mentor Academy from 2-306th Field Artillery, 188th Infantry Brigade, Division East. "TM instruction should be to the same standard across the board.

"In terms of instructing the course, you get to see different viewpoints from different personnel across First Army," Frazier added. "I get to learn how they instruct the TMs from different parts of the country like Fort McCoy, Wis., and Fort Dix, N.J. In the long run, I am learning new techniques to add to my instructor's tool kit."

More than 100 TMs comprised a recent class at the academy.

During field exercises, six students played the role of TMs while their classmates played the role of Soldiers being trained for a deployment. During an Entry Control Point exercise, the TMs evaluated how the "deploying" Soldiers handled inspections of vehicles, persons entering the facility and ID verification procedures. Once the scenario ended, the entire group participated in an after action review to discuss what went well and what could have gone better.

Staff Sgt. Patrick Flanigan, a trainer/mentor assigned to 1-393rd Infantry Regiment, 479th Field Artillery Brigade, First Army Division West out of Fort Hood, Texas, and a native of Lexington, Mo., helps Sgt. Sherry Bradshaw, a TM assigned to 1-364 Combat Service Support, 191st Infantry Brigade, Division West, at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., and a native of Seattle, Wash., with her turret gunner harness during a recent training exercise conducted by the First Army Trainer/Mentor Academy at Camp Shelby, Miss. Photo: Sgt. First Class Victor L. Gardner, 189th Infantry Brigade, Division West Public Affairs

"This is some very good training for the folks that have never been a TM or experienced some of the scenarios we've been in," said 2nd Lt. James Spurgeon, 1-363rd Training Support Battalion, 189th Infantry Brigade, Division West. "It's different when you are going through the scenario and you're trying to think on your feet as opposed to observing the scenario and looking at the Soldiers and how they react."

Academy instructors at Camp Shelby are making a difference throughout all of First Army, according to Frazier.

"One great positive is that the academy has received great feedback from the students and the platoon sergeants," Frazier said. "The input has pointed out items that needed to be changed or updated in our curriculum."

Soon, refined classroom and field training that reflects the constantly changing and unconventional tactics and technology being used in current warfare will be in place at the academy.

Staff Sgt. Patrick Flanigan, a trainer/mentor assigned to 1-393 Infantry Regiment, 479th Field Artillery Brigade, First Army Division West out of Fort Hood, Texas, and a native of Lexington, Mo., rushes to provide security for a wounded troop during a recent training exercise at camp Shelby, Miss. First Army TMs, who each year provide post-mobilization training for tens of thousands of Army National Guard and Army Reserve Soldiers for deployments to Afghanistan and other contingency missions, regularly go through training themselves to stay current with war fighting tactics. Photo: Sgt. First Class Victor L. Gardner, 189th Infantry Brigade, Division West Public Affairs)*

"In my opinion, new (programs of instruction) will have a bigger impact," Frazier said. "If we bring in more team-structured learning objectives, that will help the (mobilization) process become even more effective."

Soldiers who have recently returned from deployments agree with Frazier.

"Newer tactics are being used by the enemy," said Staff Sgt. Patrick Flanigan, a liaison officer with 1-393rd Infantry Regiment, 479th Field Artillery Brigade, Division West. "As a TM, I would like to see some of the new stuff taught so I can better prepare units for what they might see out there."