1996-05-31-Pentagram-A New Dawn-Old Guard activates air-assault school : 無料・フリー素材/写真
1996-05-31-Pentagram-A New Dawn-Old Guard activates air-assault school / Old Guard History
| ライセンス | クリエイティブ・コモンズ 表示 2.1 |
|---|---|
| 説明 | Friday, May 31, 1996PENTAGRAM 3A new dawnOld Guard activates air-assault schoolby Sgt. Corey A. EalonsThe Old Guard Public AffairsAs the morning sun rises above the heads of the 1-97 Air Assault School candidates early this morning, they will not just be witnessing the start of a new day. That sunrise also signals a new dawn in the history of the oldest active infantry unit and the MDW Air Assault School.The 3rd United States Infantry (The Old Guard) assumed command of the MDW Air Assault School in February of this year from the 12th Aviation Battalion. The activation ceremony for the new organization took place Tuesday at Wood Theater on Fort Belvoir.The school, which was established in 1985 at Davison Army Airfield near Fort Belvoir, has undergone some major changes since the decision was made to turn it over to The Old Guard. From the top brass to the infrastructure, the school has a new look and a new attitude.Capt. Daniel P. Oertel is the new commandant for the school. A 12 year veteran of air assault doctrine, Oertel has an extensive background in the conduct of air assault operations including the testing of new techniques and equipment for the Army."We're responsible for maintaining the standards and seeing that they are executed properly,” he said. Excited by the prospects, Oertel said his goal for the new regime is “to improve the school and take a sound program and make it better.”According to 1st Sgt. Jeff S. Howard, first sergeant of the school, the change is the organization. “The school is now a ninth company of The Old Guard known as the Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment,” he said. The unit is established as a normal company within the 3rd Infantry with the company commander serving as the commandant of the school. The first sergeant sees to the day-to-day operation of the course, while the non-commissioned officers serve as the instructors.In addition to the changes at the helm, the school has a new look and a new spirit. Students of years past probably would not recognize the place. The training facility for the school is now more centralized with most of the training taking place near the company area. The actual labor for the project, from picking to pushing to painting, was undertaken by soldiers from the regiment. "Every company in The Old Guard had a hand in putting this thing together,” Howard said.It looks like a top-notch alr assault school, said Sgt. Randall Gentry, chief instructor of the combat assault team. Gentry also noted that the number of students per class has been decreased so that each could receive more individual attention. “The student is the priority,” he said.The order of each phase of the course is changing under the Old Guard, probably the most significant change in how the course is conducted.Stinglood operations, arguably the most difficult part of the course, has been moved from third to second in the three-part course, according to Sgt. Matthew Smith., chief instructor for the slingload operation team. The thrill part of the school, rappelling, is now last, which Smith believes is very appropriate.“With slingload moved to the second phase, we now have more time to work on it, including a weekend break,” Smith said. Over that weekend, students have the option of practicing with the loads in order to improve their skills.Other changes to the school include the demise of the “gig” pipe (site of many tortuous pushups), demerit details, and equipment layouts before every training formation.“That’s because we’re more performance oriented than physically oriented now,” Gentry said. The only time a layout is done will be before a road march, he added.One thing that won’t change is the mystique of the “black hat” worn by Gentry, Smith and every other instructor at the school.Howard joked that the 16 instructors were handpicked - from the bottom of the barrel. But in fact they come from throughout the MDW area. Each instructor volunteers to serve at the school and must undergo an intense critique and trainup before being accepted into the cadre. “They’re a good group of guys,” Howard later said. “They’re highly professional in every way.”Now that the school is open, the cadre and command alike feel good about the new relationship. The school schedule calls for nine courses throughout the year, including classes for college Reserve Officer Training Corps and West Point cadets. “There will be some attrition, of course.” Oertel said, “but if we have every soldier go through the course and execute everything to the standard, then we are a success.”With the ship on course, Howard said there is nothing left to do now but “train to standard.”Caption 1: Black-hatted cadre of the air-assault school display their guidon.Caption 2: Soldiers rappel from a UH-1 helicopter during air-assault training. |
| 撮影日 | 2017-07-28 13:15:31 |
| 撮影者 | Old Guard History |
| 撮影地 | |
| カメラ | ILCE-5000 , SONY |
| 露出 | 0.017 sec (1/60) |
| 開放F値 | f/4.0 |
| 焦点距離 | 16 mm |