Today’s training was very interesting to say the least. A lot of people were back in their element and it showed. Others were placed in positions in which they have never performed before, which also showed. Overall, though, it was good training to have, even though it was cold and miserable because of the rain.
I was lucky (unlucky) enough to play a Truck Commander (TC) over some other more experienced people. The job of the TC is to listen to the radio for guidance from the Convoy Commander and relay any required information amongst the people in your truck. Why I was TC over some other people, I don’t really know, but ultimately it was probably better that I was from a learning perspective. I can see myself doing something like this in the future during my Army career.
We had a mission to find a “package” in one of three towns along a pre-designated route. Along the way, we had to react to various things, such as small arms fire, indirect fire, IEDs, etc., all of which were notional of course. Many reactions require split second decisions; our Convoy Commander was not very good at thinking quickly on her toes, at least at first. Granted, as the day went on, she got a little better, but there were many times where a quick decision would have prevented unnecessary delay or training. We were on the road for a long time, and by the end everyone wanted to get back, but I think we all learned something about each other today.
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