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UT ROTC Recon Platoon FTX
November 30, 2010
I am Cadet Andrew Brock, an contracted MSII at the University of Toledo. I actively participate in the Recon Platoon. This platoon is made up mostly of members from the Bold Warrior team but is open to anyone willing to learn. We get taught all aspects of recon, from squad and platoon operations to waterborne operations.
Last weekend we conducted a Recon Platoon Field Training Exercise (FTX). It was at Oak Openings, which is a local park. We spent a total of three days and two nights there. All time was spent conducting STX lanes. We had two recon lanes, a patrol base operation and an ambush lane. The average lane spanned about 700 meters and lasted around six hours at the least. This means we would sometimes be awake until almost sunrise.
Each mission presented a unique set of challenges the acting platoon leader had to overcome. One mission required a one-rope bridge crossing. Another mission was conducted entirely at night. Conversely, each mission had a few constant adversities every cadet had to overcome. Most apparent was the cold temperatures. Platoon members had to be thoughtful with their clothing selections, as it was easy to overheat then sweat while moving, but easy to get extremely cold during halts and ORP operations. Secondly, the OPFOR during this FTX were constantly harassing our platoon, never giving us the illusion of security or allowing us to drop our security. Last, each member of the platoon had to be proficient at many warrior tasks, like swiss-seats, one-rope bridge, hand signals, and recon. Rucking was another important skill, as our rucks weighed around 50+ lbs.
Overall this FTX was extremely realistic and I am grateful for the knowledge of the cadre who followed us the entire way, providing guidance and sometimes pushing us along if we got stuck.submitted by Cadet Andrew Brock on Nov 30 2010
Comments
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I am glade that you enjoy your time training to be a leader in the world’s best Army. I am currently in the Army Reserves has been for 7yrs. I am seeking to be a clinical Social Worker to help my fellow solders overcome obstacles coming back from combat. I have been in combat four times and seen how my fellow soldiers and families suffer the reunite blues. Solders coming back from combat have many challenges trying to get back into the swing of things. I can surly defined problematic situation that we face coming home however; training is a big part of team work just as support when we come back. When we train we need to understand that what got us through problematic times was training and unifying. So use your training to accommodate a support system when you come back from combat and you will see the benefit to training.
Reply
Sgt M.Collins
Dec 5, 2010 12:30 PM