Drum team takes on West Point

WEST POINT — Nine-hundred 10th Mountain Division soldiers were given an opportunity that many employees would relish — a chance to train their future bosses.

Soldiers from the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry, 2nd Brigade Combat Team have spent the past month at the U.S. Military Academy training their future officers in all things military, ranging from weapons and mountaineering skills to confidence building. But the future officers were not the only ones in training — the hardened combat veterans also were learning a thing or two.

"The general topics we are training don't happen by themselves. We need to develop them and put them together so they operate properly," said Lt. Col. Richard G. Greene, Jr., commander of 4-31. "Our soldiers need to be trained properly so they can prepare the cadets for each obstacle. And that skill is the same skill required to put together training for local police or national Army. It's just a different place and they are speaking Arabic instead of English."

This, according to Lt. Col. Greene and Maj. Gen. Michael J. Oates, commander of the 10th Mountain Division and Fort Drum, is just the first step in winning the war on terror. The U.S. military in Iraq is transitioning from a primary security force to a support role as more Iraqi security forces take control of their respective provinces.

The brigade is a combination of soldiers who have been with the unit since Sept. 11, 2001, and have deployed several times and new soldiers who are fresh to the military and the 10th Mountain Division. The 2nd BCT is the most deployed unit in the Army and it is, with the help from the West Point training, preparing for another deployment next year when its new skills could come into use.

"When you're the one training someone, it teaches you to be a better teacher," said Spc. Stephen A. Reynolds, a mortarman. "It brings out the basic teacher quality."

The other mortarmen, who turn their basic command of "hang a round" into a unitwide joke, asking anyone who is about to leave the area if they want to "hang around," agreed with Spc. Reynolds. They talked about how this wasn't just about training the cadets, but was good technical training for them as well.

"For the new soldiers, it was great because it helps get them ready for combat and really helps with their confidence," Sgt. Joseph E. Asiegbu said. "Some of them fired this weapon for the first time up here."

None of the enlisted soldiers seemed to scoff at the idea that they were training their future commanding officers — the same men and women who could, in a few years, be making the decisions that could put their lives on the line. In fact, they embraced the opportunity and saw it as a chance for the cadets to get to know them and vice versa.

"It gives us a chance to work with them," said Sgt. Brandon D. Trudel, who does crater analysis for the mortarmen. "It gives us an up to prepare for combat and it gives them a good idea of what they are in for."

For many cadets, this is their first experience with enlisted soldiers who have deployed several times. According to Col. Greene, this helped create a "remarkable dynamic" because of their shared sense of service, since many of those at training, whether cadets or soldiers, had joined the Army in a post-Sept. 11 world. The cadets found that the time spent with the enlisted soldiers has given them a good idea of what to expect.

"They've been in combat and we get to hear what a good leader is. For them it's someone who is proficient and there for the guys," said Matthew M. Randi, Canton, who is entering his fourth year at West Point and has gone through the summer camp twice before.

Most of the training that happened at the camp, which takes place and is led by a different Army unit every year, is a requirement for graduation. For instance, the cadets need to be able to call in coordinates of targets to mortarmen and artillerymen who then fire the weapons. They also need to complete a water confidence course where they walk over water across wobbling beams, climb along a rope and then fly down a zip line into the water.

The cadets were enthusiastic during the training, and ready for whatever the 2nd BCT handed to them. While some had gone through the training before, there were some who had not even begun their West Point careers and were at the summer training for the first time.

"It's intense, but it's actually stuff we'll use," said Broghan D.S. Carnes, St. Petersburg, Fla. "It's great because looking around here, three quarters of them have been deployed. They are very informative and are teaching us that the most important thing is too look out for the kid next to you."