CDT Austin Miller: CTLT at Fort Benning

Austin Miller

CTLT Article

            This summer I conducted what is essentially an internship for the army. Unlike many civilian internships, I watched several different units on Fort Benning and shadowed platoon leaders and officers in command. The three units I spent the bulk of my training time with were the Army Marksmanship Unit, The 75^th Ranger Regiment, and The Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation.  This was literally the best training experience of my early career. The level of professionalism, precision, and motivation I witnessed at each of these three units was absolutely incredible. The leaders I met and shadowed illustrated for me what right looks like and I could not ask to have seen better examples of what soldiers can accomplish when they put their mind to the task.

            The Army Marksmanship Unit is a combination of the best shooters in the army, retired army shooting instructors, and civilians recruited by the army to train and compete. During my time here we shot for an entire week with a heavy focus on M9 and M4 carbine training. The training followed a crawl, walk, run methodology. Training the fundamentals until they are almost instinctive is imperative. Without perfecting the shooting fundamentals of trigger squeeze and muzzle control a lot of the training value is lost in later events if you progress before you are ready. By the end of the week, we were focusing heavily on transitions from M9 to M4, walking while shooting, moving target acquisition, and shooting for precision and speed from the kneeling, standing, and prone positions. I think the biggest takeaway I got from my time spent training with this unit is even with a group of subject matter experts, good training does not always occur. The combination in individuals of subject matter experts and the patience to teach and determination to succeed, great training will always occur.

            After my week spent at AMU, I shadowed a platoon leader in the 75^th Ranger Regiment. It is important to note I not only learned from both ranger officers and NCOs, but also from the British Special Forces who were conducting joint training during my time spent there. I think equally important, as what I saw of the day-to-day duties of an infantry officer were the lessons I took away in interoperability and the strengths and disadvantages of this type of training. The reality of the situation is different countries conduct training that is more and less effective than U.S. forces. The key from this type of training is that the two forces were constantly trying to smooth friction points during operations and coordinate jointly. This is done in an anticipatory effort for future operations, which have not yet been formulated. Day to day I tried to be a complete sponge during my time at 3/75. From questioning team leaders and brand new privates on their tasks and SOPs to watching a seasoned platoon leader make command decisions during reverse cycle direct action raids, the professionalism and skill of these soldiers was never in question. I think the biggest shock and takeaway I received from my time spent at 3/75 was how empowered the subordinates are in every facet of an operational environment. While the officer was in overall command of an operation, each mission was sliced up and tasked to an empowered NCO who briefed and facilitated that portion of the operation running smoothly. My brief description does not do what I witnessed justice, but it was like watching a well-oiled machine. The NCO’s were so empowered and accomplished their roles like second nature. This made it possible for the platoon leader to watch the situation unfold and make larger commanding decisions that affected mission success as a whole. When they were not on a training rotation, the rangers I shadowed took extra care to complete all administrative tasks to facilitate future training. The other major thing Rangers seemed to train to perfection during their less busy time frames was physical fitness. To be able to conduct extremely physically strenuous activity they have to be in constant near perfect physical condition. The Rangers I came in contact with exemplified what the best parts of the Army are all about. Every soldier I met took a personal interest in teaching me and mentoring me. The experience was more than I ever could have asked for.

            My last week at Fort Benning was spent at the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation. This is a school for international students to come from around the world and learn about The United States’ SOP’s and TTP’s. While the course was an overview concerning American tactics, the hardest part of shadowing the course for me was becoming totally immersed in Spanish. This course is not only important at an operational level, but having American cadets live and train with international students becomes strategic. During my time at WHINSEC, I met many impressive international soldiers. What became fascinating to me about this course was networking and learning as much Spanish as I possibly could. I tried to be outgoing and discuss with the students about the training they experienced in their home country and how it related to the politics within their nation at large. So much of what a young cadet learns about is grounded in theory, it was an awesome experience to forge real world connections and gain first hand accounts that could very well impact my future career in a major way. Both the international cadre and the American soldiers I met at WHINSEC displayed the utmost levels of professionals and passed along to me a new found fascination with culture.

            My time spent at Fort Benning was one of the best working real world experiences I have had to date. While the majority of what I have learned has been grounded in theory, I finally had an opportunity to witness the utmost potential of an infantry rifle platoon, learn from expert shooters, and train with international students from Columbia. I was constantly on the move during my time at Fort Benning and only a small portion of the training I conducted was administrative. The amazing leaders I shadowed and constantly seeing fast-paced training is what characterized this incredible experience for me.

 Cadet Miller on far right after jumping from a C130 airplane with a T-11 series parachute onto Friar Drop Zone