CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait – On June 15, 2023, Soldiers with Charlie Company (C Co.), 142nd Division Sustainment Support Battalion (DSSB), a unit subordinate to the 369th Sustainment Brigade, conducted convoy training at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, utilizing a Reconfigurable Vehicle Tactical Trainer (RVTT).
RVTT is a system that enables, using electronic vehicles and weapons, within a simulated environment with a 360-degree virtual landscape. It allows Soldiers to interact with the simulated environment by utilizing electronic vehicles and weapons such as a .50-caliber machine gun and a High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWV), which the C Co. 142nd DSSB Soldiers utilized during their training.
Crews of three Soldiers—with one evaluator occupying the fourth seat in the HMMWV—utilized two available RVTT trailers to conduct the training while 1st Lt. Christopher Niarchos, commanding officer of C Co. 142nd DSSB, and Staff Sgt. Gregory Schwartz, the senior gunner with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 382nd Combat Support Sustainment Battalion, provided radio communications inside a nearby trailer simulating an operations center.
Niarchos served as the mission commander in the simulation, asserting that the training significantly honed his radio communications skills. He also expressed confidence in his company’s increased adaptability and readiness for future vehicle-related missions.
However, he was quick to credit Schwartz for significantly enhancing the effectiveness of the training program.
“Units need supplies, and transportation Soldiers are responsible for delivering those supplies,” Niarchos said. “If you are moving supplies, you need to be able to protect those supplies, and so it’s great to have help from someone with extensive experience in gunnery to help with training.”
Schwartz gave directions via radio to truck commanders, who then relayed the direction to the driver of the electronic vehicle.
Strong sergeants like Schwartz lead their teams toward mission success by instilling a culture that shuns the concept of failure.
Pvt. Brianna Meza, a motor transport operator with C Co. 142d DSSB, who served as a gunner during this exercise, said that the leadership at the training helped her emerge from the new experience of convoy gunnery with confidence in her ability to communicate effectively with her crew and protect the convoy.
Guidance was not solely confined to the ranks of the mission commander and senior gunner but resonated through all team levels.
Leadership and mentorship extended to the participating Soldiers long before the gunnery training.
Staff Sgt. Michael Barrientos, a motor transport noncommissioned officer with C Co. 142nd DSSB, who served as his crew’s truck commander, recounted his mentorship of a junior Soldier in his unit, Pvt. Shane Merrigan.
Barrientos played an instrumental role in guiding Merrigan toward a more collaborative approach to his tasks. This evolution unfolded gradually, with Merrigan’s transformation becoming increasingly evident throughout the training.
During this specific exercise, Barrientos observed a notable change in Merrigan’s approach. Merrigan embraced collaboration and emerged as an integral part of the crew, a testament to his growth and Barrientos’ successful mentorship.
Strong sergeants, such as Barrientos, prioritize comprehensive readiness, encompassing not only their troops’ physical and mental well-being but also their gradual development into collaborative team players through dedicated mentorship and guidance.
Strong sergeants, of course, make strong Soldiers.
Merrigan articulated the core tenets of leadership intrinsic to his role as a gunner, emphasizing that his top priority is to ensure the safety of his crew and the convoy.
“I need to make sure that whatever cargo we are delivering, or whatever personnel we are delivering, is safe,” Merrigan said. “And so it is my job to keep my eyes open—stay alert, stay awake and keep everyone safe.”
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