FORT POLK, La. ---- For three Girl Scouts, the decision was unanimous. The explosions were the best part. The three scouts, along with their troop leader, were among a group of 135 people that toured the Joint Readiness Training Center training area commonly referred to as "The Box", April 11.
The tour began with an introductory briefing about the history of the JRTC and an overview of its capabilities. Visitors then viewed a demonstration of typical training and saw displays of weapons and vehicles. They also had a chance to interact with military personnel.
"The explosions were awesome," Gabby, from the 2-178 Girl Scout Troop, said. "We got to shoot the guns and go to the top of the buildings."
The troop is comprised of fourth and fifth grade girls from the Fort Polk area.
"We all really enjoyed it," Troop leader Martha Gamez-Allen said. "We hope to do it again, soon."
The group of 135 attendees was mostly comprised of military and Army civilian Families, but also included citizens from surrounding Vernon Parish.
Keith Lee, a lifetime Leesville resident on his first box tour, said he had no military background but has worked at Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital for 11 years.
"(The tour) is something I've been wanting to do for a long time," he said. "We get some heat injuries and other patients from the box, so it gives me a little better idea of what they experience out here."
The training scenario visitors observed took place at a simulated Middle Eastern bazaar where two men initiated a terrorist attack by detonating bomb hidden in a backpack. Soldiers were then tasked with repelling the attack and defending the villagers.
The training area can replicate numerous urban and rural environments and training scenarios that a unit might encounter in a combat area, with enemies ranging from insurgents or guerilla forces to a more conventional enemy.
The training can be tailored to the needs of the unit preparing for deployment.
Col. Charles LaNeve, commander of the JRTC Operations Group, said the purpose of the training center and the goal of Operations Group is to expose and exploit weaknesses in a deploying unit so that it can make necessary improvements before going to war ---- improvements that the unit may not know it needs.
"It's an incredible resource for our nation," LaNeve said. "The idea is for the units to make the mistakes here instead of in theater and keep the casualties as few as possible. That's really the premise of the training center."
Defense contractors serve as roleplayers in roles such as non-combatant civilians, members of the media, insurgent forces and multiple others. The 1st Battalion (Airborne), 509th Infantry Regiment, located on Fort Polk, provides the opposing force.
"They kick the butt of units that come here, every time," LaNeve said. "And that's what we want. We want the units that come here to lose because that's when you learn. Then, they can use those lessons on the battlefield.
"And it's not just looking at the enemy and fighting," he added. "It's also critical decisions made on a daily basis."
A date for the next tour is not set, but tour organizers said that it will most likely be in November.
Social Sharing