FORT DRUM, N.Y. (July 23, 2015) -- The ruck march is an extensive stamina-building training exercise used by the American Soldier.
No other professional organization outside of the military requires its personnel to strap a bag that weighs no less than 35 pounds to their back, hands them an assault rifle or machine gun and sends them on their way to walk at a moderately fast pace for a set distance and time requirement.
The men and women who serve their country do this because the Army says they must but also to prove to themselves that they can.
Soldiers assigned to 2nd Platoon "Devastators," 563rd Military Police Company, 91st Military Police Battalion, completed a 12-mile ruck through the Fort Drum training area July 17.
Instead of having Soldiers load their rucks and walk around post for 12 miles, the leadership decided to include more realistic training to boost morale for the beginning of the platoon's training cycle.
"We wanted to make it different from any other ruck march they had done in the past," said Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Nichols, platoon sergeant.
At 6 a.m. the Devastators were picked up at Division Hill by a team of CH-47 Chinook helicopters assigned to B Company, 3rd General Support Aviation Battalion, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, and were flown out to the training area.
"The helicopter ride was also a reward for the Soldiers, because most of them had never flown on a helicopter before," Nichols said.
The aircraft would have to make two trips to accommodate the 75-Soldier platoon.
"It was completely different from flying in a plane," said Pvt. Andrew Bush, a first-time flyer. "It was cool; I really liked it."
The platoon conducted the ruck march as a tactical movement. So instead of letting the Soldiers complete the ruck on their own, they moved as a platoon.
Another added training bonus was the close-air support provided by a team of OH-58D Kiowa helicopters assigned to the 6th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, 10th CAB. The leadership was able to train on communicating with the pilots throughout the ruck march. Nichols, who is fairly new as the Devastators' platoon sergeant, took this opportunity to assess the Soldiers firsthand.
He said he used it to see how team leaders and squad leaders work with their Soldiers and as a team. From the planning phase to the execution, the operation was a collaborative effort from the platoon leader and the platoon sergeant down to the team leaders. With everyone working together, it was evident that it was easy for them to accomplish their mission.
"It's fantastic to see Soldiers motivating each other," said 2nd Lt. Nicholas Huyther, platoon leader. "Seeing that gave me a great sense of pride."
In less than four hours, the platoon finished the ruck march, and shortly after, they were airlifted back to Division Hill and then back to the company area.
"It went flawlessly," Nichols said. "The timing was right on from start to finish -- our first training exercise as a platoon and couldn't have gone smoother."
But Nichols wasn't the only proud noncommissioned officer in his platoon. Sgt. Mike Wood, a team leader, said he could not have asked for a better performance from his Soldiers.
In the end, everyone agreed that none of the great training they received would have been possible without the support from the helicopter crews.
"Helicopters aren't a tool that the Devastators get chance to utilize all of the time," Huyther said. "Opportunities are always there; you just have to seize them."
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