FORT BENNING, Ga., (Dec. 9, 2015) -- Staff Sgt. Manuel Quggiotto, with the 4th Alpine Italian Ranger Battalion, proved himself when he began the U.S. Army Ranger Course April 20 and graduated July 10. Now, he is training to become a Ranger instructor for the 5th Ranger Training Battalion in Dahlonega, Georgia, as part of the Italian Ranger Reciprocal Exchange Position program.
The Italian unit specializes in mountaineering. The headquarters of the Italian unit is in Montorio Veronese, in northeast Italy near the Dolomite Mountains. The Italian rangers use this terrain to train, move, fight and survive in the harshest environment for soldiers.
As a soldier with the Italian army, Quggiotto excelled in Mountain Phase, even saying he felt "at home," but said the course came as a challenge to him.
"It was tough physically and mentally and demanding," Quggiotto said of the Ranger Course. "But, it was really important for my career. This is one of the best courses I've had in my professional life."
He said he felt well prepared from training with his own unit but struggled with patrols. He also enjoyed being in an environment that put him out of his comfort zone, as Swamp Phase did.
After the Italian army's Master Sgt. Luca Bertozzo qualified as a U.S. Ranger instructor and completed the Ranger Instructor Certification Program with the 5th RTB in 2004, an Italian delegation visited RTB in 2005 to establish a working relationship between the units. The program was finalized between 2013 and 2014.
As part of the exchange, a noncommissioned officer from the 4th Alpine Airborne Ranger Regiment traveled to Dahlonega, Georgia, and served as an instructor, said Lt. Col. Massimiliano Bar, the Maneuver Center of Excellence's Italian liaison officer.
Sgt. 1st Class Steve Turnboo, 5th Ranger Training Battalion, was the first U.S. Soldier to travel to Italy to train with the Italian army's 4th Alpine Airborne Ranger Regiment for the exchange program when he went in May 2015.
"Everybody is so impressed with him, he is doing a great job," Quggiotto said of Turnboo.
Quggiotto hopes to bring his experience he had abroad to the Ranger Course students. In Italy, the soldiers train in the Alps, but in Dahlonega, he said the students learn basic skills needed to operate in a mountain environment.
He described the 5th RTB as outstanding and said he was impressed by their mountaineering skills.
"The course is tough enough, we (Italian rangers) should bring the technical aspects," he said.
The only problem Quggiotto anticipated was the language barrier, but was confident in saying, "You have to be outstanding, and I'm going to be outstanding."
Quggiotto will remain with the 5th RTB through July 2018. During his time with the unit, Quggiotto will advise on training recommendations, but also looks forward to the knowledge he will gain by working as an instructor.
"I still consider myself as a student here," Quggiotto said. "(There is) a lot that I can learn and I can take with me after my duty here and (it) will be really helpful for my unit. I still have a lot to learn here."
Social Sharing