FORT SILL, Okla. (June 22, 2017) -- This is the fourth in a series of articles following six basic combat trainees in C Battery, 1st Battalion, 79th Field Artillery who are in the Army National Guard's Split Option Program. Three will be high school seniors and three will return to college after training. They will resume advanced individual training next summer.
They get a reprieve on Sundays. No PT. An extra hour of sleep. But they can't laze around on their bunks or take naps, and they must do something productive such as laundry, cleaning, writing letters home. Trainees can also attend religious services, and take advantage of "drill sergeant enhancement time" where one-on-one instruction is given trainees to work on problem areas and improve their skills.
Since they endured the gas chamber on June 5, the trainees of C Battery, 1st Battalion, 79th Field Artillery did a land navigation exercise; an obstacle course; a field training exercise to learn field reporting, small team maneuvers, high and low crawls, applied camouflage paint and fired the M16A2/A4 first through simulated training, and then during live fire June 15 and 16.
Capt. Morgan Montgomery, C/1-79th FA battery commander, heaped praise on his drill sergeants, who are the heart and soul of the Army.
"The only thing that makes this whole thing run is the drill sergeants," he said. "They're here between 4 and 4:30 in the morning, a lot of times they don't go home until 20, 2100 at night. They're in every day, Monday through Sunday. When they graduate a class, they generally have a big sense of fulfillment because they've completed something a lot of people can't do. They've transformed a bunch of civilians into Soldiers."
Some noncommissioned officers volunteer for the two-year stint; some are "voluntold." No matter which path they took to wearing the distinctive campaign or bush hat, they are the ones who will leave the biggest mark on new Soldiers.
"A lot of them do it because they care about the future of the Army," said Montgomery.
Montgomery took his own basic combat training in 1999 in the next building over from his current command.
"That's when it was C Battery, 2nd Battalion, 80th Field Artillery."
He also took advanced individual training in the building that now houses the trainees he commands. He was teaching at the Field Artillery School for 1st Battalion, 30th Field Artillery here when he was tapped as battery commander, a job he's held for the last four months.
"Being able to give back to that same idea that helped change my life, it's a big deal for me. I really enjoy it."
Army basic combat training is divided into three main phases. Morgan said the Red Phase began at the 95th Adjutant General Battalion (Reception) where the recruits got haircuts, uniforms, immunizations, ID cards, the Soldier's Blue Book, and the lowdown on what to expect once they get handed over to their unit drill sergeants for the next nine weeks.
When they moved from Reception to their unit, they experienced drill sergeants in all their glory. That's when the yelling begins in earnest. This is the phase where scrutiny and control by the drill sergeants are excruciatingly comprehensive.
Morgan said the White Phase focuses on many of the warrior tasks.
"They're going to qualify with their weapon, throw live hand grenades. That's a big one. Some people get a little crazy when they start holding that hand grenade for the first time."
Qualifying in both tasks means the Soldiers wear the hardware (badges and bars) on their Army Service Uniforms when they graduate.
That phase began June 18 for Charlie Battery, and for that milestone they were given their cell phones for a 30-minute phone call home. They will also wear the U.S. Army patch for the first time.
The Blue Phase is geared toward teaching more advanced skills and preparing them for advanced individual training (AIT) for their military occupational specialty. Graduation is the culmination of the Blue Phase.
The approach taken by the cadre also changes with the phases.
"During the first phase we tend to be more critical because we're trying to get them (the trainees) out of the way they used to think, into more of a military mindset," said Morgan. "In the White Phase they get a little more background on the drill sergeants," he said, meaning they will tell the trainees about their own experiences as Soldiers.
"Blue phase is when they start talking to them about what they can expect at their first duty station," continued Montgomery. "It goes from being authoritarian to more of a mentorship."
Pfc. Rachel Dibbins of San Diego, had a few minutes to talk about her third week of training between simulated firing exercises at the Engagement Skills Trainer, June 13.
"The weeks go by really fast because we're busy all the time," she said as her battle buddies looked on.
For the land navigation exercise on Potato Hill, she said her Death Dealers platoon plotted the most points.
"We got to go off in our own groups with no cadre, which is the first time we've really had no direction," she said. "It was really cool because we got to take something we did in the classroom and really apply it."
Pvt. DeJon Riley of New Orleans, took a few minutes off his chow time at the live fire exercise June 16, to talk about the week's activities.
"The land navigation was wonderful," he said. "We won the streamer. My team was the first one back for our platoon. We found all our points, and they were all correct."
He said one of his biggest challenges is communicating with his teammates during exercises. "We have a lot of strong-minded people who have great and wonderful ideas. It's just we all want our ideas to be out there."
He also said he needs to work on his marksmanship, as he's never fired a weapon before.
"The drill sergeant grading me said I have to work on my breathing. You're supposed to shoot on that natural pause when you breathe in and then breathe out." He said he's in the "hard core" group because of that, but is certain he will improve.
Riley was looking forward to that phone call home, hoping he wouldn't do anything to make him miss that opportunity.
"One of my core values in life is family," said the high school senior. "I see the Army as just another extension of my family."
Pvt. Shane McDonald, who will be a college sophomore at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Va., in fall, said shooting a rifle was not a new experience for him.
"I've grown up around my grandpa who's taken me shooting almost every chance he gets." However, he was surprised that the M16A4 had very little kick to it.
Shooting a rifle was a new experience and the hardest challenge to date for his platoon mate Pvt. Tyler LeBlanc of Cocoa, Fla.
"I didn't do hot on the electronic (simulation) but I went through my fundamentals and I straightened it all out. I did well yesterday (at the live fire)."
He said the obstacle course and the high- and low-crawl maneuvers were the most fun. "I love that," he said with a big grin.
Pfc. Cailin Cinnamon of Garber, Okla., had a different take on the obstacle course. "It was hard, and we had to do it again." She was among those selected for platoon competition. "My platoon won and we got a streamer for it. It's on our flag." While she didn't particularly care for the course itself, she said, "It was fun to win."
She also said the marches are the most challenging for her. "Shin splints, the heavy bag. It's hard."
Cinnamon, who will be a senior in high school this fall, obtained her rank through the Stripes for Buddies program. "I referred three people," she said. When they enlisted, she got two promotions.
The rat-a-tat-tat of rifle fire and the commands from drill sergeants were part of the soundscape of the third week of basic combat training. That soundscape continues through Week 4 as they aim to qualify for their Marksmanship badge.
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