YAKIMA TRAINING CENTER, Wash. -- What happens when you combine the Army's top Special Forces Soldiers with a conventional unit? The result is an incredible learning opportunity -- for both sides. Soldiers from the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team recently had this chance to work side-by-side with Green Berets in medical training.
For most people, the term "Green Beret" conjures up images from heart-pounding action movies. However, the true scope of work performed by Special Forces Soldiers includes everything from unconventional warfare and special reconnaissance, to humanitarian assistance and peacekeeping missions. Partnering with conventional Army units is also another unique aspect of work for these Green Berets.
Pfc. Brennan Stubb, an infantryman assigned to C Company, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Battalion, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, said that partnering with Special Forces during training "make us more prepared, and it changes things up from conventional Army training to get a different perspective."
Stubb and his fellow Soldiers in the 2nd Infantry Division, received advanced medical training from the Special Forces in first aid. The Green Berets also demonstrated improved techniques for placing injured Soldiers on litters and skeds (stretchers that can be dragged along the ground.) While this specialized medical training is standard for the Green Berets, Stubb remarked how beneficial these skills will be for his unit in future training and deployed environments.
For their part, the conventional units also assisted the Special Forces with ground and air support during the training. Soldiers from the 2-2 SBCT provided logistical support to the Green Berets throughout their time at the Yakima Training Center.
For both the Special Forces and conventional units, the YTC provided an ideal environment for the training. "It's a good training venue for both organizations and because we both use it, it makes sense that we co-utilize the same area," according to one of the team leaders with the 1st Special Forces Group (A). The YTC featured a training environment similar to what Soldiers might experience overseas, while also being conveniently located so that neither unit had to undertake the otherwise arduous travel to the Joint Readiness Center in Louisiana or the National Training Center in California.
Working side-by-side gave both the Green Berets and the 2-2 SBCT Soldiers valuable experience that can carry over to future deployments. "They have a better idea of how we are organized and what our mission is," said the 1st SFG (A) team leader, referring to his 2-2 SBCT counterparts. "Specifically in a deployed environment there's so many lessons learned, command relationships, who's responsible for what, how to battle track each other and how to communicate -- very basic things that can have a big impact down range."
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