FORT SILL, Okla.--The U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery School at Fort Sill graduates about 300 active-duty 14T air defenders every year. The cadre of C Battery, 3rd Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery, 6th ADA Brigade is responsible for training the 14T "Launcher Dogs" as they are affectionately referred to, said Sgt. 1st Class Joe Cantu, C, 3rd-6th ADA, 14T branch chief.
Patriot launcher crew members are responsible for transporting the surface-to-air Patriot missile battery to a site, setting up the system, maintaining and troubleshooting its electronic and mechanical systems, reloading missiles and breaking down the system.
Classes are small in the 10-week course. They range from six to 15 Advanced Individual Training Soldiers, as well as Army Reserve Soldiers getting refresher training, Cantu said. Twenty-four instructors help motivate the students and graduation rates are high.
The first 14T class at Fort Sill was in January. Before that they were trained at the ADA schoolhouse at Fort Bliss, Texas. Upon graduation from the USAADASCH, all new 14Ts go to Forces Command brigades with Patriot units, he said.
Student Pfc. Garrett Nelson was in his eighth week of training. He chose to go 14T because he said he wants to have a marketable skill after the Army.
"There are a couple big names like Raytheon and Lockheed-Martin, and, hopefully, I can get on with them," said Nelson, 22, of Albertville, Ala.
Nelson also commented on the 14T course.
"The training is phenomenal," he said. "You get 10 weeks of solid training on exactly what you'll be doing. You don't learn any useless stuff."
Curriculum
The training consists of three progressive modules.
Instructors in the one-week Module A train Soldiers to drive the HEMTT tractor with its Patriot launching station trailer. Course topics include the Army Traffic Safety program, driving qualifications, Patriot system safety and hazardous communication, Cantu said.
Module B, six weeks long, gets into the electronics and mechanics of the launching station. "Module Bravo is the hardest for students, because of the technical aspects," Cantu said. "It drives them and challenges them.
"Part of Module C covers the guided-missile transporter, and launcher maintenance.
"They go over missile safety on the guided-missile canister. They get real technical on the Patriot PAC-2 (Patriot Advanced Capability) and PAC-3 missile munitions," he said. They also learn secure communications, and learn to work as a five-Soldier team reloading missiles.
After action reviews, show that the students enjoy the hands-on experience of Module C, Cantu said.
FTX
The culmination of 14T training is a five-day field training exercise where the Patriot launcher crew members put their MOS skills to the test as well as Training and Doctrine Command mandated warrior tasks.
The first three days are MOS specific and includes testing of a five-Soldier team reloading the Patriot launching station.
Another task, requires a two-Soldier team to prepare the Patriot launcher for firing within 25 minutes, said instructor/squad leader Staff Sgt. Joey Salas.
"Twenty-five minutes is the standard, but a good, experienced crew can get it done between 15 to 17 minutes," Salas said. "Same with the breakdown."
Staff Sgt. Michael Bailey, 3rd-6th ADA, S3 Warrior Task and Battle Drill Shop, helps run the FTX.
Some of the warrior tasks included improved-explosive device recognition, ambushes, dealing with civilians in war zones and a "Black Hawk down" incident, Bailey said.
"We try to give them real-world scenarios where they have to use both tactical and common sense," he said.
Facilities
Training is conducted in the new Patriot General Instruction Facility in McClymont Hall off Bragg Road.
State-of-the-art classrooms feature automated instructor work stations and huge projection screens for students' easy viewing of lessons.
"They are super awesome. The students and instructors love them," said Cantu, refering to the classrooms.<span>The barracks for 14T students, as well as other AIT ADA students, are across the street from the school, said Staff Sgt. Joshua Ferrier, course instructor/writer. The barracks are also near the Sgt. 1st Class Bamford Dining Facility, where the students eat, and Rhinehart Fitness Center where they perform physical training.
"Everything we need to teach the students is right here," said Ferrier, pointing to the nearby facilities
ADA community
Patriots units are located worldwide and that is one of the appeals of the MOS to Cantu.
"It's a good MOS because you can deploy to every region of the world," he said. "Patriots have been deploying since Desert Storm ended."
For Ferrier, one of the perks of the 14T MOS is that it is small in numbers compared to other MOSs such as infantry or combat medics.
"I can leave here and go to another duty station, and I guarantee, that I will run into at least five people that I have worked with or that I know," he said. "It's a family branch."
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