Changing Guard
By Pat Caldwell - Argus Observer
Tuesday, May 8, 2007 1:32 PM PDT
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| Staff Sgt. Rodney Huston, Weiser, talks with fellow members of his Idaho Army National Guard platoon Saturday on a firing range at the Orchard Training Area south of Boise. Huston joined other Guardsmen from Payette and Emmett as they practiced Cavalry scout exercises throughout the weekend. |
Gowen Field, IDAHO - Citizen-soldiers of the Idaho Army National Guard unit from Payette and Emmett know a little about change.
In a sense, change has been a constant companion for the local Guardsmen since the day they arrived home from a historic, 18-month-long deployment to Iraq.
The deployment concluded in 2005, but since then the Idaho Army National Guard has weathered a massive reorganization, moving away from the M1A1 Abrams main battle tank to become Cavalry scouts.
And the Guardsmen from Payette and Emmett have been at the epicenter of the switch.
Saturday at a wind-swept firing range on the Orchard Training Area south of Boise, Guardsmen from Payette and Emmett were hip-deep into a new type of training that, at least at first glance, appears to have very little to do with their old 60-ton metal weapon of choice.
“This (training) is a means to an end regarding steps in order for our guys to be qualified as a scout,” 2nd Lt. Noah Siple, Caldwell, said Saturday at the firing range.
During their weekend drill at the Orchard Training Area, the Payette and Emmett Guardsmen —collectively known as Alpha Troop, 2-116th Armored Reconnaissance Squadron — worked on a host of Cavalry scout techniques.
Alpha Troop is split between the two cities — 1st Platoon of Alpha Troop calls the Emmett Armory home while Alpha Troop’s 2nd Platoon utilizes the Payette Armory.
Each scout platoon contains more than 20 Guardsmen operating from either Humvees or Bradley Fighting Vehicles. The troop can also call on a mortar section for help in a tight combat situation.
The switch to scouts is significant because for more than 20 years the Idaho’s Guard’s main combat maneuver unit — the 2nd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Brigade (Armor) — focused on tank tactics.
While the switch may seem to be groundbreaking at first glance, some of the Guardsmen from Payette said the change is really not that big of a deal.
“Right now we are changing jobs, from tankers to scouts. But it is pretty much the same thing. We’re still on tracked vehicles and everyone knows Humvees,” Spc. Matthew Douglas, 24, Payette, said.
Spc. Lane Huddleston, 38, Payette, agreed with Douglas.
“A lot of what we’ve done so far we did in Iraq,” he said. While some Guardsmen prepared to fire M-19 grenade launchers and .50 caliber machine guns from Humvees, others practiced the art of a Cavalry scout in practical exercises down from the range firing line Saturday. So far, the Payette and Emmett Guardsmen have easily managed the change from tankers to scouts, Alpha Troop commander Capt. Robert Horry said.
“In many respects it is the same except the vehicle is different. The only challenge we have is learning a new weapons system,” Horry, Boise, said.
Camaraderie makes a difference
Several of the local citizen-soldiers said one element that helped Alpha Troop make the transition from tanks to scouts easier is the close-knit composition of the outfit. The deployment to Iraq helped solidify that unity, Staff Sgt. Rodney Huston, Weiser, said.
“We’re a tight-knit group. You live with them (during the Iraq deployment) for a year and a half and you know what they like and what they don’t like. It makes for a better team,” Huston said.
Huston, though, conceded the past year has been filled with changes for Alpha Troop.
“It’s been a big transition. But to me it is a lot more interesting. Change is definitely good,” he said.
The unit camaraderie makes a big difference for Alpha Troop’s 2nd Platoon Commander, 2nd Lt. Joshua Hoston. Hoston, 26, a firefighter in Coeur d’Alene, travels south once a month for drills at the Payette Armory.
“These guys are the only reason I come down here,” he said. “These guys have their own perspective but when it comes time to get things done, there is no one better. They are vets, they have a lot of experience.”
Scouts play a far different role on the battlefield than tanks, Hoston said. Scouts are expected to move out ahead of the main force, find the enemy and then watch and report back to headquarters.
“Imagine going from the person who is called to kick people’s teeth in to being someone who has to call someone else to do that job,” he said. “It is much more covert. We’re playing hide and seek, but you are the person doing the hiding.” Scout duty also means Guardsmen must be better prepared.
“You are going to be two or three days ahead of your battalion so you have to plan a lot more,” Hoston said. Scouts must also learn to adapt quickly on the modern battlefield, Horry said.
“You have to be an independent thinker and definitely brave. But I like the scout mission. Being the eyes and ears of the brigade commander feels like you are a special force,” Horry said.
