Fort Bliss Monitor

NM National Guard ANCOC Soldiers graduate

Spc. Paula Taylor
4-1 BCT, Public Affairs

PHOTOS BY SPC. PAULA TAYLOR
Students from ANCOC, Phase II, Class 001-05 prepare to board the Blackhawk helicopters for transport to their Field Training Exercise Tuesday in Santa Fe, NM.

SANTA FE, N.M. – The helicopters could be heard off in the distance: a low rumble and a whipping wind as they slowly descended. A Blackhawk crewman stepped out and waved for the Soldiers to board. After everyone was seated, the helos took flight and disappeared toward the distant snow-capped mountains. Once on the ground, with rifles in hand and warrior-painted faces, the Soldiers took up fighting positions and radioed to the other two groups that had already landed. After meeting up and regrouping, they headed across the open New Mexico desert to their first mission in a series of tasks that would challenge even the most experienced combat veteran.

These Soldiers are members of the National Guard who were sent to the New Mexico National Guard’s 1st Air Defense Battalion, 515th Regiment, Regional Training Institute’s Advan-ced Noncom-missioned Officer’s Course, Phase II, in Santa Fe.

Visiting the FTX was Command Sgt. Maj. Douglas Piltz of the U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery School at Fort Bliss. Piltz was there to see how the RTI was conducting their FTX in order to gain ideas that may enhance his active duty component’s ANCOC training.

Currently, the AD component’s ANCOC FTX does not stay overnight in the field at Fort Bliss. Piltz is in the process of changing that.

He was also impressed with the amount of standard Army training the RTI gives their sergeants during ANCOC, instead of concentrating on just the leadership aspects of the course.

“We used to train the basics,” said Piltz. “Now we’re going back to the basics.”

During their field training exercise, the ANCOC students reacted to live fire, and encountered an “enemy” shouting, “This is my land! What do you want?” There was also a civilian media crew on the scene to try to distract the students while they were searching the “enemy” and guarding their newly established perimeter. They took custody of him and moved on down the trail. They also experienced a mine planted in the middle of the road, took on an ambush, treated a casualty they found along the way, and came under fire along their route. Shortly after nightfall, they began night training exercises.

Staff Sgt. Richard Smith, ANCOC instructor, 1st Bn. (AD), 515th Regiment (RTI) rides in the Blackhawk to the Field Training Exercise site in Santa Fe, NM

“I like what they’re doing here,” said Piltz. “Overall, the FTX went very well and had been well planned. They (the students) didn’t always make the right decisions, but the decisions they did make, they stuck to them.”
“It (the FTX) was a little rough at first, but overall, they did really well. If they got relaxed on the FTX, we started popping smoke (grenades). All of the students agreed the course was challenging.” said 1st Sgt. Charles Garcia, 1st AD Battalion.

Every morning, the students were required to read the NCO Creed in class. The creed was broken down into sections. Each student would be given the assignment to explain what a part of it meant to them, making sure they understood the meaning.

“We provide the students with the tools to be better NCOs,” said Garcia. “We have 135 references (regulations) we test them on.” By knowing the regulations, they will know where to go when their Soldiers need guidance or have a problem, he said.

“The students receive excellent training,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Abel S. Villesca, 515th Regiment (RTI). “The students, the cadre, they lead the way in the training. The Warrior tasks are built into the lesson plans. We give the students an experience that’s more than just reading bullets. They get ‘Hooah’ by painting their faces and all that. By coming here, the students are more prepared to lead as platoon sergeants.”

As the sun faded behind the mountains on Friday, the graduating ANCOC class, 001-05, packed their bags and headed home, but the training they received at the RTI they will carry with them throughout their careers: as Soldiers, as sergeants, as leaders

Quality Assurance Office recommends accreditation

Spc. Paula Taylor
4-1 BCT, Public Affairs

SANTA FE, N.M. – The New Mexico National Guard, 1st Air Defense, 515th Regiment (Regional Training Institute) was recommended for full accreditation of their Advanced Noncommissioned Officer’s Course (Phase II) Friday by the Fort Bliss U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery School, Quality Assurance Office.

The QAO at Fort Bliss was responsible for accrediting all Reserve Component Air Defense Artillery schools throughout the United States, said Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Moore, USAADASCH QAO NCOIC. Each branch had its own quality assurance office responsible for accreditation of the schools within that specific field.

There were two teams involved in the accreditation process.

One team of title XI Soldiers, Staff Sgt. Tremayne Savage, title XI, senior enlisted advisor, and Staff Sgt. Richard Smith, NCOIC for 1st AD, 515th Regiment, was assigned to the RTI to help prepare the school for the accreditation process by ensuring the curriculum, training schedules and files were up to the ADA Training and Doctrine Command standards.

The accreditation process for the RTI, included a pre-evaluation by the QAO, an institution self-assessment and a post-evaluation, said Smith.

Smith has been with the Santa Fe-based unit for a year, he said. Prior to transferring to New Mexico, he worked at a RTI in Florida as an instructor.

“This is the first time I have been involved in the accreditation process,” he said. “I enjoy helping. I’m a perfectionist and want to make sure everything goes well.”

The other team of Soldiers, from the Fort Bliss QAO, made sure the students learned the right tasks to standard and ensured the school had the right equipment, supplies and facilities required, said Moore.
The team also made sure the school provided an atmosphere conducive to learning and is supportive of appropriate military training.

Each course taught at the RTI is accredited separately. Once all courses have been fully accredited, the Fort Bliss QAO will award the school full accreditation. All courses get reevaluated every three years, said Moore.

The school courses at the RTI include Early Warning System Operator (14J), Patriot Launching Station Enhanced Operator (14T), Avenger Crewmember (14S), Man Portable Air Defense System Crewmember (14M), Basic Noncom-missioned Officer’s Course and Advanced Noncommissioned Offi-cer’s Course (Phase II).

“Being accredited is a benefit to RTI because it is an ongoing process,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Abel S. Villesca, 515th Regiment (RTI). “It’s not just when the accreditation team is here. We’re always in the process through our self-assessments.”.



www.bliss.army.mil	Published for the Fort Bliss/El Paso, Texas Community	May 5 , 2005

<map name="boxmap-b4"> <area shape="rect" coords="0, 589, 120, 600" href="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" > <area coords="0,0,10000,10000" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=&creative=92501&camp=8117&link_code=dl1&path=subst/misc/amazon-cobrand-cc/v3/marketing-from-associates-step1.html/ref%3Db1_assoc_29" > </map>	NM National Guard ANCOC Soldiers graduate Spc. Paula Taylor 4-1 BCT, Public Affairs PHOTOS BY SPC. PAULA TAYLOR Students from ANCOC, Phase II, Class 001-05 prepare to board the Blackhawk helicopters for transport to their Field Training Exercise Tuesday in Santa Fe, NM. SANTA FE, N.M. – The helicopters could be heard off in the distance: a low rumble and a whipping wind as they slowly descended. A Blackhawk crewman stepped out and waved for the Soldiers to board. After everyone was seated, the helos took flight and disappeared toward the distant snow-capped mountains. Once on the ground, with rifles in hand and warrior-painted faces, the Soldiers took up fighting positions and radioed to the other two groups that had already landed. After meeting up and regrouping, they headed across the open New Mexico desert to their first mission in a series of tasks that would challenge even the most experienced combat veteran. These Soldiers are members of the National Guard who were sent to the New Mexico National Guard’s 1st Air Defense Battalion, 515th Regiment, Regional Training Institute’s Advan-ced Noncom-missioned Officer’s Course, Phase II, in Santa Fe. Visiting the FTX was Command Sgt. Maj. Douglas Piltz of the U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery School at Fort Bliss. Piltz was there to see how the RTI was conducting their FTX in order to gain ideas that may enhance his active duty component’s ANCOC training. Currently, the AD component’s ANCOC FTX does not stay overnight in the field at Fort Bliss. Piltz is in the process of changing that. He was also impressed with the amount of standard Army training the RTI gives their sergeants during ANCOC, instead of concentrating on just the leadership aspects of the course. “We used to train the basics,” said Piltz. “Now we’re going back to the basics.” During their field training exercise, the ANCOC students reacted to live fire, and encountered an “enemy” shouting, “This is my land! What do you want?” There was also a civilian media crew on the scene to try to distract the students while they were searching the “enemy” and guarding their newly established perimeter. They took custody of him and moved on down the trail. They also experienced a mine planted in the middle of the road, took on an ambush, treated a casualty they found along the way, and came under fire along their route. Shortly after nightfall, they began night training exercises. Staff Sgt. Richard Smith, ANCOC instructor, 1st Bn. (AD), 515th Regiment (RTI) rides in the Blackhawk to the Field Training Exercise site in Santa Fe, NM “I like what they’re doing here,” said Piltz. “Overall, the FTX went very well and had been well planned. They (the students) didn’t always make the right decisions, but the decisions they did make, they stuck to them.” “It (the FTX) was a little rough at first, but overall, they did really well. If they got relaxed on the FTX, we started popping smoke (grenades). All of the students agreed the course was challenging.” said 1st Sgt. Charles Garcia, 1st AD Battalion. Every morning, the students were required to read the NCO Creed in class. The creed was broken down into sections. Each student would be given the assignment to explain what a part of it meant to them, making sure they understood the meaning. “We provide the students with the tools to be better NCOs,” said Garcia. “We have 135 references (regulations) we test them on.” By knowing the regulations, they will know where to go when their Soldiers need guidance or have a problem, he said. “The students receive excellent training,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Abel S. Villesca, 515th Regiment (RTI). “The students, the cadre, they lead the way in the training. The Warrior tasks are built into the lesson plans. We give the students an experience that’s more than just reading bullets. They get ‘Hooah’ by painting their faces and all that. By coming here, the students are more prepared to lead as platoon sergeants.” As the sun faded behind the mountains on Friday, the graduating ANCOC class, 001-05, packed their bags and headed home, but the training they received at the RTI they will carry with them throughout their careers: as Soldiers, as sergeants, as leaders Quality Assurance Office recommends accreditation Spc. Paula Taylor 4-1 BCT, Public Affairs SANTA FE, N.M. – The New Mexico National Guard, 1st Air Defense, 515th Regiment (Regional Training Institute) was recommended for full accreditation of their Advanced Noncommissioned Officer’s Course (Phase II) Friday by the Fort Bliss U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery School, Quality Assurance Office. The QAO at Fort Bliss was responsible for accrediting all Reserve Component Air Defense Artillery schools throughout the United States, said Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Moore, USAADASCH QAO NCOIC. Each branch had its own quality assurance office responsible for accreditation of the schools within that specific field. There were two teams involved in the accreditation process. One team of title XI Soldiers, Staff Sgt. Tremayne Savage, title XI, senior enlisted advisor, and Staff Sgt. Richard Smith, NCOIC for 1st AD, 515th Regiment, was assigned to the RTI to help prepare the school for the accreditation process by ensuring the curriculum, training schedules and files were up to the ADA Training and Doctrine Command standards. The accreditation process for the RTI, included a pre-evaluation by the QAO, an institution self-assessment and a post-evaluation, said Smith. Smith has been with the Santa Fe-based unit for a year, he said. Prior to transferring to New Mexico, he worked at a RTI in Florida as an instructor. “This is the first time I have been involved in the accreditation process,” he said. “I enjoy helping. I’m a perfectionist and want to make sure everything goes well.” The other team of Soldiers, from the Fort Bliss QAO, made sure the students learned the right tasks to standard and ensured the school had the right equipment, supplies and facilities required, said Moore. The team also made sure the school provided an atmosphere conducive to learning and is supportive of appropriate military training. Each course taught at the RTI is accredited separately. Once all courses have been fully accredited, the Fort Bliss QAO will award the school full accreditation. All courses get reevaluated every three years, said Moore. The school courses at the RTI include Early Warning System Operator (14J), Patriot Launching Station Enhanced Operator (14T), Avenger Crewmember (14S), Man Portable Air Defense System Crewmember (14M), Basic Noncom-missioned Officer’s Course and Advanced Noncommissioned Offi-cer’s Course (Phase II). “Being accredited is a benefit to RTI because it is an ongoing process,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Abel S. Villesca, 515th Regiment (RTI). “It’s not just when the accreditation team is here. We’re always in the process through our self-assessments.”.