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Artillery, armor units training to deploy as MPs

Army News Service

Release Date: 1/28/2004

By Spc. William Addison and Staff Sgt. Pascual Flores

FORT DIX, N.J. (Army News Service, Jan. 28, 2004) -- Artillerymen normally pride themselves on their weapons, so when about 2,500 National Guard members were informed they were being deployed without their howitzers, it came as a shock.

Fort Dix has been designated a mobilization and training center for field artillery and armor units that are being deployed for missions normally performed by military police companies, said Col. Lonnie Barham, chief of the Strategic Mobility Division at Dix. Other artillery units have been training in MP skills at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., home of the Military Police School.

The National Guard units chosen for this new mission designated "in lieu of," hail from various states from as far west as Texas and spanning the east coast from New Hampshire and Vermont to Florida.

Eleven National Guard units are already training at Fort Dix, including guardsmen from New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. The post expects the remaining units to arrive within the next 6-8 weeks.

While at Dix, the units will go through the normal mobilization process, such as the Soldier Readiness Check center that includes medical and dental evaluations, inoculations, and a full administrative review.

Then for the next 40 days, MP training will be conducted by various elements of the 78th Division (Training Support), from Edison, N.J. Soldiers whose passion is making grid squares disappear will learn new skills outside of their military occupational specialty.

Specifically, the Soldiers will be training in two aspects of the MP field, Maneuver and Mobility Support Operations, and Area Security operations. Some of the tasks include route reconnaissance and surveillance, convoy escorts, mounted and dismounted patrols and cordon and search techniques to name just a few.

The artillerymen will also be required to qualify on much smaller weapons than they are used to, including the M-16 or M-4 carbine, M-9 pistol, MK-19 40mm automatic grenade launcher, M-203 grenade launcher, AT-4 anti-tank weapon and M-249 Squad Automatic Weapon, know as the SAW.

Most of the Soldiers training for this new mission welcomed the new experience.

"My 3rd Platoon 'Scorpions,' are in high spirit on this new mission and their high morale even surprises me, said 1st Lt. West Martin, 112th Field Artillery, New Jersey National Guard.

"We have been at the ranges for the past week learning all types of weapons," West said. "Guards are familiar with rifles and pistols, but now we are getting proficient and comfortable with the Army's vast array of individual and crew-served weapons."

"As Guardsmen, we partake in civil disturbance training once a year and in October 2001 we were mobilized for Operation Noble Eagle, tasked with providing security at airports, bridges and tunnels," West said.

With all the changes going on within the Army, Soldiers like those in the 172nd New Hampshire National Guard have learned to cope with the pace.

"The key to our success is what we have been told all along -- be flexible," said Sgt. Brad Mills about his unit's ability to learn the new skills. "With every obstacle there's something to overcome and we are used to being adaptive," he added.

"I think everyone who's in the artillery would rather tow a M-198 behind them, but a mission is a mission," said Sgt. Bill Chaussee, also of the 172nd.

"It came as a disappointment," said Sgt. 1st Class Thomas McGee, platoon sergeant for 4th Platoon, 172nd Field Artillery from New Hampshire. "There are a lot of us that love artillery, but we can adjust."

Also participating in this training are guardsmen from Pennsylvania armor and air defense units.

(Editor's note: Spc. William Addison is a member of the 444th MPAD and Sgt. Pascual Flores is a member of the Fort Dix public affairs office.)