BCT Soldier 'pick-up' goes tactical
By Bob Bellin
July 25, 2006
FORT JACKSON, S.C. (Army News Service, July 25, 2006) – In the past, when a Basic Combat Training battalion picked up new Soldiers from the 120th Adjutant General Battalion (Reception), it was just a matter of moving people from one place to another.
The 2nd Battalion, 13th Infantry Regiment, has changed a logistical exercise into a tactical one, designed to motivate Soldiers and get them focused on the real-world training they are entering.
Lt. Col. Frank McClary, battalion commander, 2nd Bn., 13th Inf. Reg., said the change is important because he believes Soldiers need to be re-energized when they move to the battalion to begin their Basic Combat Training cycle.
“During that time they lose the excitement of being a Soldier and that is where the attrition (BCT Soldiers dropping out) starts to kick in.”
To counteract this in his battalion, McClary said he came up with the idea of adding a “tactical demonstration” into the process of picking up Soldiers from the 120th AG Bn.
New BCT Soldiers would watch as their drill sergeants demonstrated the kind of combat tasks and skills they would be teaching the Soldiers throughout the next nine weeks.
“When they come down to BCT, the mission is to get them ready for combat,” McClary said. “The tactical demonstration lets them know that the guys training them are proficient in the tasks they are asking the Soldiers to perform.”
The tactical demonstration, carried out using explosive simulators and pyrotechnic devices, also motivates BCT Soldiers by showing them how these skills apply to real-world combat, he said.
The tactical pickup was first tested with Company B and became the standard for the battalion for every pickup to follow.
On June 15, 234 new Company B Soldiers unloaded their buses and then watched drill sergeants and cadre perform such warrior tasks as squad movement, crossing a linear danger zone, reacting to contact and breaking contact.
The “tactical demonstration” is a key component of the tactical pickup, said 2nd Lt. Margie Williams, Company B executive officer. “It provides them with an example of what is happening on the battlefield in the contemporary operating environment.”
Pvt. Elisious Boyd of Company B appreciates what she saw in the demonstration.
“It was cool to see how the drill sergeants came together as a team and moved tactically,” Boyd said.
McClary said that increasing the respect that BCT Soldiers have for their trainers was one of the goals of the tactical demonstration. “It shows the drill sergeants’ professional side. It gives a level of respect that might not have been there before.”
The demonstration has also served as a teaching tool for the BCT Soldiers as they begin to actually learn the skills they saw in the demonstration.
“They start trying to mimic what they saw in the tactical demonstration,” McClary said. Seeing the final product of training when they first come to the unit grabs their interest and helps keep them focused.
Following the tactical demonstration, Soldiers are integrated into the unit by meeting company leaders and drill sergeants and learning about the unit’s history and tradition.
“In this ever-changing environment it is important to show flexibility and be innovative,” said 1st Sgt. Edward Martin of Company B. “The tactical pickup has proven to be an invaluable tool to Soldiers.”
McCrary is satisfied with the results he has seen.
“So far it has paid off,” McClary said. “The Soldiers are enthused.”
The tactical pickup is now the standard for the battalion. The next one will be executed by Company E on July 28.
(Editor’s note: Bob Bellin writes for The Leader at Fort Jackson, S.C.)
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