Training for a day that I pray never happens: Have you ever hoped it was for naught?

2015-09-12T05:15:26-04:00

I find myself asking what I can do to further my mission. I obtain extra-curricular training to augment my mission parameters and assist me in being a better soldier. I find myself longing for the day when my efforts are fruitful and that's when it hits me: In order for me to obtain some tangible benefit from my efforts, something very bad must happen; many must suffer or even die in order for it to be bad enough for us to be called into service. So then, I must pray that my skills have been obtained unnecessarily. Whereas unlike a doctor where a need exists whether there be competent people to fill it, in the case of disaster or war neither is as prolific as sickness.... if I were not here, would there be a void or am I just training in futility?

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 12 at 2015 6:31 AM

2015-09-12T06:31:09-04:00

Only the dead have seen the end of war, and only fools hope for it.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 12 at 2015 8:15 AM

2015-09-12T08:15:51-04:00

I feel as though you are looking for validation in your skill set. So long as you train as you fight, remain up to date on newest information available for your MOS and are confident in your skills, than when you are called in to action, you will feel justified. It is when one starts to think that they are training for "naut" that they don't try as hard to maintain the highest level of discipline within their realm of practice. You can be competent and validated if you put your best effort in to everything you do.

Response by SN Greg Wright made Sep 12 at 2015 1:09 PM

2015-09-12T13:09:29-04:00

CPL Private RallyPoint Member Hell yes. Those giant-assed Atropine injectors.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Sep 12 at 2015 2:24 PM

2015-09-12T14:24:16-04:00

You must be able to deal with the paradox of a double edged sword.

Response by LTC Andrae Evans made Sep 12 at 2015 3:28 PM

2015-09-12T15:28:27-04:00

I take it that you are a medic. I started out my career as a medic. I found that you start now and you do not have to wait for something bad to happen. What has been lost is the Combat portion of the Combat Medic. Here is what the old Viet Nam guys taught me. You are the senior safety NCO regardless of your rank. Get to know your assigned unit members story, their names, their families, their beliefs. Your protection of them starts now, not when they are injured. If they are doing a task get dirty and do it with them so that they trust you, and know if any one of them goes down you will be able to stitch them up and step-in to keep them alive. The part about you being a non-combatant is crap....4-8 seconds was the average time a medic lived during conflict....In today's war you are a target like everyone else, in fact you and the Chaplain usually carry a bounty on your heads, so wear it well. In AFG, IRQ and definitely if we fight anyone else...So as such you must be firstly competent as a warrior, the most vicious the hardest fighter and the most in shape. You are a leader regardless of your rank. They must trust you because you may be the single greatest asset that will get them back home to Moma's apple pie.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 12 at 2015 3:47 PM

2015-09-12T15:47:03-04:00

Welcome to the professional Army. The source of moral superiority is what would happen if you are not ready when the day comes. We all hope we never see war, (at least the ones that have already seen it) but are always ready for when the time comes.

Response by CW4 Russ Hamilton (Ret) made Sep 12 at 2015 4:36 PM

2015-09-12T16:36:17-04:00

I found that I was yearning to be deployed for a long time. I was in a reserve special forces unit when Desert Storm came around – they didn’t need more SF so we didn’t get deployed. Then came Bosnia and Kosovo – I finally got deployed and it was amazing. I found out I knew my shit. Then 9/11 and we were tagged for Iraq in mid-2003 and we arrived in Jan 2004. This was a different animal than Kosovo, more dangerous. Once I discovered all us reservists (from 9 different units) were being place under an AC MI unit that had never done CI/HUMINT, I insisted on being in charge of CI/HUMINT OPS for the BN. I had over 100 people under me. Again, all went well until we had our first casualty two weeks into the mission, then reality really sank in. Thank God, we only had one more, which is nothing short of a miracle considering how our teams went out. Like someone else, we tend to need validation of our skills.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 12 at 2015 4:38 PM

2015-09-12T16:38:13-04:00

As a member of a rescue wing, I entirely relate to your situation. I have always looked at it in this way. We train for an eventuality we hope never comes to pass, but if it does we must be prepared. This doesn't completely pertain to just military action. Natural disasters, accidents on the road, stressful situations in the civilian world that require desicive action and a clear head...these are things we have a skill set for even outside of war. In everything, our training comes into play. I hope to never need it, but I'm sure happy I have when I need it.

Response by SrA Matthew Knight made Sep 14 at 2015 2:23 AM

2015-09-14T02:23:11-04:00

Being as I now live/work on a nuke base, I hope and pray to God that some of the training implemented never has to be put to use. On the bright side (heh, get it? I know, horrible nuke joke) everyone including myself within a certain radius would go quick. Could make a great end of the world party though with front row seats. Would be a blast for sure as things really started to heat up. I'll see myself out.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 14 at 2015 9:24 PM

2015-09-14T21:24:38-04:00

Can totally relate. I'm also on a response TF, and we train nothing but disaster response. I'm sure that we both have a ton of similar training, training that we hope we never have to use.
What I get out of my team's capabilities is that it's good to know we have these highly specialized teams available to respond to what is a city, a state or even the nation's worst day. Because of the training we accept, endure and excel at, we are able to provide a service that others cannot.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 15 at 2015 10:48 PM

2015-09-15T22:48:03-04:00

Such is the life of a combat medic. To earn the title of "Doc" and the respect of your soldiers it usually takes the death or maiming of a close friend. This is why I personally felt the CMB was a heavy burden to wear. Yes, it gives respect, but few badges or pieces of cloth carry the price a CMB commands, that price being the suffering of others.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 23 at 2015 7:26 AM

2015-09-23T07:26:12-04:00

Read your Bible. Study the Angels of God. War is an evolving balance to life and the focal started by evil whether for retaliation or initiation. The soldiers who are connected to God are covered by his Mercy. There is a need and there is a covering for those who are met in battle.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 24 at 2015 2:11 AM

2015-09-24T02:11:16-04:00

Just from a cursory view of your profile, you are a RTO for a Search and Rescue Company in the CANG. Your State has a long history of national disasters requiring the involvement of the National Guard, wild fires, mudslides, earthquakes, riots, ect. You don't get the benefit of hoping your skills will never be necessary. You get to go through your career KNOWING you will be needed to perform your duty. It may not be in warfare, It may not be in a major disaster, but at some point in a fire, flood, or earthquake your company is going to get the call, and in those situations accurate and timely communication between Recovery Elements, Civil Emergency Agencies, and your TOC will save and protect the lives and property of the civilians of your state. Enjoy the knowledge that your training isn't theoretical, outdated, or a worst case scenario skill set.

Also, if your going above and beyond the expectations of your grade and position, doing your own self development on your own time, make sure your leadership knows this and documents it in your monthly counselings to support future awards, E4 evals, etc.