Question for all current & former Servicemembers regarding your training

[phantomx48]

First let me start off by thanking you for your service!

As for my question. . .is there a specific type of training that you received which you feel helped you the most prepare for combat?

As a civilian I don't ever expect to be in combat, but even in a self defense scenario, I am repeatedly told that no training can truly simulate or prepare you for a shooting (especially when someone is shooting back at you). So with that in mind, were there any particular drills, scenarios, or skill set that was taught to you during your training that might help us civilians be better prepared?

Something that maybe made you think in the back of your mind "good thing we trained by doing _______, back in basic" etc. after your deployment.

Or to put it another way, if a family member or good friend came to you looking to learn how effectively defend themselves with their gun/rifle, what would you teach them that they probably haven't learned after taking all the basic/intermediary classes with their local instructor?

[todd2968]

You learn the most important person is the person next to you, and if you aren't doing your part they will die and if they wont do their part you will die. There is no training, none that you are asking, only love of your brother and the loyalty to watch their back.

[MRX9989]

Communication (hand, verbal, digital, etc.), reconnaissance, map reading, physical fitness. And small arms proficiency, of course.

[brando]

Train under stress.

[Cpl. Haas]

As for my question. . .is there a specific type of training that you received which you feel helped you the most prepare for combat?

Best training I've received... and will probably ever receive... was at SERE. I would/wouldn't recommend it...

[hks95134]

The bayonet field.

[19K]

not sleeping for days at a time and being required to complete the task above standard.

stress, dehydration, hunger, lots of cigarettes/dip, lack of sleep, fear of getting my buddy killed.

[tnlrat37]

No training can equal stress under enemy fire, fog of war, adrenaline dumps. That being said, the one thing that I was glad we practiced religiously was fire and movement, mag changes, and weapon malfunction clearing drills. Ive never felt more vulnerable than when I had a major weapon malfunction under fire and could not fix it (M16 exploded).

[cold100onhw1]

Best training I got was my first firefight. You learn all the basics before hand but they all come together once you see a little combat.

[sunrisefordrene]

Mindset...#1....The Marine next to you #2..Everything else ..Like Cold100 said , is when the rounds start flying!!

[veejay]

Force on Force CQB using simunition rounds or paintball.

easy to forget the basics when rounds are flying at you with minimal cover while trying to clear a stoppage.

practice practice practice... tactical movements, speed/tactical reloads, muscle memory. slow is smooth and smooth is fast

[ChuckDizzle]

Airborne school. Once you've put your feet and knees to the brees everything else is a piece of cake.

"Show me a man who will jump out of an airplane, and I'll show you a man who will fight." Gen. Gavin

[pterrell]

You know, all if what was said is good but to me it is drill and boot camp as a whole. What sticks out in my mind from what my drill instructors always screamed is instant willing obedience to orders. Now, that's a bit larger scale but when you receive orders in a combat environment you don't get the luxury of questioning them. There is no time and the orders have a bigger picture than just you in mind.

The real answer to you question though is that there is no "one" thing that prepares you. It's the whole training package. Just like getting a degree in school.

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[anonymouspatriot]

Nothing can quite prepare you for combat like ..... well combat... lol

[jmsenk]

Mindset. I also think this is a main factor that separates Infantry/combat arms from other support jobs when it comes to combat. It takes a very different frame of mind to go out with the intent to take another man's life.

Read Dave Grossman's "On Killing" - it is discussed at length, along with the training it takes to overcome that mental hurdle. Simple things like training with silhouette targets vs bullseye targets can be the difference between squeezing that trigger it not.

So, to answer your question, as far as formal training goes, I would say that platoon level live fires really instilled a trust and comradeship in the men you're fighting beside. There is nothing quite like tuning across an objective with dust kicking up a few yards in front of you from your support by fire positions.

I'd also second the bayonet course, as mentioned above. There are very few things that can instill the warrior mentality than training to kill a man with a blade.

What is harder to describe and express is the informal training and lifestyle that exists in an Infantry outfit. I hesitate to say that it changes you, as everyone ought to enter that environment knowing exactly what is expected of them. Rather it confirms and refines that mindset and that outlook. You realize and accept that somewhere outside the wire (or on the street) there is someone who will try to kill you today. You have to kill them first. That is all there is to it.

Technical skills, stress fires, all of that is great, but they pale in comparison to the importance of mindset. Your skills will fail you if you don't have the mindset established to use them when it matters.