"Two of the points were in the middle of the swamp …, which threw us off," Leandry said with a chuckle. Luis Leandry, a bioscience research assistant at USARIEM, trekked through the moist woods to complete the course. Morand also said the land navigation course had "real-world application" that could be used whether someone is downrange or hiking on his or her own.Ĭpl. "If you have people looking over things twice, you're more than likely to get it right." "I kind of let them take the reins, made a couple of corrections when I realized we needed to, and used it as a learning point," said Morand. Morand, considered an expert in land navigation, made sure not to dominate his group. Soggy conditions called for a slightly trickier land navigation day as Soldiers had to be certain they weren't stepping into unstable terrain. Shaun Morand, a behavioral health NCO at USARIEM. Everybody's in pretty high spirits," said Sgt. "Everything went really well, especially considering the weather. "They have to be really accurate," Larcom said, or the Soldiers run the risk of not finding their points.Īs the first iteration came to an end, Soldiers had plenty to say about the course.
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Larcom also pointed out that it is often difficult for some Soldiers to realize the attention to detail it takes during an exercise such as this one. "That eight-digit grid should get you within 10 meters of your point … (With) a 10-digit grid, you should be within one meter." "It's all very precise in order to get you there," said Larcom. This type of out-of-the-office training also prepares Soldiers for potential future assignments. "(This training) is nice because it breaks up the day and gives some of the Soldiers an opportunity to get out and apply some of their military skills and knowledge," said Smith. USARIEM leaders also try to incorporate field exercises at least once a month. This usually consists of classroom-style instruction covering everything from Equal Opportunity to Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) to life-preservation training. Once a week, the Soldiers of USARIEM partake in some type of training. "It promotes esprit de corps and morale, and gets us out of the office." "It's just good refresher training, and it gives the unit a chance to mingle with people that they might not have an opportunity to work with outside their division," said Smith. Laurel Smith, a research occupational therapist with USARIEM. Larcom spearheaded this particular training, along with Capt. Carl Larcom, Military Performance Division non-commissioned officer in charge at USARIEM. "So, basically, what we're doing is we're handing out maps of the general area, giving them three to four eight-digit grid coordinates they plot those coordinates on the map, and they go and they find them," said Staff Sgt.
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THE WAY TO THE WOODS HOW TO
Soldiers looked at the tools they would be using to familiarize themselves with the fundamentals of land navigation.Īfter arriving in the field, a quick briefing was given to personnel, stressing the importance of the correct way to hold the compass, how to establish a pace count, and plotting points on their maps using an azimuth, or degrees. Prior to heading to the field, Soldiers clocked in some classroom hours to prepare for the adventure. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, or USARIEM, went to the woods of Fort Devens to brush up on their skills July 26.
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With this in mind, the Soldiers and officers of the U.S. While not a first thought, land navigation is just as important.
![the way to the woods the way to the woods](https://i.redd.it/ww8ivl0v0b521.jpg)
(July 31, 2013) - Marksmanship, physical fitness and Army warrior tasks are primary aspects of Army training. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL 3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL 2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. The training was a chance for Soldiers to become familiar. Shaun Morand, right, plot points on a map before heading out on the Land Navigation Course on Fort Devens, Mass., July 26.