June 25, 2012
By Cathy Pauley, Sacramento Battalion
Station commanders, NCOs and officers from Sacramento Battalion Capitol Company’s seven stations teamed up with 10 Army Reserve drill sergeants Feb. 11 to make a Future Soldier Training Program (FSTP) event much more than just a basic training readiness event.
The Future Soldiers were put into teams by ship date instead of by recruiting station. “This allowed the Future Soldiers to interact with other station Future Soldiers as well as being able to bond with those battle buddies they will ship with when heading to basic training,” said Capt. Jamie Grymes, Capitol Company commander.
Competition revolved around a nine station obstacle course which included the 3-5 second buddy rush, push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, bear crawl, crab walk, hand grenade toss, a sprint, and litter carry relay. The drill sergeants provided training on correctly throwing a hand grenade and the 3-5 second buddy rush prior to the team competition.
“The competition really motivated the Future Soldiers during the event, and the following weeks,” Grymes said. “It was a break in their training routine.”
Future Soldier Jose Tapia-Ramirez said the FSTP challenged him both physically and mentally. “I have learned my true capabilities through fun and challenging activities,” he said. “I got to interact with real drill sergeants and simulate grenade throwing. I now know what is expected and I feel I am prepared for basic training.”
Grymes said that the Future Soldiers were expecting a physically challenging event, but most were caught off guard at just how rigorous it turned out to be. He added that the challenge proved to be very motivating.
“I really liked how the NCOs trained with us, not just telling us how to do it,” said Future Soldier Anias Logan.
Echoing that sentiment, Future Soldier Cody Matsumoto said “I liked the competitions, the way team-building is encouraged and the way the NCOs incorporated the Warrior Ethos during PT.”
Sergeant Adam Montgomery from Rancho Cordova Army Career Center organized the competition, and Station Commander Staff Sgt. Geno Nash executed it.
“I felt the training was a great realistic environment for the Future Soldiers because of the drill sergeants’ presence,” said Nash. “In future events I will always implement drill sergeants into the events.”