An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | Aug. 21, 2020

Driver training improves readiness for infantry battalion

By Sgt. Alan Royalty 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

ARTEMUS, Ky. – Soldiers from India Company, 429th Brigade Sustainment Battalion, the logistical support company for 1st Battalion, 149th Infantry, hosted driver training at Harold L. Disney Training Center July 28-30.

Selected members from all companies within the battalion were invited during their annual training as the 1-149th continues to cross-train Soldier skills amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The driver training comprises three phases. First, Soldiers must complete technical training and pass a written exam. Next, and before they get behind the wheel, they learn to conduct preventative maintenance checks and services on their vehicle. In the last phase, students applied what they learned. Participants practiced day- and night-time driving to simulate a variety of tactical tasks and prepare them for combat or other training missions.

Sgt. Jared Hinkle, master driver instructor with India Company, oversaw the training. Hinkle has conducted driver training for more than a year and comes to the Kentucky Guard with a first-responder background. As a civilian, Hinkle is a firefighter and teaches recruits how to drive fire engines.

"These are not like your normal civilian vehicles," Hinkle said of the various military vehicles used during training. "They are a lot stronger and a lot heavier. Most of these new Soldiers have not driven anything heavier than their own personal car or truck."

The heavy vehicles included the Light Medium Tactical Vehicle (LMTV), High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV, or Humvee), Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT) with Load Handling System (LHS), and HEMTT Fueler truck.

Pfc. Cheyenne Ramirez, also an instructor with India Company, is confident in the instructors and the training provided. Navigating behind the wheel of a large truck can feel intimidating to young Soldiers, so this training builds the confidence to accomplish their mission.

"A lot of our 88M Soldiers (truck drivers) do this on the civilian side, so we came to this with a lot of combined civilian and military experience," said Ramirez.

India Company provides logistical support to 1-149th, which tactically operates within the 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team from the Virginia Army National Guard. The company measures its effectiveness in the readiness and performance of the units it supports.

The platoon leader for India Company, 2nd Lt. Rachel Hardin, said Soldiers cross-trained on multiple jobs become more versatile and can contribute to a wider range of tasks involved in mission readiness.

“Soldiers confident in driving and not afraid to volunteer to move or service a vehicle helps everyone out,” said Hardin. “There's a lot of Soldiers out there leaning on us for support in a variety of ways. Providing drivers' training is a way we know we are adding value to their training and contributing to future missions, indirectly, and at all echelons.”

 

 

Related Articles
Kentucky National Guard Soldiers from 623rd Field Artillery Battalion loaded High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems onto a C-17 as apart of a rapid infiltration mission for their annual certification and training at the Louisville Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., Aug. 6, 2020. Soldiers and Airmen worked together to pull off the successful mission.
Kentucky Guard participates in joint force HI RAIN mission
By Jessica Elbouab | Aug. 12, 2020
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Two M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launcher crews from 1st Battalion, 623rd Field Artillery, completed the joint force HIMARS rapid infiltration (HI RAIN) mission with the 123rd Airlift...

Task Force Aviation, of Kentucky National Guard, assigned to 256th IBCT and KFOR RC-E drops water over a wildfire threatening the Devic Monastery in Kosovo, July 8, 2025. Crews worked 19 hours to suppress the fire using Water buckets.
Kentucky National Guard Helps Fight Wildfire Threatening Historic Kosovo Monastery
By Capt. Shy Garden, | July 14, 2025
CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo - Kentucky National Guard’s Task Force Aviation helped fight a wildfire July 8 that was threatening the Dević Monastery, a centuries-old Serbian Orthodox religious site in the Drenica Valley. The...

Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Bedford-based Alpha Company, 3rd Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team conduct a movement to contact situational training lane June 9, 2025, at Fort Pickett, Virginia. The 116th is the first Army National Guard brigade to test a prototype task organization for a mobile brigade combat team, and it will be evaluated during a 21-day eXportable Combat Training Capability rotation. The MBCT concept is part of the U.S. Army’s transformation initiative with the goal of making units more agile and lethal.
Virginia Guard to Test New Mobile Brigade Combat Team
By Cotton Puryear, | June 12, 2025
RICHMOND, Va.  –  The Virginia National Guard’s Staunton-based 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) will be the first Army National Guard brigade to test and evaluate a prototype task organization for a mobile brigade...