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 | Jan. 8, 2024

Junior Washington Guard Members Take Lead in Training

By Spc. John Stauffer, 122nd Theater Public Affairs Support Element

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. - The 81st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment, Bravo Company, conducted Battle Drill One Alpha at Joint Base Lewis-McChord Jan. 6.

The training was geared toward reacting to contact. The squad had no idea when or what they are going to get hit with. Their job was to quickly assess the situation and react accordingly. The added twist this time was putting the junior members in charge.

“We were putting them in leadership roles,” Cpl. Dilan Saeed said. “It’s to get them ready and plant that seed for their future and getting them to realize and know what a team leader has to do and what their job entails. We hope that they take our place one day.”

The training begins when the squad steps off for a patrol in the woods. They are given intelligence that there are potential hostiles in the area and ordered to find and neutralize them. In this case, the squad was ambushed by hostiles behind a wooded hill. Saeed’s team performed cover and move tactics to keep the hostiles pinned down so they could storm the hill.

Once they gained access to the hill, they swept the area, terminated any remaining hostiles and took inventory of all personnel, equipment and ammo. A member of Saeed’s team was a simulated casualty. The rest of the team had to get to a safe area, security it and ask for medical evacuation.

“My favorite part is being with the guys,” said Saeed. “Even the not-so-fun stuff like being out here in the wet and cold. Pain and suffering is a cohesion and we go through it together and become closer as the training goes on.”

After the medevac request was sent, the training ended and an after-action review was conducted to highlight what went well and what needs to be corrected.

“It's a collective suffering,” said Pfc. Marcellus Thomson, one of the members under Saeed. “I don’t mind it though. We’re out here together embracing it.”

 

 

Related Articles
Master Sgt. Shane Bedard, Headquarters, 141st Air Refueling Wing, Washington Air National Guard talks with members of the El Salvador military as they conduct tactical combat casualty care training from Feb. 22 – March 8, 2025.
Guard Members Instruct Life-Saving Skills in El Salvador
By Joseph Siemandel, | April 7, 2025
CAMP MURRAY, Wash. – Washington National Guard members have instructed Tactical Combat Casualty Care and Combat Medic training in El Salvador.They worked with the Defense Institute for Medical Operations on the training that...

Washington National Guard Soldiers and Port of Laem Chabang firefighters.
Washington Guard, Thai Partners Focus on Hazard Response
By Joseph Siemandel, | March 21, 2025
CAMP MURRAY, Wash. - The Washington National Guard concluded an all-hazards-response exchange at the Port of Laem Chabang, Thailand, March 1-11 as part of the 23-year partnership between Washington and the Kingdom of...

Lt. Col. Khadidja Harrell, flight surgeon with 194th Medical Group, Washington Air National Guard, poses with other medics during the disaster relief and humanitarian assistance exercise Cobra Gold 2025 Feb. 26 – 27 in Chachoengsao Province, Thailand.
Air Guard Surgeon Supports Cobra Gold 2025 Exercise
By Joseph Siemandel, | March 14, 2025
CAMP MURRAY, Wash. - Military members and first responders from seven nations gathered at the Disaster Relief Training Center in Cha Choeng Sao, Thailand, for Exercise Cobra Gold Feb. 26-27. Participants from the United...