How many of you have participated in an ODT (Overseas Deployment Training) exercise and what was your best part of the experience?

1SG Jeffrey Grice — Sat, 01 Aug 2015 13:10:45 -0400

This is from my participation in Hanuman Guardian in 2012 in Thailand.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 1 at 2015 1:17 PM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 01 Aug 2015 13:17:54 -0400

It's still on my bucket list :(

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 1 at 2015 4:54 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 01 Aug 2015 16:54:22 -0400

Went to Hohenfels in 2012. Favorite part of the trip? I don't know. Either driving pickets in the snow, or sitting on top of a hill shivering on two hour watch shifts for 2 days, because somebody said, "Oh, we have engineers? I don't know what to do with them." Or something like that. I did have a ton of fun, though we actually had little opportunity to train.

Response by LTC Gavin Heater made Aug 1 at 2015 7:02 PM

LTC Gavin Heater — Sat, 01 Aug 2015 19:02:42 -0400

I participated in a very good EUCOM exercise in Germany at Graf in spring 2012. It was very worthwhile and allowed for local travel in Germany and the Czech Republic. I deployed to most of Asia (Korea, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, Philipines, Guam and the Hawaiian Islands) when on active duty and Iraq and Kuwait as a reservist. The European ODT was worthwhile.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Aug 1 at 2015 7:06 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Sat, 01 Aug 2015 19:06:41 -0400

Intrinsic Action in Kuwait. We flew in, went straight to the draw yard and signed for tanks and vehicles. The mission was show of force for Saddam. All we had to do is contact the TOC to leave camp to train. I was proficient as a tanker due to all the training.

Response by LTC Stephen C. made Aug 2 at 2015 3:03 PM

LTC Stephen C. — Sun, 02 Aug 2015 15:03:40 -0400

1SG Jeffrey Grice, I went on a number of them. These two photos are from the first and the last.
The first was WINTEX in MAR83. This was a Cold War exercise conducted in the Federal Republic of Germany (prior to reunification). I'm shown near the ruins of Heidelberg Castle, which overlooks the city of Heidelberg and the River Neckar from the south.
The last was Operation Bright Star in AUG87. We were at Cairo West Air Base in Giza (west of Cairo), Egypt. The photo was taken at Cairo West, which was at the eastern edge of the Libyan Desert.
The best part of these exercises was seeing different parts of the world.

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Aug 2 at 2015 5:58 PM

LTC Stephen F. — Sun, 02 Aug 2015 17:58:47 -0400

1SG Jeffrey Grice. While I was stationed in West Germany during the Cold War, I participated in two Reforger Exercises which were designed to be representative of flowing forces and materiel to Western Europe to interdict the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact assault on western Europe. We represented larger formations in these exercises which tended to be TOC exercises with a few tactical formations going through tactical maneuvers. Once we assisted umpires who were primarily focused on assessing damages to German everything from land to animals to crops and buildings and the all-important damage control.
SPC Private RallyPoint Member, COL Jon Thompson, SPC Margaret Higgins,SGT Ricky Young, 1SG Cameron M. Wesson, COL James Stevens Roach, SGT Forrest Stewart, COL Monty Powers, LTC Stephen C., TSgt Hunter Logan, CW3 Private RallyPoint Member, CW5 Charlie Poulton, CW5 Private RallyPoint Member, SGT Private RallyPoint Member, SGT Robert Hawks
I attached a few pictures from Reforger 1981 from we were just west of Giessen, Germany - my driver SP4 Sims with distinctive controller helmet bands, AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter and OH-58 Observation Helicopter in the near distance and "my" jeep with the results of a morning brotchen run – breakfast on the hood of the jeep.
Plus one picture from a winter exercise near Regensburg, West Germany in 1982 at a brigade-level Maneuver Rights Operation with me in winder gear with a light mustache:-)

Response by COL Jon Thompson made Aug 3 at 2015 7:02 PM

COL Jon Thompson — Mon, 03 Aug 2015 19:02:43 -0400

In 1999, I went back to Germany to participate in a V Corps Warfighter Exercise. I was the XO of a USAR PSYOP Battalion and the Commander and battalion staff all went. I should have known it was going to be interesting when V Corps did not want USAR units to bring weapons due to the difficulties of getting them through German Customs, etc. However, our PSYOP Group said otherwise and we brought weapons. They got stuck in Customs and then we got to Graf, we had to find a unit that would store them for us. We did not have our own billets and were all split up wherever we could find an open bunk. The weather sucked so we were all wet and muddy. And then I had a brand new MOPP suit filled with the charcoal so I walked around like Pigpen with a cloud of charcoal dust. Still when it was over, we had a day in Nuernburg and that was a good way to end the exercise with some good German beer next to the old castle walls. The big lesson learned for me was to always have lower expectations and that way if it turned out better, I would be happy. I thought I was going to Germany and have some fun and it ended up being anything but that.

Response by LTC Stephen Franke made Aug 4 at 2015 1:30 PM

LTC Stephen Franke — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 13:30:36 -0400

Greetings.

Performed ODT-like tours in support of US CENTCOM, and later ARCENT/TUSA, as Command Linguist/LNO during BRIGHT START JCETs in 1981 and 1985. Performed most of those tours in Egypt and Sudan (multiple times in both). I was assigned IMA to DIA (Defense Attache System), and was 'loaned' to those commands.

One of the most-interesting episodes was standing on the edge of a DZ near Khartoum on a pitch-black night to observe (or more accurately, to hear) the approach and parachute insertion of USSF (5SFGA) and Sudanese Airborne Forces in a joint airborne operation.

Hope this adds to this thread. Today is Tuesday, 4 August 2015.
Regards,
Stephen H. Franke
San Pedro, California

Response by COL Jon Thompson made Aug 4 at 2015 2:19 PM

COL Jon Thompson — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 14:19:02 -0400

While my V Corps WFX was the worst, the most interesting was actually when in 1994 when I was stationed at Fort Greely, AK with the Northern Warfare Training Center. Every year, we did a multi-national climb on Denali and invited Soldiers from the Royal Nepalese Army to participate. They reciprocated by inviting NWTC to send a couple of instructors to Nepal and partake in their Mountain school's graduation climb on Thorang Himal which was above 22,000'. So in 1994, one of my NCO instructors and I flew into Katmandu and after a couple of days there, we started a trek through the Himalayas to their training center. We were on mountain paths for about 100 miles with villages as stops along the way. We got to the town where their mountain school was and a few days later, we summited Thorang Himal. After the celebration, my NCO and I flew back to Katmandu on a Russian made helicopter. It was a unique experience and one that I never imagined doing when I was an ROTC cadet.

Response by SGT James Adair made Aug 4 at 2015 2:26 PM

SGT James Adair — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 14:26:26 -0400

I participated in Team Spirit 84 with B 1/35 th infantry. I enjoyed walking through the countryside and interacting with the locals.

Response by BG Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 4 at 2015 2:33 PM

BG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 14:33:27 -0400

Going on ODTs were one of my main reasons for staying in the Army Reserve. I went on quite a few adventures as a CPT/ MAJ including Cobra Gold, Balance Torch, Balance Velvet, and UFL many times. Now I arrange for them for my troops in EUCOM and AFRICOM. They are the best training ground for young leaders, even more so than CTC Rotations since that leadership is usually out alone and unafraid and needs to make decisions outside of a structured environment.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 4 at 2015 10:16 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 22:16:10 -0400

During my service in the National Guard, I participated in a ODT, I had the opportunity to go to Egpyt. The excersis was an eye opener.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 4 at 2015 10:51 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 22:51:58 -0400

Currently supporting the national security directive by promoting regional stability and host nation development. Yes, thats straight out of the book.lol

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 5 at 2015 12:53 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 05 Aug 2015 12:53:05 -0400

Talisman Saber 07.

I spent 30 Days on the USS Essex off the coast of Eastern Australia. It was an experience I'll never forget. It solidified, for me, the reason why I joined the Air Force and not the Navy, lol.

In all seriousness, It was a great opportunity to work with countries other than Canada. I visited at great length with some RAAF officers and had the opportunity to see Sydney. In that same deployment training, I got to fly to Okinawa. It was surreal to me to visit the site of a WWII battle.

The most memorable part of the ODT was landing on the USS Kitty Hawk via COD and being launched off the carrier via COD. Way cooler than a roller-coaster.

Response by SPC Alexander Brandt made Aug 5 at 2015 2:11 PM

SPC Alexander Brandt — Wed, 05 Aug 2015 14:11:56 -0400

A handful of the Soldiers from my unit were selected to participate in Capable Logistician during the month of June 2015. While the exercise was intended to show how effectively different the armed forces of different countries could work with one another, a great deal of emphasis was placed on the Rigger unit sent down, and more time was spent dropping supplies out of C140s than any other logistical activity.

That said, I loved being there. It was a blast to work with the other militaries, the Germans who in particular. Much time was spent playing BallKickThrowCatch.

Response by SFC Chuck K made Aug 5 at 2015 2:34 PM

SFC Chuck K — Wed, 05 Aug 2015 14:34:22 -0400

I made three trips to Korea for ODT and all of them had high points in their own respect. Having been on active duty then becoming a Reservist it was a bit of culture shock to go back to an active duty environment and see things as a Reservist having been on the other side of the fence when I was active and we hosted reserve component units when I was in Panama and Germany.

Response by SPC Darius Sepanlou made Aug 5 at 2015 2:36 PM

SPC Darius Sepanlou — Wed, 05 Aug 2015 14:36:20 -0400

Yes REFORGER 1983 or 84 I participated in The German American Friendship Program & stayed with a German Farming Family to Help them with their Winter Crops. It was an Amazing Experience . Being From Los Angeles it was very interesting to drive a tractor for the first time. I also made some new friends. It was an Honor to represent The United States & help create a bond with the German People.

Response by SSG Gerald King made Aug 5 at 2015 3:28 PM

SSG Gerald King — Wed, 05 Aug 2015 15:28:05 -0400

Back in my days (1965), those of us that were being shipped to Vietnam had to attend MOH Winner Col Lewis Millet's TTC (Tactical Training Course). Col Millet created a realistic looking VC camp. The fun part was the escape and evasion part of the training. We were given maps and had to find each point on the map and return to home base without being captured. Those that were captured were tortured by the trainers pretending to be VC. And, yes they actually did torture us. One method was wires attached to a Field Phone and then attached to sensitive parts of your body. They would crank the phone and give you an electrical shock. This course was primarily for the ASA Troops at Ft Devens, Ma. Col Millet was the 2nd Battalion commander. This course was fine in the summer, but it was hard to imagine Vietnam when you participated in the middle of the New England winters.

Response by 1SG Kenneth Talkington Sr made Aug 5 at 2015 4:10 PM

1SG Kenneth Talkington Sr — Wed, 05 Aug 2015 16:10:52 -0400

On my first tour in West Germany we were expected to be able to load and begin moving to our assembly site within 15 minutes. From there we would either move back to the Kaserne or to other areas. These actions were the result of what was then called, "Alerts". Coupled with these alerts there was also occasionally what was called a. "Pontiac Alert". On these exercise a platoon, company or battalion of infantry. along with their support troups, were airlifted to different NATO countries. I was lucky enough to go on two of these movements. There first to Norway and the second to Greece. These were either pass or fail exercises. You had to have your entire TOE and assigned explosives, ammo, etc. In other words we had to be ready to go the war. These were very valuable learning experiences. It didn't take long to figure out our weak areas. I believe these were the forerunners of the Reforger Exercises.

Response by SSgt Khanh Pham made Aug 5 at 2015 4:50 PM

SSgt Khanh Pham — Wed, 05 Aug 2015 16:50:21 -0400

I tried to inject myself into the Cobra Gold in THailand but failed :)

Preparing for the arrival of Pacific Command's Commander was interesting, but really not the best . Observing the security details that comes ahead of the general, did not make me too uncomfortable, but instilled confident in me that the team did their job. I didnt get much of the general's time other than a handshake and a coin. Which one of the E-9 from Thai's navy took a liking to and pocketed. It was hard to force that coin back into my pocket.

Hauling the Defense Attache was as much of the action as I had. I probably speak for many young troops when I say that my best experiences are when a high ranking member sit next to me, and I get to pick his/her brain while he/she cant get away. If you're the older troop with command position, you can probably relate to those moment where you sit next to a kid that ask you a million unrelated questions about anything and everything, and you cant get away.

I can pretty much guess what will comes out of people's mind/mouth after a time of working together. The ranking officials who are normally not in daily contact, usually bring a new perspective or something like a humbling wisdom.

Response by SPC Dominic Cruz made Aug 5 at 2015 11:04 PM

SPC Dominic Cruz — Wed, 05 Aug 2015 23:04:05 -0400

Spc/4 Cruz,got to go on a Reforger called Central Fury. A deployment from Fort Benning , Ga. To Belgium and convoyed throughout Germany and performed some training exercises. Got to visit Sweden before heading out of Wiesbaden back to Fort Benning Ga. After a month stay in Europe. It was an exciting and a learning experience, I really enjoyed it.

Response by SFC Leslie Caudill made Aug 6 at 2015 10:44 AM

SFC Leslie Caudill — Thu, 06 Aug 2015 10:44:03 -0400

I spent some time in Germany at the tail end of an exercise (Reforger, I think). My reserve unit (11th Group, SFG(A), was tasked with observing traffic behind "enemy" lines, in addition to a couple of DA missions. We did our isolation in England. Our jump into Germany was aborted due to extreme storms (I spend about 45 miserable minutes hooked up, static line in one hand and barf bag in the other, ready to go, before it was called off). Our exfil was delayed due to weather. The Air Force refused to come and get us, so the Italians did. When we got back to England, we landed in fog so thick that we had to taxi for about 30 minutes, trying to find the hangar. The Italian aircraft - a Fiat, I believe - was like a tiny C130 and did not have heat except in the cockpit. So my team, soaking wet and freezing, huddled around the cockpit door trying to keep warm. Oh, the fun we had!

Response by SGT Reyes Molina made Aug 6 at 2015 1:03 PM

SGT Reyes Molina — Thu, 06 Aug 2015 13:03:33 -0400

When I got back after 2,800 days in Iraq the best thing was awareness of a PTSD and the changes that were muscle memory for me while in the deepest abnormal feeling that I had I gave me a edge on the what was wrong was me and help me in my integrity to ask for help you need to understand I was 24-7 in combat zones and never thought it could happen to me I just god I am alive and able to function not like a lot of my brothers whom committed suicide across the nations.

Response by CSM Dan L. made Aug 6 at 2015 11:26 PM

CSM Dan L. — Thu, 06 Aug 2015 23:26:17 -0400

As a Special Forces NCO I have participated in numerous ODT training exercises in several countries in Central America, SE Asia, the Pacific Rim, Korea and the Philipines under the guise of JCET and JCS missions. I can safely say that although the troops and I received great training, the majority of the training went to our foreign allies. I enjoyed all the exposure to both the foreign military and the cultural experience but I will go out on a limb and say that my greatest experience was what I learned by training other troops.

Response by LTC Tony Temsupasiri made Aug 7 at 2015 12:32 PM

LTC Tony Temsupasiri — Fri, 07 Aug 2015 12:32:34 -0400

I participated in Cobra Gold' 98 (Thailand) and UFL' 97 (ROK). It was a great ODT exercise. I was able to use my language skill in Thai during Cobra Gold. I worked in the C/JTF J-6 HQ in Kanchanaburi Province. I led a III MEF Maintenance team to replace a generator at our Communications Relay Site which was three hours drive from our HQ. I enjoyed the training with Thai Soldiers. They are nice and friendly.

Response by SPC Rick Rothmeyer made Aug 10 at 2015 12:34 PM

SPC Rick Rothmeyer — Mon, 10 Aug 2015 12:34:24 -0400

Bright Star "85" Getting to see the Giza Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt

Response by MAJ Bill Maynard made Aug 11 at 2015 2:36 PM

MAJ Bill Maynard — Tue, 11 Aug 2015 14:36:17 -0400

My best quasi ODT was leading a group of cadets on a CULP mission to Paraguay. CULP is a USACC program for cadets to provide a basic introduction to foreign nations, cultures, and militaries. CULP actually sends cadets to Europe, Asia, South American, and Africa. Too bad I couldn't do this duty every year!

Response by SSG Terrence Davis made Sep 22 at 2015 9:44 AM

SSG Terrence Davis — Tue, 22 Sep 2015 09:44:15 -0400

In the Marine Corps I participated in a 3 year Cultural Emergence Program with the Royal Thai Marine Corps. It was the best three years of my military career. I absolutely enjoyed the Marines themselves along with exchanging tactics, techniques and tricks of the trade. I even took the time to learn Thai and teach English skills to the Thai Marines. I had an absolute blast. Would love to do it again.