Reservists and Guardsmen, where, when & why: Your Best & Worst Annual Training??

Best AT was 4 weeks at NTC in preparation for a rotation to Afghanistan (20th SFGA). Worked with SEALs and found out for the first time how conventional unit commanders detest special operations units.

Second best, was when I was still Infantry, and for an AT my Rifle Company was assigned to run a range for a support battalion to qualify with their rifles. The soldiers were terrible and required a LOT of remedial training just to get scores of 24. During our 30-60 minute lunch breaks (at the insistence of the support units) we would run ourselves through the range and qualify expert several times in a row. Even our medics were shooting over 36.

One evening our Co Commander told us the support units were complaining that we were being mean to them. One of the best moments of my life, right there.

No worst AT really. Other than having to use a transportation unit as our indigenous personnel for one AT that lasted 3 weeks. We were tasked to train them up for 2 weeks then lead them in missions against a conventional Infantry Unit that was also in the field. They had all kinds of sexual harassment issues ongoing within their unit, APFT failures, and malingerers. One of their soldiers actually stole a military vehicle, drove out of the field then off-post to a civilian emergency room to declare a psychiatric emergency. Then was shocked and filed charges of sexual harassment against her commander when her unit put her up on charges.

The Army was 10 of the most incredible years of my life haha. I could write a freaking book-

Sometimes A.T. orders can be ok:
1. Summer 1999. CA ARNG A.T. to Grafenweor Germany. A couple of platoons went. E-7 and below worked as Garrsion Mps driving around Volkswagen vanagons.. Mps on Guard Mount and Provost Marshall did not need us so the O-1/O-2s were like 5th wheels and not needed..I felt bad for the enlisted and we just were along for the ride. Overseas training ribbon though and NATO orders!

2. Our Civil Affairs Battalion sent elements to Operation Key Resolve fragod from South Korea to Hawaii. We worked a scenario where South Korea was under Attack from Kim Jong Un and we had a notional typhoon hit Tonga and we were working for USARPAC. We did a Simex from Schofield Barracks. It was interesting. The best part was getting a day off before the exercise to go see the USS Missouri, The USS Arizona Memorial and the USS Bowfin submarine in Pearl Harbor. We stayed in a hotel and our work station was those new Drash tents that you can put up in about an hour and tear down just as fast. I was a CPT then and it was interesting. I had not been to Hawaii since 1978. Our HHC Commander promoted an NCO TO E-7 at the rear turret of the USS Missouri as an attack sub was coming back to port with the sailors on deck. Very Surreal. PFC Talal Al-Tunsi
CPT Pedro Meza CPT L S CPT Mark Gonzalez MAJ (Join to see) MAJ David Potter MAJ (Join to see) MAJ Gary Jozens SrA Christopher Wright PVT Amos A. SSG James J. Palmer IV aka "JP4" SSG Derrick L. Lewis MBA, C-HRM CPT (Join to see) 2LT (Join to see) CPT (Join to see) 1LT(P) Jake Ledgerwood CPO Tim Dickey LTC Stephen F. LTC Charles T Dalbec LTC (Join to see)

Worst has to be at Camp Pickett, VA (Wood tick capital of the world) in 1976. C Bat., 201st FA. (M109 SP 155 mm)
Best was in Camp Williams, UT w/ C/2/19th SF Gp