When it comes to combat skills, how well trained are Support and Service Support MOSs?

PVT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 16 Apr 2018 11:22:46 -0400

I was just wondering how well trained support and service support mos are when it comes to combat training? How much more trained would you say infantry are than support ans service support? Just want to know because I'm going to be a 91b and I'm excited to learn how to work on vehicles and learn a useful skill but it'd also be cool if I could get a little or some combat training as a mechanic as well.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 16 at 2018 12:09 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 16 Apr 2018 12:09:50 -0400

All the Infantry does is train in combat. So you won't get what they're getting. But you should get some. Everyone should be able to operate in a combat environment which means operating and employing weapons systems. Support MOS' will focus more on reactions to enemy contact versus Combat Arms who will also train to take the fight to the enemy.

Response by PV2 Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 16 at 2018 3:11 PM

PV2 Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 16 Apr 2018 15:11:19 -0400

As a 91b you can get sent anywhere and everywhere and go out into the field often.. based off your unit. Some places go out every month to train

Response by PV2 Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 16 at 2018 8:09 PM

PV2 Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 16 Apr 2018 20:09:35 -0400

I’m here in fort lee Virginia as we speak doing the very same mos. you’ll be coming here when you graduate basic, you’ll either be 832nd or 16th ordnance. Being a wheeled vehicle mechanic here is not the same as it will be at you’re unit. You are just like a combat medic, in a sense. You can be sent to any type of unit, I for instance am going to a combat engineer unit. You see, every unit has vehicals, therefor every unit needs mechanics. You’ll be trained in combat depending on your unit. Good luck!

Response by SPC Matthew Birkinbine made Apr 17 at 2018 6:03 AM

SPC Matthew Birkinbine — Tue, 17 Apr 2018 06:03:07 -0400

Support and service support Mos-q personnel are as well trained as the next person, in combat roles. Support personnel simply seem to lose the mentality that we did in fact receive such training. In Basic training it was ingrained, “You’re a soldier first, an 11B. As such, you can be pulled for combat roles anytime. Does that mean tomorrow you’ll be pulled and thrust straight into a war zone with no idea of your mission or job, simply because you were “trained”? No. There’s always a train-up before deployment. Soak up as much information from that training before you go, and you’ll be more confident. Take it with a grain of salt and don’t listen and prepare, and you’ll have a harder time.

Response by SGM Bill Frazer made Apr 17 at 2018 9:31 AM

SGM Bill Frazer — Tue, 17 Apr 2018 09:31:38 -0400

Everyone takes the basic skills as it is for survival- grunts go to the finishing school, and then polish it up at the unit.

Response by SGT Zak Baker made Apr 18 at 2018 2:13 PM

SGT Zak Baker — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 14:13:02 -0400

I'mma be the negative nancy here. Will you get training? Yes. Will it be legit training that's realistic in any form shape or manner? Well that depends entirely on the type of unit you end up in, heck it depends on your chain of command, all the way down to your immediate supervisor. I started my three years in an Forward Support Company, aviation. I got decent training as a private, mainly in convoy operations as that would be our primary mission down range. The Convoy Live Fire is a particularly good memory. But in my experience, in a support unit you'll continuously be retrained every few months in the basics, never advancing to more technical skills. This is partly because the training is orientated to the lowest common denominator, but also because those leading the training have no experience in combat or otherwise. We were lucky enough to have the last Pathfinder company in the Army as our sister company, so that was a whole wealth of knowledge right next door, but even then training was few and far between. Take the initiative and read up on TMs/FMs, that way you'll be ahead of your peers when it comes time to actually train, learn your weapons systems. As a private, you'll likely be assigned a 249 or 240, have fun with that.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 19 at 2018 4:26 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 19 Apr 2018 16:26:54 -0400

Youll learn the same basic combat and soldier skills as every other soldier. Then when you move on to your unit it will depend on the mission of the unit. For instance if youre assigned to an infantry unit then you can expect yourself to be in the field a lot, going through the same training, while fixing their equipment. If youre in an HHC youll find yourself getting more technical training than combat skills. If youre in a maintenance company then its highly specialized skill training, cross training to other maintenance skills, and convoy operations. The basics will stay the same usually but your units mission determines the training

Response by SSG Jason French made Apr 24 at 2018 9:21 AM

SSG Jason French — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 09:21:23 -0400

This is my experience. I joined up as a 63b, now 91b. I went to Afghanistan in 2004 and when I was there I got sick of the motor pool and went and talked to my 1sg, I asked him to buy me on the patrol team as a "team mechanic" because I wanted to see action while I was there. He obliged me, while yes I did conduct maintenance operations I was also a fully functioning soldier. I did many jobs in the patrol team. I started as a driver and made my way to .50 cal gunner and finally to dismounted security/patrol. I was in a field artillery unit and the entire unit, even the pac office did combat training. When I got back, I was looked to for advice in combat ops when training new soldiers. I'd been complemented by op4 and the command when employing things I'd learned. Not everyone will have the same story. But this was my experience. When I went back to Iraq they kept me in the motor pool, my second tour in Iraq, they sent me to a small forward. The armies like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get. Train up on your personal time, it could save your life. If you never use it, so what, you still learned something.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made May 3 at 2018 6:31 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 03 May 2018 18:31:03 -0400

Training is training. If you want to be good at small unit tactics then train for it. I am a 91B and a MACP and a Special Operations Instructor. There's no limit on training. Does not matter the MOS. Self develop yourself if no one is there to train you.