Posted on 03/23/2005 7:15:32 AM PST by Gefreiter
GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — The commander at the center of the biggest base expansion in U.S. Army Europe’s transformation said this week that new units, new services and new training techniques are changing more than just the physical makeup of Grafenwöhr-area bases.
An expected Stryker Brigade, an initiative to export American training and a focus on new techniques will be the basis of an evolved training zone that will leave the concept of the Grafenwöhr area as a tank maneuvering playground behind, Brig. Gen. Mark Hertling, commander of the 7th Army Training Command, said Tuesday...
...Giving the facility a new name, the Expeditionary Training Center, officials intend to take their training capabilities on the road, transporting training programs and equipment to other bases in Germany and countries throughout Eastern Europe. Rough plans are also in the works for a program to train soldiers while they are in combat in the field, Hertling said, and Grafenwöhr officials have also set up mobile classrooms to train troops outside the garrison’s gates.
(Excerpt) Read more at estripes.com ...
Stationed in Vilseck back gate to Graf. Remember it well.
C,
Well you have it all over me.
During Desert Shield, my unit spent 60 days at Graf and in our world it was a big deal. But a whole lot of folks were there a whole lot longer, like yourself. Ouch!
I took alot of OPFOR weapons training at Vilseck that year- super people. You Vilseckians did alot of good work there.
Graf wasnt bad for us now Hohenfels was another story.
C,
Heh, well funny thing. We were just supposed to do our normal 30 days at Graf, but were extended for Shield.
After our 60 days at Graf, we went back to home station, re-cocked, and went out to do our Hohenfels rotation a couple weeks later. That turned into nearly 3 months because of Storm. We were homesteaders, basically.
But we had no shortage of good training weather (and you know what that means!) and, once things warmed up a bit, ill-tempered wild boars.
But you're right. Hohenfels wasn't good for anybody.
I don't know of anyone who has a concept of Graf as a 'tank manuevering playground' Graf to me is all about tank gunnery, not manuever. Hohenfels is manuever.
b,
Well, there's that, and that all shapes and sizes were welcome there, little bullets to big bullets, not just armored units. And I don't recall anyone referring to the place as a "playground", even in jest.
Because it wouldn't have been funny.
But I like to believe I learned alot of valuable life lessons under the stewardship of the 7th ATC.
I think of Graf. and mud is the first thing that pops into my mind
Foreign Materials Training Detachment, 7ATC, Grafenwoehr.
Patton,
Maybe you were among the cadre during that 40 hours of commie weapons training I had.
We started with Makarovs and ended with 12.7mm DShKMs. They had a really good set of spanking new East German AK-74s also.
c,
Pretty much sums it up, doesn't it?
Didja ever do a summer rotation there? Everything got coated with thick dust. All the trees along the tank trails were basically grey, covered in dust.
I was there 1983-1986
Ah, just missed you- I started high school in '85.
The marathon Graf rotation I'm thinking of was last quarter '90. That's when I went to Vilseck for this training.
They did a great job, too. All the folks who wore the "7 steps of hell" patch did alot of good things.
Watch out for the feed tray on the DsHKM - I saw two guys lose a finger, trying to feed it like an M-60.
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