Convoy Operations in Week 5 of DCC

*In this post, I discuss my experiences during week 5 of the Army’s Direct Commission Course, which focused heavily on convoy operations. *

For more detailed information, please see my book The DCC Survival Guide: Succeeding at the Army’s Direct Commission Course and its companion work The JAG School Survival Guide: Succeeding at the Army’s Judge Advocate Officer Basic Course. This content uses referral links.

*This is a picture of me on the obstacle course. *

I just completed week 5 of the Army’s Direct Commission Course. This week was the final week of scheduled training events.

Week 6 is devoted to out-processing. We will, therefore, spend next week completing the various tasks we must perform before graduation, such as cleaning the barracks and equipment.

This week was fairly busy. There was, however, a noticeable slow down in the pace of training as we completed our final graduation requirements.

Convoy Operations

We devoted the first three days of the week to convoy operations. On Monday we spent time in the classroom discussing the Army’s method of conducting convoy operations.

Convoy operations are essentially how the Army transports people and supplies by ground in a combat zone. (We did not cover air transportation.)

The Army’s standard operating procedures for convoy operations have changed significantly over the last several years. The enemy’s use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Iraq and Afghanistan have prompted these changes. (As part of the training, we also watched a video of an IED attack that one of our instructors survived.)

On Monday afternoon, we had the opportunity to do the obstacle course. As the name suggests, it required us to negotiate various obstacles.

Above is a picture of my negotiating such an obstacle. There were a lot of interesting obstacles, many of which we had to negotiate at significant heights. The course was a lot of fun, if not particularly safe.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, half of our class received a very cursory instruction in MOUT (Military Operations in Urban Terrain). Our instructor was an Army sniper and infantry NCO with extensive experience in this type of warfare.

The media frequently portrays MOUT exercises. Images of soldiers breaking down doors in Baghdad or various other urban environments are usually depictions of MOUT.

The other half of the class went to the convoy simulator. We then switched roles the next day.

Watch on YouTube

Convoy Operations Simulator

The simulator was interesting. They put us in a mock Humvee surrounded by large screens. The screens were expansive enough that we felt like we were moving when we “drove.”

Of course, we were stationary the whole time. (The whole thing is conducted in a small trailer.) Regardless, some people got carsick. So, it’s a pretty cool setup.

It’s fairly lifelike. One person operated a mock 50-caliber machine gun on top of the vehicle. The rest of us had M-16s or M-4s. The weapons actually recoil, so the simulation feels surprisingly real.

Through the course of the simulator, we had the opportunity to encounter various challenges, including IEDs and insurgent attacks. When insurgents attacked, my job was to jump out of the vehicle to return fire with my M-16.

It was overall a lot of fun. Our exercise ended, however, when an IED blew up our humvee.

Other Direct Commission Course Activities

We devoted the rest of our time this week to fulfilling various other graduation requirements. On Monday, we conducted our record Army Physical Fitness Test.

Every soldier must meet a certain level of fitness to remain in the Army. This APFT was the first such test we took that counted. (Last week, we took a practice test.)

On Friday morning, we conducted our 6-mile ruck march. This event only required us to march for six miles in our ACUs while carrying a 30 to 40-pound ruck on our back and an M-16 in our hands. We had to complete it at a pace no slower than 18 minutes per mile.

The weight of the equipment and the general discomfort of combat boots made this event more difficult than I expected. Still, in my opinion, it’s not physically challenging. It’s just uncomfortable and not a lot of fun. I believe everyone passed.

Photo by U.S. Army is licensed under CC 2.0.

Also on Friday, we conducted our Combat Water Survival Training. We had to complete three events in the pool, all in full ACUs including combat boots.

(The picture above is of the Army Combat Water Survival Test. It’s not from my class, though.)

For the first event, we had to swim fifteen meters while keeping our M-16 above the water.

The second required us to jump off a high-dive blindfolded while holding our weapon. We then had to swim back to the edge of the pool with our M-16.

The third event required us to jump into the water and remove our FLC underwater before resurfacing. (Our FLC is a vest where we store our combat equipment, such as grenades and magazines.)

Graduation Requirements

Also on Friday, about fifteen to twenty people who failed to qualify on their M-16s went back out to the range. There they had another opportunity to pass. I believe that is the last chance they will have. Those who still did not succeed will have a year to qualify with their home units.

The rest of us cleaned our weapons during this time. I believe I have spent about ten to twelve hours cleaning guns since I finished shooting.

So, I have now completed all requirements to graduate the course. A handful of people needs to retest on a few events—such as the APFT or land navigation—and will have the opportunity to do so next week.

Those who did not complete all graduation requirements still leave next week. They just won’t receive their graduation certificate. If they complete the requirements within a year—whether at Charlottesville or their first duty station—they will receive their graduation certificate for the course at that time.

Next Week

As I said above, next week is principally devoted to out-processing and preparing for our departure from Fort Benning. We have completed all graduation requirements. So, next week should be relatively uneventful.

I will continue to provide additional posts. So, please check back regularly if you are interested.

I provide a more expansive account of my experience in my book The DCC Survival Guide: Succeeding at the Army’s Direct Commission Course and its companion work The JAG School Survival Guide: Succeeding at the Army’s Judge Advocate Officer Basic Course.

The views and opinions expressed in this post are the author’s own and do not reflect the official policy or position of the United States Army, the National Guard Bureau, the Arkansas National Guard, the Department of Defense, or the United States Government.

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See Also:

Week 4 of the Army’s Direct Commission Course (DCC)

Week 6 of the Army’s Direct Commission Course (DCC)