(Winter mountaineering requires a variety of
special purpose tools and equipment, as evidenced
by the amount and type of gear these Soldiers are carrying.)
|
To prepare its Soldiers for missions in the type of chal-lenging terrain found in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Army often relies on the specialized training offered at the Army Mountain Warfare School in Jericho, Vt.
AMWS teaches Soldiers the skills they’ll need tooperate in rugged terrain, in bad weather, both day and night. “We don’t focus on tactics,” said Capt. Christopher Ruggerrio, AMWS assistant operations officer, “but rather on how to move and survive at higher elevations,in all kinds of weather conditions.
Once a unit masters those things, it can develop its collective tactics accord-ingly.” Operated by the Vermont Army National Guard, the school provides training to all elements of the activeArmy and reserve component, Army ROTC and West Point cadets, other branches of thearmed forces, allied forces and civilagencies from around the country, Capt. Ruggerrio said. |
AMWS was established in 1983 and has been twice accredited as a School of Excellence by the InfantrySchool, Capt. Ruggerrio added. “In2005 we achieved permanent memberstatus in the International Army Mili-tary Mountaineers, a select group ofhighly trained military mountaineersfrom Germany, Italy, Belgium, Swe-den and Austria, among other nations. The AMWS is the only member from the United States.” Winter mountaineering requires a variety of special-purpose tools and equipment, as evidenced by the amount and type of gear these Soldiers are carrying.
AMWS is located on the Ethan Allen Firing Range, an 11,000-acre facility that is the Vermont National Guard’s primary training area. About 40 minutes from the range is Smug-gler’s Notch ski resort, the school’s secondary training area.
It’s there that students complete a challenging three-day mountain walkthat puts all their newly learned skillsto the test, Capt. Ruggerrio said. (Read Full Article) |