FORT PICKETT, Va. –
Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Fort Pickett-based 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute demonstrated their capabilities during an open house Sept. 24, 2016, at Fort Pickett, Virginia. RTI’s mission is to provide transition training in the infantry, transportation and military police career management fields as directed by the One Army School System, as well as operate the state’s officer and warrant officer commissioning schools.
During the demonstrations Soldiers from 1st Battalion rappelled from a Black Hawk helicopter, Soldiers from 2nd Battalion provided an orientation to the RTI’s driving simulator and Soldiers from 3rd Battalion conducted several military police demonstrations. Open house attendees included Virginia Senator Frank M. Ruff, Jr., Delegate Thomas C. Wright, Jr., and officers and noncommissioned officers attend the Command and First Sergeant Course.
“I think the open house was a tremendous success,” said Col. James Zollar, commander of 183rd RTI. “Our goal was to educate those who attended about the many different training courses our instructors teach, as well as the additional training assistance they can provide. We especially appreciate our local elected officials attending to talk with Soldiers and learn more about the Guard units in their districts.”
The 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute is comprised of the RTI Headquarters and three battalions.
First Battalion conducts infantry training, including the 11B Infantry Military Occupational Specialty Qualification Course, 11C Basic Mortarman Course, Infantry Advanced Leader Course, Light Leaders Course and Rappel Master Course. They are also able to provide training assistance in a wide variety of topics including civil disturbance, map reading, land navigation, pre-marksmanship instruction for personal and crew served weapons, basic mountaineering, rappelling, air assault planning, urban operations, fundamentals of patrolling and mortar gunnery, fire direction and live fire range procedures.
Second Battalion conducts the 88M Motor Transport Operator Course, and they also provide assistance on bus driver certification, training on the Enhanced Container Handling Unit and logistics support hauling freight.
Third battalion includes both Officer Candidate School and Warrant Officer Candidate School and also trains Soldiers as military police officers. In addition, they teach the Small Group Instructor Course and the Foundation Instructor Facilitator Course, and provide training assistance in battlefield forensics. Soldiers from 3rd Battalion also runs the State Marksmanship Program and provide small arms marksmanship proficiency training, non-lethal weapons training and certification and active shoot awareness and response training.
The RTI includes 74 instructors supported by 32 staff personnel. The schoolhouse was completed in 2011 and includes approximately 400,000 square feet of instruction space, including a combatives training room, eight modular classrooms and a lecture hall capable of accommodating 480 students. There are three barracks with two-person rooms and open bay housing that can accommodate 275 students. At Fort Pickett, instructors and students can reach training sites within five minutes and that includes a variety of ranges, convoy and live fire lanes, an urban assault course, training villages, field training lanes, an air assault tower and an extensive urban training site.
Soldiers from the Sandston-based 2nd Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment, 91st Troop Command provided aviation support for the rappelling demonstration.
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