THE BIG PICTURE

check checkmate I should know better than to play chess with a military man Fred I have noted that you usually take pretty good care of yourself I wouldn't worry about that no I expected to play a friendly game of chess and what happens suddenly I'm up against Lieutenant General Albert Watson commanding general of the Third Army I'll see to me these are formations of chess men the way you handle them they're military installations funny how people think of an army usually it's in terms of installations numbers of troops and masses of equipment but an army is more than that Fred more than the numbers the buildings and the hardware they don't begin to tell the story not the real story the Third Army is a living vital thing not a collection of Statistics it has a history a tradition and a strong underlying purpose namely to meet any challenge that may threaten the life of this nation and the preservation of peace in the world but more than anything else the army ax Stephen all kinds of people representing a vast complex of knowledge skill and energy this is the mission and the meaning of the 192 active units of the Third Army in World War two under the leadership of General George S Patton the third army drove its way into history across the French countryside and a daring thrust toward the heart of Germany never before at a military force moved with such speed and optimism known as the Lorraine campaign the rapid advance of Third Army units in 1944 set an example in mobility and demonstrated the power of United States arms and armor in one of the ironic twists at the war General Patton's forces advance so swiftly that they outran their gasoline supplies and the drive had to be temporarily halted until more fuel could be obtained during those traumatic months at the close of the Second World War elements of the Third Army were part of an allied spearhead which was to liberate a conquered Europe today that fast hard-hitting combat tradition has become a driving force behind the modern Third Army one of the six major tactical sub divisions of the United States Continental Army command located in seven states of the southeast the Third Army includes many of the nation's major military installations Fort Benning Fort Bragg Fort Gordon Fort McClellan Fort Jackson Fort Stewart Fort Rucker Fort Campbell Redstone Arsenal and Third Army headquarters at Fort McPherson Georgia here's the administrator Center for all Third Army activities the principal mission of the command is to train and provide administrative support for strategic Army forces located at Third Army installations and to support logistically the various army schools in the area each year the Third Army has the responsibility of training approximately 17,000 replacement troops for the recruit the conversion from civilian the soldier may begin at one of the third army's large training centers such as fort courtney the Army's need for rugged intelligent and dedicated soldiers is met by training programs which emphasize from the beginning the disciplines and capabilities demanded of the modern fighting man this demand places a firm responsibility on the individual soldier whose mission is to defend his countries to fight and win any type of war to take or regain ground as a main objective of the land soldier Third Army training program stressed the soldier's ability to take care of himself in any combat situation the soldier may continue his military education at any of the nine specialty schools of the Continental Army Command at Fort Gordon southeastern signal school he may study various phases of military communications electronics also at Fort Gordon is the Provo Marshall School where the duties of the military police are taught special attention is given to studies and riot control techniques by which discipline organization and determination can control mob violence the infantry school at Fort Benning is the center for advanced training and infantry skills this school has the responsibility for preparing infantry officers in the many areas of special military knowledge required in modern combat often referred to as the queen of battle the infantry has always been the backbone of the army this traditional role of the infantryman has given greater significance by the study of newest combat techniques the air mobility Department of the infantry school conducts training for the airborne soldier basic courses in the parachute jump form the groundwork for a highly complex and demanding assignment training is provided for students from all branches of the military services as well as from alive countries the Army paratrooper must be expert in manipulation and control of his shoot in the use of his reserve parachute and in emergency landing procedures these and other airborne skills add up to a fast-moving hard-hitting trooper able to operate in difficult areas that may be inaccessible to other military units at Fort Rucker the army aviation school teaches all phases of aeronautics involved in army operations training and fixed-wing and rotary-wing planes repairs army personnel for flight assignments forces are offered in aerodynamics meteorology communications and other subjects with growing military requirements for mobility army aviation training fills a vital need at third Army's fort mcclellan the chemical school conducts training in the specialties of chemical and biological warfare instruction and decontamination of personnel and equipment prepares the soldier for operations and radiological combat situations fort mcclellan also houses the Women's Army Corps training center which provides instruction and a variety of administrative and technical specialties as the need for these activities grows within the army the wax provide a valuable capability of skills in support of the military mission thanks right right well this sure is a different army we didn't spend as much time in school that's right exactly right Fred and there are really some very good reasons for it hmm the Third Army just isn't any of the other peacetime armies is primarily engaged in training and you're right about the fact that the modern soldiers training is longer and more comprehensive it has to be Fred modern warfare like so many other things in life has become more complex there's so much more that he has to learn now new and improved weapons and combat techniques are constantly being developed tactical missiles with longer range and greater accuracy hard-hitting more mobile armor greatly improved small arms providing greater firepower more effective army aircraft and support of ground operations all of these help the fighting man but the complex material and techniques of modern combat can only be effective in the hands of soldiers who are skilled resourceful and confident individuals highly specialized training to develop these traits in today's soldier is carried on in various Third Army installations at Fort Bragg Special Forces training concentrates on intensive instruction in the organization of guerrilla and counter guerilla warfare with subversion and insurgency arising danger in many parts of the world the Special Forces soldier must be ready to teach others how to defend their freedom one of the most demanding of all army training programs Ranger training is conducted at Fort Benning for volunteers only the Ranger program emphasizes training of the individual to a high degree of physical and mental capability exercises and hand-to-hand combat developed the student physically and increases endurance the Ranger student must go through a combat conditioning course exposed to stresses which often exceed those he might encounter an actual combat above all he has taught initiative the ability to act with complete confidence in any situation in the early weeks of his training the Ranger learns basic combat skills he learns to live off the land and to survive the rigors of strange and hostile environments a second phase of the training gives the Ranger experience and military mountaineering techniques smaller highly trained units with unique military skills occupy a position of paramount importance in today's combat forces which may be called upon to operate under any conditions of terrain or climbing night raid a realistic exercise which puts Ranger training to the test successful completion of the rigorous Ranger course is an outstanding accomplishment for the individual man for the army a superbly skilled soldier stands ready to serve periodically units of the Third Army undergo practice alerts called without warning they test the ability of the units to move from one place to another within a given period of time the participants do not know until they are on their way whether or not this is an exercise or the real thing Third Army units are also tested in full-scale field maneuvers such as the series of swift strike exercises to see how well they perform in a hypothetical combat situation the techniques and tactics are those of actual combat to be tried and perfected swift strike exercises our joint army air force maneuvers which give invaluable aid and polishing the teamwork between the ground and air arms of the military when realism as the keynote tough opposition is provided an aggressor convoy is ambushed by specially selected troops prisoners are taken every attempt is made to simulate the incidence of actual combat as you know our main purpose and all this is simply to be ready the schools exercises maneuvers they're all designed and maintained so that we will be ready at a moment's notice should the Third Army ever be needed for combat a lot of people feel that this readiness of yours is pretty expensive not nearly as expensive is not being ready Fred not by a long shot this is a pretty explosive world we live in and well I pray that it never happens we could be called on at any time it almost happened in the late fall of 1962 readiness for the defense of our nation for the defense of freedom throughout the world with international crisis of routine of our time peaceful negotiations go hand in hand with military preparedness the Cuban crisis of 1962 demonstrated vividly the readiness of all our military forces to respond with national emergency units at Third Army installations closest to the trouble spot were alerted at Fort Campbell the 101st Airborne Division was ready this division jumped into Normandy in 1944 and made history in a Belgium town called Bastogne yet it is still one of the Army's best trained and hardest hitting fighting units at Fort Benning the famous second Infantry Division prepared for action the Cuban crisis passed but other trouble spots remain soldiers specially trained and Third Army installations may be called upon to serve in any of them in Berlin where barriers still divide the city the American soldier has learned to live with crisis here well-trained military units can move swiftly to deter aggression here too the soldiers discipline learned in training helps them through the long tense periods of watchful waiting in Vietnam he is committed to help the free Vietnamese the American special forces soldier equipped with knowledge of the language and the nature of guerrilla warfare is a valuable ally here Vietnamese fighters are trained in the use of modern weapons and the techniques of jungle warfare United States Army personnel accompany local troops and their actions against the enemy military support for Southeast Asia's free nations often calls for unusual combat skills which require intensive training on the part of the American soldier in this effort Third Army special training programs perform an essential service April 1964 at 3rd army sport Campbell the beginning of a unique military training operation designed to increase the readiness of the American fighting man to defend freedom wherever it is threatened a brigade of the 101st Airborne Division embarks on air transports destination Iran operation exercised Illawarra a combined Iranian United States military training maneuver elements of the United States Strike Command participated Army and Air Force units will be joined by American naval units in the Persian Gulf area forming a joint task force object to reinforce free Iranian troops in a simulated conflict against an aggressive first stop Turkey where United States forces in Europe have prepared tent city a staging area for use by American troops before the manoeuvre located near the Turkish city of Adana the marshaling area houses the equipment and facilities that will be involved in the drop operation preparations for the maneuver are carefully made to the American airborne soldier it will be a different and significant experience for most of the men airlifted 6,000 miles from the Third Army area the flight to the drop zone and Iran is a venture into a strange and distant country here centuries before we were a nation cultures flourished and armies struggled for power soon Iranian troops taking part in the exercise will move toward the combat area similar in appearance to our own Southwest in the early dawn United States troopers jump over the desert plain near does full striking out across the rugged terrain the troopers head for the first day's objective in the three days of the manoeuvre the men marched 30 miles into the foothills of the Zagros Mountains Iranians whose heritage goes back to antiquity watch the exercise they know that the men who dropped from the skies are friends and have come to help their country the Iranian soldiers share the satisfying knowledge that they are taking part in a cult standing example of international military cooperation for its part in exercise Delaware an Iranian word meaning courageous the Third Army gained more valuable experience and a chance to continue its training programs thousands of miles from home if it should ever happen that the men the professional skills and the combat readiness of the Third Army are needed I am convinced they will be ready in addition to assuring maximum combat effectiveness this army also strives to maintain and preserve the peace this is their tradition and the continuing mission of the third United States Army