CONUS Replacement Center Prepares Service Members and Civilians

By Sgt. 1st Class Brian Hamilton

108th Training Command (IET) Public Affairs

Ben Franklin said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”

Perhaps the Army Reserve kept that in mind when it tapped the 108th Training Command (IET), to head the CONUS Replacement Center located at Fort Bliss, Texas.

The CRC, as it’s called, works hand in hand with 1st Army to provide deploying service members, contractors and Department of Defense civilians a one-week hands-on refresher course on weapons, chemical and biological weapon defense and basic life saving techniques.

They also serve as a liaison for those deploying and redeploying by helping coordinate care and services between the service member and the provider in medical and legal related issues.

The CRC works alongside the Warrior Transition Unit to find the best possible care for returning service members in an area that is close to them. “We work hard to provide

Army Reserve Drill Sergeant, Sgt. Robert Benavente, 95th Training Division (IET), helps clear a malfunction for a Sailor at the M9 range at McGregor Range in New Mexico. Benavente currently serves as an instructor for the CONUS Replacement Center on Fort Bliss, Texas, preparing service members, contractors, and Department of the Army civilians for upcoming deployments. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Brian Hamilton, 108th Training Command (IET), Public Affairs

the latest training requirements to service members and civilians so they are prepared for theater when they get to where they’re going,” said 1st Lt. Jesus Cruz Barraca, Executive Officer, Headquarters Co., 95th Training Division (IET), CONUS Replacement Center.

“We also make sure that when they come back home, they get any and all the help they need before they come off active duty,” Cruz Barraca added.

Since July of 2013, the 108th has provided a total of 125 Soldiers to support the CRC. The CRC regularly sees close

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• Fall Enrollment, Final Application Deadline: August 1 to 18,000 service members and civilians come through its doors annually. Anywhere from 20 to 50 deploying and redeploying personnel receive training or services through the CRC at any given time, seven days a week, holidays notwithstanding.

Capt. Sydney King, a deploying Soldier from the 98th Training Division (IET), says the benefit of the CRC to deploying Reserve Soldiers is enormous.

“The cadre here has everything down to a science. There is such a fluid battle rhythm that everything really just falls into place,” King said. “There was well planned and well executed training provided to us. Instead of scrambling to get everything we need to get done in multiple locations, everything was provided for us here. It takes a lot of the stress of deploying out of the equation to the point where all we have to do is focus on the training and our mission.”

So just why is the Army Reserve Soldier a perfect fit for the CRC mission?

Cruz Barraca, a former active duty drill sergeant turned Army Reserve officer, says Reserve Soldiers are able to talk to the civilians coming through the CRC on a different level.

“When dealing with civilians like the contractors we get here, it helps to have some experience outside of the military,” he said. “There are always little conflicts that arise and because we share the same experiences in terms

of working in the private sector we tend to be able to diffuse the situation or resolve the conflict in a better way than someone who has served in the military their whole life. We just understand better what they’re going through.”

Army Reserve Drill Sergeant, Sgt. Robert Benevente, 95th Training Division (IET), agreed. “I think communication is the hardest thing that we deal with out here. The way you have to talk to the civilians and some of the Reserve service members that come through here is a lot different than talking to a Soldier in basic training.”

“In basic training Soldiers are like sponges. They absorb everything. Out here they’re rocks! They’ve absorbed as much as they are going to absorb. We have to find new and creative ways to get some of them to complete the training. But our experiences in the civilian world help us with doing that,” Benevente said.

But those deploying aren’t the only ones who benefit from the CRC.

“Getting to work with service members from other branches of the military has been a huge bonus to me. I enjoy getting to know them and how they operate. This is as big a benefit to me as it is hopefully to them,” said Army Reserve Drill Sergeant, Sgt. Fredrick Briley, 95th Training

Army Reserve Drill Sergeant, Sgt. Frederick Briley, 95th Training Division (IET), observes a Soldier firing at the M9 range at McGregor range in New Mexico. Briley currently serves as an instructor for the CONUS Replacement Center on Fort Bliss, Texas, preparing service members, contractors and Department of the Army civilians for upcoming deployments. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Brian Hamilton, 108th Training Command (IET), Public Affairs

Division (IET).

With the CRC mission resting comfortably in the capable hands of the 108th Training Command (IET), there should be no doubt that those service members and civilians heading out to strategic missions abroad, as well as those returning and transitioning back into civilian life, are fully prepared for any future challenges they might face.