Matt Larsen - The Official U.S. Army Combat Skills Handbook

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Copyright 2018 Department of the Army

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ISBN 978-1-4930-3296-9 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-4930-3295-2 (e-book)

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Printed in the United States of America

Duty, honor, country: Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, and what you will be. They are your rallying point to build courage when courage seems to fail, to regain faith when there seems to be little cause for faith, to create hope when hope becomes forlorn.

G e n er a l D ou gl a s Mac A r t h u r, o n r ec e i v i n g th e S y l v a n u s T h a y er Me d al at t h e U. S. M i l it a ry A c a d e m y , M a y ,

Contents

Contents

Preface

Modern combat is chaotic, intense, and shockingly destructive. In your first battle, you will experience the confusing and often terrifying sights, sounds, smells, and dangers of the battlefieldbut you must learn to survive and win despite them.

1. You could face a fierce and relentless enemy.
2. You could be surrounded by destruction and death.
3. Your leaders and fellow soldiers may shout urgent commands and warnings.
4. Rounds might impact near you.
5. The air could be filled with the smell of explosives and propellant.
6. You might hear the screams of a wounded comrade.

However, even in all this confusion and fear, remember that you are not alone. You are part of a well-trained team, backed by the most powerful combined-arms force, and the most modern technology in the world. You must keep faith with your fellow soldiers, remember your training, and do your duty to the best of your ability. If you do, and you uphold your Warrior Ethos, you can win and return home with honor.

This is the soldiers Training Circular (TC). It tells the soldier how to perform the combat skills needed to survive on the battlefield. All soldiers, across all branches and components, must learn these basic skills. Noncommissioned officers (NCOs) must ensure that their soldiers receive training onand knowthese vital combat skills.

Part One

Warrior Ethos

What is Warrior Ethos? At first glance, it is just four simple lines embedded in the Soldiers Creed. Yet, it is the spirit represented by these four lines that

• Compels soldiers to fight through all adversity, under any circumstances, in order to achieve victory.
• Represents the U.S. soldiers loyal, tireless, and selfless commitment to his nation, his mission, his unit, and his fellow soldiers.
• Captures the essence of combat, army values, and warrior culture.

Sustained and developed through discipline, commitment, and pride, these four lines motivate every soldier to persevere and, ultimately, to refuse defeat. These lines go beyond mere survival. They speak to forging victory from chaos; to overcoming fear, hunger, deprivation, and fatigue; and to accomplishing the mission:

THE SO LDIERS CREED

I am an American soldier.

I am a Warrior and a member of a team.

I serve the people of the United States and live the Army Values.

I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my Warrior tasks and drills.

I always maintain my arms, my equipment, and myself.

I am an expert and I am a professional.

I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.

I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.

I am an American soldier.

Chapter 1

Introduction

Military service is more than a job. It is a profession with the enduring purpose to win wars and destroy our nations enemies. The Warrior Ethos demands a dedication to duty that may involve putting your life on the line, even when survival is in question, for a cause greater than yourself. As a soldier, you must motivate yourself to rise above the worst battle conditionsno matter what it takes, or how long it takes. That is the heart of the Warrior Ethos, which is the foundation for your commitment to victory in times of peace and war. While always exemplifying the four parts of Warrior Ethos, you must have absolute faith in yourself and your team, as they are trained and equipped to destroy the enemy in close combat. Warrior drills are a set of nine battle drills, consisting of individual tasks that develop and manifest the Warrior Ethos in soldiers.

OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENT

This complex operational environment offers no relief or rest from contact with the enemy across the spectrum of conflict. No matter what combat conditions you find yourself in, you must turn your personal Warrior Ethos into your commitment to win. In the combat environment of today, unlike conflicts of the past, there is little distinction between the forward and rear areas. Battlefields of the Global War on Terrorism, and battles to be fought in the U.S. Armys future, are and will be asymmetrical, violent, unpredictable, and multidimensional. Todays conflicts are fought throughout the whole spectrum of the battlespace by all soldiers, regardless of military occupational specialty (MOS). Every soldier must think as a warrior first; a professional soldier, trained, ready, and able to enter combat; ready to fightand winagainst any enemy, an y time, any place.

ARMY VALUES

U.S. Army values reminds us and displays to the rest of the worldthe civilian governments we serve, the nation we protect, other nations, and even our enemieswho we are and what we stand for (Figure 1-1). The trust you have for your fellow soldiers, and the trust the American people have in you, depends on how well you live up to the army values. After all, these values are the fundamental building blocks that enable you to understand right from wrong in any situation. Army values are consistent and support one another; you cannot follow one value and ignore the others. Figure 1-1 shows the army values, which form the acrostic LDRSHIP.

Performance in combat, the greatest challenge, requires a basis, such as army values, for motivation and will. In these values are rooted the basis for the character and self-discipline that generates the will to succeed and the motivation to persevere. From this motivation derived through tough realistic training and the skills acquired, which will make you successful, a soldier who walks the walk.