Wasilla man graduates with "buddy platoon"

During a recent ceremony at Fort Benning, Ga., 31 young Alaskans -- including one from Wasilla -- stood at attention while friends and relatives crowded around to place blue cords on their shoulders signifying their investiture into the ranks of the infantry. The soldiers, many from rural Alaska, are all members of the Alaska Army National Guard's "buddy platoon," a system that allows Alaska soldiers to go through 16 weeks of basic and advanced infantry training as a team rather than entering training as individuals, which is the norm.

"The buddy platoon concept came about because many of our soldiers are from rural Alaska," said LTC Peter Savage, commander of Retention and Recruitment. "Army Basic Training is difficult enough for anyone, but it can be particularly difficult if you are from isolated areas of Alaska. The buddy platoon allows our soldiers to draw on each other's strengths and pull each other through difficult moments," said Savage.

The returning soldiers will join one of the three Alaska Army National Guard infantry battalions; The 1st Battalion stretches from Nome to Fairbanks, the 2nd Battalion is located in the Bethel region, and the 3rd Battalion located along the coastal area from Kodiak to Ketchikan including Anchorage and Juneau.

Wasilla resident Richard Busk graduated with the buddy platoon. He received a blue infantry cord, which signified his membership in the infantry.

The most difficult training day was a 24-hour, 25-mile road march in the dark, cold, and wet, said PVT Chris Matchian of Chevak. "When we would stop, 40 soldiers would all try to crowd around one warming barrel. It was funny to watch," said Matchian. The march included night patrols off the road and ended with an assault up a cliff with the soldiers firing blank ammunition.

"Oh, yeah homesickness," said Kane Tangiegak of Chevak. "The first month was hard until I got into it, got the feeling of it," Tangiegak said. You had to keep strong inside, said Matchian. "I did think about quitting but my friends talked me out of it," he said.

The Alaskans knew how to shoot, said CPT Adam Lewis, commander of Delta Company, the training unit the buddy platoon was part of. "They're all hunters, and their shooting skills brought up the average marksman score of the entire company by 30 to 40 points," said Lewis,

Rather than putting all of the Alaska soldiers in one 35-man platoon, they were mixed evenly into Delta Company's three platoons, said Lewis. "It gave them a chance to mix with other soldiers from all over the country. I think it was good for them," Lewis said. The infantry course is considered by many to be one of the Army's most physically challenging and disciplined training schools.