Echo Company was formed in the early 1990s following the closure and subsequent auctioning of Kemper Military School. The Military School was closed as a result of bankruptcy. Even though the company was formed in the shadows of an excellent history of a dignified military school, it has maintained success in its undertakings through marine training and marine recruiting. In the Western United States, there are five companies whose sole aim is to offer military assistance under the umbrella of the 2nd Battalion. This Battalion consists of reservists ad are under the command of the 23rd Marine Regiment and the supervision of the 4th Marine Division, (Anton, pp. 34-43). Since it was formed, the company has for some time now been offering these services to the US military; the latest project being at Fort Jackson. Task Force Marshall at Fort Jackson would want its staff to undergo a skill refreshment program. The program is a joint creation of both the Army and the Navy and has been a tradition of the two departments of the US military force for some years now. Echo Company’s primary mission on this program at Task Force Marshall is to offer refreshment skills service to all soldiers that are IRR (Inactive Ready Reserve) and Retiree Recalls. The IRR soldiers who are targeted for this program have been shortlisted from within the ranks of E-1 to E-9. The officers who rank between 0-3 to 0-6 and Warrant officers CW2 to CW4 will also benefit from the program. With the unemployment rate in the job market at over 8%, more IRR and Retiree Recall soldiers are excited about being called back to active duty and have provided excellent feedback on the training, which to Echo Company, has given excellent guidance on ways to improve on its service.
While IRR and Retiree Recalls is Echo Company’s primary mission, it also has the opportunity to provide refresher training to the Afghanistan-Pakistan (AFPAK) bound forces. The AFPAK Hands was developed to create a cadre of Afghanistan/Pakistan experts. The program intended to develop a cadre of military experts to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Each personnel in this program is to receive language, culture and COIN training prior to deployment. The personnel selected for this program are drawn from all branches of combat arms, intelligence, logistics, construction, JAG, civil affairs, information warfare, and medical service corps. The training in this program is intense and is scheduled to take a minimum of two years. Due to the intense training involved, most trainees will be looking forward to two weeks of leave. Of the two weeks, trainees in the program are to spend one week with Echo Company for pre-deployment combat skills training. During this week of training, the AFPAK has scheduled a series of events. AFPAK personnel will execute weapons qualifications on the M4 and M9 weapons, First Aid training will also be on the list and is programmed to take place at the Medical Simulation Training Facility (MSTF) and the COL (Convoy Operation Lane). The AFPAK Program has made such an impact on the cadre who are under Echo Company supervision. For example, several cadres had an opportunity to witness the airing of the CBS news broadcast on July 27, 2011. Generally, the experience in this task has been beneficial to cadre, Echo Company, and the AFPAK program.
Apart from this program, the Echo Company has been influential in managing the US military task forces and management of artillery, weapons and assets, (Roger, pp. 12-23). The company has trained and instructed military personnel on missions to Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and subsequent rescue missions in these regions. The company has a history of providing trained combat, support personnel, and units. With 186 marines that it boasts of, Echo Company will be more effective under good leadership to offer excellent services in the duties that it will be assigned.
Works Cited
- Anton Myrer. “Once an Eagle” (2002).
- Roger H. Nye. “The Challenge of Command: Reading for Military Excellence” (2005).