Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Kulani Lakanaria | Sgt. Pablo Aguayza, a squad leader in Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry...... read more read more
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FORT BLISS, Texas – A small squad of soldiers marched across an unpaved desert road. Someone in the center of the formation raised a fist. The soldiers stopped, pulled security and scanned their environment. Four of the solders rushed toward a dilapidated metal building and stacked up closely to one another, a meter away from the doorway. The last man in the stack moved up to the door and simulated the checking for booby-traps in a sweeping motion. He gave a thumbs-up. That instant, the soldier closest to the door pivoted toward the door and cocked back his leg ... Boom!
Soldiers of Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, were sharpening their “military operations on urban terrain,” or MOUT, skills during the Network Integration Evaluation 14.1, Oct. 26, 2013.
“Today we are doing some MOUT training,” said Sgt. Pablo Aguayza, a squad leader in A Company, 1/6 IN, 2/1 AD. “The first phase of NIE for us is to rehearse what we are going to do, which includes clearing and searching buildings.”
The MOUT training provided an opportunity for new soldiers in Alpha Company to build unit cohesion and learn new techniques.
“A lot of my guys are still new, direct from basic training,” Aguayza said. “They haven’t had the chance to build that unit cohesion you get in a deployed environment. You eat, sleep and go on patrols 24 hours a day. Here you come to work, do what you’ve got to do on a daily basis and go home. Being in the field for an extended period of time lets me learn about my soldiers.”
The soldiers who were participating were motivated and receptive during the training.
“MOUT is some awesome stuff,” exclaimed Pfc. Devin Wanberg, a rifleman also with A Company, 1/6 IN, 2/1 AD. “My squad leader and team leader are very knowledgeable. We always do well on any MOUT operations.”
“MOUT is very important,” Aguayza said. “If you don’t know what to do while clearing a building, it could cost you your life or your buddy’s life.”
| Date Taken: | 10.26.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 11.03.2013 18:49 |
| Story ID: | 116213 |
| Location: | FORT BLISS, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 99 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, 1-6 Infantry sharpens military operations during Network Integration Evaluation 14.1, by SFC Kulani Lakanaria, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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