Training helps Soldiers fortify supply lines

Photo By Staff Sgt. Zachary Mott | Pfc. Andrea Davis, medic, 64th Brigade Support Battalion (BSB), 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, sticks Pfc. Travis Nowland, Company A, 64th BSB, with an IV during combat logistics patrol training at Fort Carson, Colo. Nowland was in a vehicle that was hit by a simulated improvised explosive device.  

UNITED STATES

09.27.2007

Story by Sgt. Zachary Mott 

3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division

By Sgt. Zach Mott
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office

FORT CARSON, Colo. – Necessity drives most of the combat logistics patrols (CLPs) throughout Iraq. Soldiers at outlying forward operating bases continually need supplies such as food, fuel and ammunition to remain in the fight.

During the 3rd Brigade Combat Team (BCT), 4th Infantry Division's 10-day field training exercise, those who bring the supplies to Soldiers on the front lines were tested on their ability to react to various reality-based scenarios.

The combat logistics patrol validation lane presented Soldiers with various situations they might encounter while on a patrol in Iraq. These scenarios include encountering multiple improvised explosive devices, snipers, broken down vehicles and civilian vehicles attempting to enter a patrol.

"It's helping them a lot so that they can see what they're weak at and what they can work on before we deploy in the next couple months," said Staff Sgt. Phillip Kitchen, an observer/controller from Company B, 64th Brigade Support Battalion (BSB), who ensured the training was as realistic as possible.

Kitchen has deployed to Iraq twice before and is helping prepare the Striker Brigade for its third deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Utilizing the combat experience of Kitchen and other veterans has made this training as close to what these Soldiers will soon face while driving across the streets of Baghdad.

"I think it's pretty real, especially the scenarios they throw at us," said Sgt. David Marion, a fueler from Company A, 64th BSB. "You get a chance to do a lot of things that encompass a lot of things that you would encounter in Iraq. It helps you prepare for just about anything."

Marion is reading for his second deployment to Iraq and his first rotation with the 3rd BCT. He's utilizing this training to instill his knowledge onto his Soldiers as well as take away the knowledge from vets like Kitchen.

"(I want my Soldiers to know that) when they're on the CLPs to just stay aware, stay alert, make sure their weapons are ready to go and make sure that they know their (tactics, techniques and procedures) and exactly what they need to do when a certain scenario comes up," Marion said.

Other Soldiers who help distribute needed supplies to the Striker Brigade also completed this training to help better prepare them for duty in Iraq later this year. The 3rd BCT will deploy to Iraq for up to 15 months in December.

• Date Taken: 09.27.2007
• Date Posted: 09.27.2007 10:52
• Story ID: 12578
• Location: US