Vanguard Soldiers conduct sling-load training

Photo By Spc. Amanda McBride | Soldiers from Company A, 703rd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, participate in a sling-load training exercise, March 6, at the airfield on Forward Operating Base Kalsu, Iraq.  

ISKANDARIYAH, IRAQ

03.10.2008

Story by Spc. Amanda McBride 

4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs

Spc. Amanda McBride, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs Office

FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq – Soldiers from the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division participated in a sling-load training exercise, March 6, on the airfield at Forward Operating Base Kalsu.

Soldiers from Company A, 703rd Brigade Support Battalion and Company A, 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, received the training to prepare for upcoming operations.

Prior to the nighttime exercise, Soldiers were briefed on the basics.

"The first portion of the orientation was on the aircraft, equipment and safety," said Lt. Erich Steffens, platoon leader in Co. A, 703rd BSB.

After the briefing, they were taught how to properly rig a sling load.

"We did a rehearsal in rigging," said Steffens, a native of Wayland, N.Y. "Then we got them up onto the load."

During the night portion of the exercise, Soldiers were able to take turns sling-loading in real-life scenarios.

Teams were made up of two Soldiers with experience in rigging sling loads and three Soldier trainees. Each five-man team hooked up cargo onto CH-47 Chinooks to be transported to the simulated location. For many of the Soldiers, this was their first time sling-loading.

Sgt. Sergio Prieto, from Queens, N.Y., Co. A, 703rd BSB, said he didn't know what to expect before the exercise. "I thought it was going to be a lot harder."

Keeping situational awareness on top of the different loads was a challenge, Steffens said, but the Soldiers remembered safety throughout the training.

"The training was definitely successful," Steffens said. "You could see the confidence on their faces after they did it."

• Date Taken: 03.10.2008
• Date Posted: 03.10.2008 21:12
• Story ID: 17226
• Location: ISKANDARIYAH, IQ