Strengthening the pack

Photo By Spc. Sharla Lewis | Staff Sgt. Joseph Cadriel, with 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, exits a UH-60 Blackhawk as part of an air assault, cordon, search and secure exercise at Elijah MOUT Facility. The exercise was part of the brigade's week-long field training exercise to prepare them for their upcoming deployment to the National Training Center.  

FORT HOOD, TX, UNITED STATES

10.06.2010

Story by Spc. Sharla Lewis 

3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division

FORT HOOD, Texas – Troopers from 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division have completed a week long situational training exercise to prepare for their upcoming rotation to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif.

Operation Greywolf STX focused on retraining selected platoon collective tasks, equipment readiness, and personnel readiness; enabling continued preparation for the brigade’s Mission Readiness Exercise at NTC in October and subsequent deployment.

"This was a great training event for us to further build upon the foundations of individual, collective, and leader training we've stressed throughout the year." said Maj. Trent Upton, the brigade’s operations officer.

Each battalion played an important role in the train-up and conducted operations all over Fort Hood and its training areas.

Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment conducted cordon, search and secure training exercises at Fort Hood’s military operations on urban terrain facilities in order to ready its soldiers.

The battalion called on A and B Company to overtake the village where a local was running a suspected explosives factory.

Soldiers moved on air and ground transport to the MOUT facility, and then moved through the buildings; clearing each room and securing each alley until they found their target.

Finally, a squad of soldiers identified and captured an “insurgent” harboring a cache of high-velocity explosives.

Training like this is valuable to soldiers deploying to the National Training Center to prepare them for the urban terrain that they will find there and later in Iraq.

“With a MOUT site, the buildings really help us get an idea of what the terrain will be like in Iraq,” said Sgt. Shane Beebe, from Louisville, Texas. “This will make us even that more prepared when we deploy.”

Troopers from 6th Squadron, 9th Cav. Regt. utilized Fort Hood’s newest urban training site, Boaz Company MOUT Facility, which provided a more realistic combat experience for the troops.

Complete with video cameras to conduct after action reviews, speakers to blast Arabic music and mob shouting, the facility equipped the soldiers of Saber Squadron for combat.

Soldiers said the training provided a 360-degree experience for them before their deployment to NTC.

“No matter where you go you are going to run into situations where you have to understand the three dimensional fight,” said 1st Lt. Daniel Schmidt, a platoon leader with B Troop.

The 2nd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, maintained their combat readiness by conducting live fire exercises with their M109A6 Paladins, conducting key leader engagements and learning how to react to casualties on the battlefield.

Artillerymen and role players standing in for Iraqi Security Forces moved to a mock village to conduct a raid where they reacted to small arms fire, practiced detaining, tactical questioning, and sensitive site exploitation.

Locals were “wounded”, requiring the platoon to conduct combat casualty care and an improvised explosive device detonated, disabling a vehicle.

“It was a good opportunity to get comfortable in the jobs we’ll be performing both at NTC and when we deploy,” said Cpt. John McGinn, with Headquarters and Headquarters Btry. “It’s also a great chance to get to know each other.”

The 215th Brigade Support Battalion trained the battalions on their combat medical care.

The battalion set up classrooms of camouflage netting and taught platoon-sized elements throughout the brigade the basics of trauma care before sending them down the road to experience a mass casualty bombing scenario first hand.

“Any kind of explosion like this is going to create a lot of casualties like we simulate here,” said Sgt. Holly Hinton, a medic with C Medical Company, 215th BSB.

Training like this provides platoons with play-by-play experience in combat casualty care. Soldiers in charge of the training said situations like this one are common while deployed.

The battalion also provided mechanics, medics and supplies for the brigade during the week-long exercise.

Readying soldiers for their upcoming deployment to the National Training Center, the Greywolf Brigade will continue with recovery and load out operations in the upcoming weeks.

"We've met, and in some cases surpassed our objectives, due to our Soldiers' hard work and tenacity throughout this training density. I have no doubt that we will continue to expand and refine our proficiency into our NTC rotation and beyond,” Upton said.

• Date Taken: 10.06.2010
• Date Posted: 10.06.2010 16:08
• Story ID: 57629
• Location: FORT HOOD, TX, US