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FORT BRAGG, N.C. - The village was surrounded by U.S. military vehicles; heavy weapons systems were on the ground and Kiowa helicopters circled above as a Chinook touched down in a small field. Paratroopers rushed out of the Chinook and headed for the village to rescue the Americans stranded there.
Paratroopers assigned to 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, conducted a noncombatant evacuation operation as part of a field training exercise, Aug. 22.
The exercise involved evacuating U.S. citizens from an American consulate in a mock village to train for real life situations. The American citizens and village locals were role-played by soldiers. Although the training exercise began as a NEO, it quickly escalated into a combat exercise.
In the scenario an allied country’s government requested the assistance of U.S. Forces to aid the government in protecting the area from “insurgent groups” causing unrest in the country. One of the first missions the paratroopers conducted was to ensure the safety of the 20 American citizens who were stranded in the simulated consulate, unable to get safe transportation out of the village.
The paratroopers conducted a long and dangerous movement through the rough terrain with a convoy of military vehicles. The convoy moved slowly but precisely through the forest, staying off the roads to avoid notional insurgent-placed roadside bombs.
Many of the troopers in the convoy had never conducted a NEO or a combat mission. Pfc. Zach Alaniz, a cavalry scout assigned to 1-73rd Cav., was the driver in the lead vehicle in the convoy. New to the unit, this was his first training exercise with the “Gray Falcons.”
“This is very exciting, but I’m nervous,” he said.
Once the vehicles were in place around the village, which appeared to be devastated by years of war and poverty, the 1-73rd CAV began their airborne operation. The paratroopers air assaulted from a Chinook into an open field next to the village. They were able to enter the village without any conflict and began to systematically search the buildings. Soon, the village was secured.
Once inside the mock village, military forces began processing the IDs of all the villagers to verify those who were to be evacuated. The American citizens were glad to see the faces of the U.S. soldiers, and asked them to take them back home to the states.
“This is a reason why I joined the Army,” said Pfc. Josh Glenn, an infantryman assigned to the 1-73rd Cav. He said he was very excited to be able to save American lives and stop insurgents from terrorizing the locals. Glenn said his training helped prepare him for the air assault operation and to be able to safely clear the buildings without causing collateral damage.
Shortly after all the American citizens were secured and waiting to be airlifted out, three controlled explosions occurred inside the village followed by small arms fire. The insurgents simulated the firing of a rocket-propelled grenade, resulting in two “casualties” and “wounding” two more. With precision the U.S. Forces reacted in self-defense with deadly force, resulting in six insurgent “casualties.”
The U.S. casualties were recovered and evacuated by air. The wounded were also transported out of the village to a nearby training hospital to receive medical care.
After the wounded were transported, the 1-73rd Cav. secured an open field to safely airlift the 20 American citizens to be transported back to the United States.
Once all the airlifts were completed, the paratroopers reorganized all troops on the ground and began the convoy back to a secured area.
The paratroopers of the 2nd BCT are dedicated to ensuring the safety and freedom of American citizens, as well as those of our allies. By conducting exercises such as the NEO, the paratroopers ensure they are prepared to rapidly deploy anywhere in the world, as a part of the 82nd Airborne Division’s Global Response Force for any type of mission.
| Date Taken: | 08.22.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 08.25.2012 14:28 |
| Story ID: | 93813 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 549 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, Noncombatant evacuation operation: Paratroopers train to evacuate American citizens from unstable country, by SFC Ryan Matthew, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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