5th Battalion, 25th Field Artillery Regiment’s Red-Leg Challenge

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class David Edge | In the early morning hours of Jan. 30, 2015, leaders from 5th Battalion, 25th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, conducted a series of tests during the battalion's Red-Leg Challenge at Fort Polk's Marion Bonner Recreation Area. The challenge was part of the battalion's "Lieutenant University" training. Lt. Col. John Barefield, commander, 5th Bn. FA Reg., designed the training program to promote junior leadership development and esprit de corps. The challenge included setup and tear-down for aiming circle, land navigation, first-aid treatment, and chemical, biological, radiological and donning nuclear radio protection mask. (U.S. Army photos by Sgt. David Edge, 4th BCT, 10th Mountain Division)  

FORT POLK, LA, UNITED STATES

01.30.2015

Story by Spc. Anri Baril 

4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Public Affairs

FORT POLK, La. – Fifth Battalion, 25th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division recently held its Red-Leg Challenge on Jan. 30, 2015, at Fort Polk’s Marion Bonner Recreation Area.

The Red-Leg Challenge was a team building exercise that was the culminating event of the battalion’s Lieutenant University training. The training focused on command supply discipline, equipment maintenance, fire support, risk management and training Soldiers.

“The training was basically to help prepare our junior officers for the future as battery executive officers and commanders. It helps give them an understanding of some of the garrison systems that help us to be successful as leaders,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. John Barefield, commander, 5th Battalion, 25th FAR, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division.

Junior officers trained in both classroom and field environments during the weeklong Lieutenant University training. Though not all of the training was full of excitement and explosions, each subject contributed to the overall success of training.

“The two most valuable parts of the training were composite risk management and command supply discipline. Those aren’t sexy topics, not like shooting a howitzer, but they’re really critical for any leader, especially a junior officer. Command supply discipline, at the lowest level, is us ensuring that taxpayer money is not wasted. Ensuring the safety of our Soldiers is the big focus of composite risk management,” said 1st Lt. Kurt Gross, 5th Battalion, 25th FAR, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division.

The roots of the Red-Leg Challenge were an effort to promote esprit de corps among the officers of the battalion. However, the foundation of the challenge and the week of training that led up to the event, was about preparing the battalion’s future leaders for the complex role of responsibility they will undoubtedly face.

“As field artillery officers we work both on the gun-line and we also work with the maneuver battalions as fire supporters, so giving the officers an understanding of both those responsibilities was important for me,” said Barefield. “Many of the lieutenants in the battalion will be fire supporters in the near future. So preparing them to move forward is essential.”

• Date Taken: 01.30.2015
• Date Posted: 02.04.2015 16:27
• Story ID: 153538
• Location: FORT POLK, LA, US