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Thunderstruck

Photo By Staff Sgt. Richard Wrigley | Tank mechanics from the 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade...... read more read more

FORT STEWART, GA, UNITED STATES

02.17.2015

Story by Staff Sgt. Richard Wrigley

3rd Infantry Division

FORT STEWART, Ga. -- A fiery ball of yellow-orange flame erupted out of the main gun tube of an M1A2SEP Abrams Tank, while the noise of the cannon fire reverberated in listening ears as if lightning had struck not 10 feet away with one resounding thunder-clap. Even with the firing tank roughly 100 meters away, the concussive force of the blast washed over the audience, causing many "oohs" and "aahs." Some might even say they were "thunderstruck."

The audience was a diverse one; from infants to teenagers, to young adults, to the parents of young adults, there were a wide variety of people in attendance for the Tank Gunnery Table VI, held here at Digital Multi-Purpose Range Complex, Feb. 7. The one thing that those in attendance had in common was that one and all, they were the loved ones of the Soldiers of Company Delta “Death Knights,” 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment as well as other crews of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team.

The Death Knight team was collectively at the tail end of a two-week long exercise, where they progressed from Tables II-VI of their crew level gunnery. The culminating event was Table VI where the crews would prove their mettle and qualify on both day and night operation of their tank. The family day took place during day two of the Death Knight’s GT VI.

“It was good to see the families come out ... the families were able to see their fathers, and it’s not everyday they get to see what tanks can do,” said Sgt. 1st Class Mark Martin, a platoon sergeant within Company Charlie “Cyclones,” 1-64th AR.

The family day was by all accounts a huge success. The Death Knights hosted 165 family members, and even had parents of two of the Soldiers fly in from out of sate to see their Soldiers and their Soldiers do.

“It was a rewarding experience for me to see people appreciate what their Soldier does on a daily basis,” said Capt. Billy Folinusz, commander of the Death Knights.

While the event was awesome and seemed to be executed flawlessly, it admittedly put an additional challenge on what was already a challenging training exercise.

“It is a very hard leader problem to work something like a family day in, especially during something so important as a Table VI,” said Folinusz. “Even so, I find it very, very, necessary in order to build a well-rounded team like we have in team Death Knight -- I think the experience was invaluable.”

The event started with family members getting some hands on experience in a tank which was set up for static display, as well as getting to see some of the weapons systems up close. Additionally, four Soldiers were promoted to their respective next higher rank.

However the event wasn’t all static displays and ceremonies, it was also a very real qualification table. The real excitement was had when the families were able to watch some of the tanks put rounds down range.

Putting rounds down range for a gunnery is an Army training requirement for Armor units, and it serves as a validation of the skill and proficiency of the crews being tested. From all reports however, this qualification comes as somewhat of a formality considering the gauntlet of training the Death Knight team has undergone in the last few months.

Folinusz explained that the Company has gone through a grueling training schedule in the last 10 months, completing two training center rotations and a gunnery last August amongst other training exercises they have been challenged with.

The propensity for unique challenges didn’t stop with this gunnery. Not only did the Death Knights need to validate 12 of their crews, there were also another 23 crews from both the Company C, 1-64th AR, as well as two other battalions within the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team.

“A lot has been thrown at them in a relatively short period of time, and yet they’re still coming out here and achieving some pretty excellent scores,” Folinusz said.

Another unique aspect of this particular training exercise was the level of difficulty that the crews were presented during their Table V, explained Martin.

“Our Table V was unique because we were presented some engagements that were tougher and that we’re not accustomed to shooting,” Martin explained. “It really forced the crews to better themselves and really prepared them better for Table VI qualifications.”

While the crews would go on to continue firing throughout the rest of the day and into the night, eventually the families did have to leave. However it was apparent that the Soldiers were walking a little bit taller and seemed a little bit prouder after they were given a chance to show their family members what they do.

“It’s this kind of thing that helps Soldiers develop a strong family life, which is very important, because once they develop that, it is very easy for them to come to work and to focus on what they have to do,” said Folinusz. “What that gives me is a highly lethal team that can go anywhere in the world and accomplish the mission on a moments notice.”