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    Area Soldiers participate in final Mobilization Readiness Exercise

    FORT MCCOY, WI, UNITED STATES

    07.26.2009

    Story by Sgt. Brian Johnson 

    Michigan National Guard

    FORT MCCOY, Wis. - When a military unit goes through additional deployment training, there are many steps to have the unit be validated for an overseas deployment. One of those steps is a final Mobilization Readiness Exercise, or MRE. The members of the 1434th Engineer Company recently completed their MRE training.

    The over 150 members of the Grayling, Michigan, based National Guard unit were mobilized June 11, 2009, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. They began training at their mobilization station in Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, on June 14, 2009.

    The MRE consisted of many parts, to include convoy operations, construction operations and security operations.

    How did the unit do with the exercise? Unit Commander Capt. Brian Iarossi said, "The Soldiers of the 1434th did an outstanding job over eight days of continuous operations. They executed their mission at a pace far more demanding than what will be required of them in theater and succeeded in every mission. They are ready for their real-world mission in Iraq."

    Sgt. 1st Class Brent Rosten, from Negaunee, led 1st Platoon of the 1434th Engineer Company with over 30 soldiers. The platoon conducted the construction and operation of an entry control point or ECP. Rosten's platoon also finalized construction and electrical work on South West Asia huts, or SWA huts. Both missions were conducted over eight days under simulated conditions like the soldiers would experience in Iraq."

    "Both missions that we conducted went really well," said Rosten. "With the exercise set up the way that it was, we had to be ready for anything. We had to be ready for the potential of an attack when convoying to our job sites or guarding the ECPs. We also had situations where role players who were playing Iraqi citizens had encounters with us."

    "All of these things were possible scenarios of what our platoon could experience while in Iraq," said Rosten. "We were well-prepared for facing the obstacles that were presented to us, be it on patrol or on the job site. I am extremely confident that 1st Platoon will succeed in the missions we will encounter in Iraq."

    "I believe the training was essential for both team and confidence building," said Spc. Daryl Kujat, of Harbor Springs. "We have many soldiers who are new to the unit and haven't had a chance to do some of the training that many of us have been through previously. This gave many of those new soldiers a chance to learn from the soldiers that had been through the training, but also a chance for us to learn from them. We became a lot closer as a group and more fluent in reacting to situations that we may face while in Iraq."

    Kujat said, "I am proud of what we accomplished during the exercise. I am also more proud to serve alongside each one of these soldiers during our deployment to Iraq."

    The 1434th will continue training at Fort McCoy until late summer before they go to their next duty in Iraq in the middle of August.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 07.26.2009
    Date Posted: 04.18.2015 20:43
    Story ID: 160435
    Location: FORT MCCOY, WI, US
    Hometown: GRAYLING, MI, US
    Hometown: NEGAUNEE, MI, US

    Web Views: 26
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN