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    Arrowhead Brigade completes tough, realistic training rotation

    Arrowhead Brigade completes tough, realistic training rotation

    Photo By 1st Sgt. Justin A. Naylor | A Soldier with 3-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division, pulls security...... read more read more

    YAKIMA TRAINING CENTER, WA, UNITED STATES

    05.08.2015

    Story by Staff Sgt. Justin A. Naylor 

    1-2 SBCT, 7th Infantry Division

    JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. – Under the cover of darkness, the Soldiers in Stryker combat vehicles advanced. It was a fast pass considering the nighttime conditions. This was the moment they spent months training for. Although it was a notional mission, the intensity they displayed was real as they raced toward their objective.

    With the rhythmic pounding of machine gun fire and the hushed shouts of leaders, the Soldiers advanced to the trench line. One by one they engaged and destroyed their targets. By the time it was over, not a single simulated enemy remained. All those months of training paid off.

    For Soldiers with 3-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division, April was a busy month as they spent weeks at a time at Yakima Training Center, Washington, completing company-level live fires.

    This training was the culminating events of months of hard work all leading up to the final combined arms maneuver live-fire exercise, known as CAMLFX.

    “The training that led up to the (CAMLFX) began back in August when we started the Integrated Training Strategy,” said Capt. Cory Kastl, a Midland, Michigan, native and company commander with 3-2 SBCT.

    This training was part of the brigade’s Integrated Training Strategy, a broad training initiative that starts at the lowest level and ensures that the Soldiers are ready for any mission they are given.

    “It basically takes you from individual training all the way through brigade-level certification,” said Maj. Timothy Palmer, the 3-2 SBCT operations officer.

    For these Soldiers, their train up began by honing individual and team proficiencies with weapons, vehicles and a myriad of tasks. They then moved up to squad and platoon live fires before reaching the point they are at now.

    For many of these Soldiers, this training was just the latest in a series that took place at Yakima Training Center.

    “We've been looking forward to, and training hard for this since we left YTC in January after (platoon live-fire exercises)” Kastl said.

    In addition to the live-fire exercise, the Soldiers also took part in a number of other training events designed to test their ability at securing objectives, clearing a simulated village of enemy forces, and a number of other tasks.

    Because of the complexity of these various training events, this training required countless hours of preparation and planning and meticulous attention to detail. It was a sharp learning curve for many of the Soldiers, but one they took to well.

    “From private to colonel, lessons learned from the 7th Infantry Division’s Integrated Training Strategy will benefit our Army for generations to come,” Palmer said.

    Although the primary focus of the training was to hone the skills of the 3-2 SBCT Soldiers, it was also an opportunity to incorporate enabling units from throughout the 7th ID including air support, artillery and engineers.

    “Teamwork demonstrated across 7th Infantry Division is absolutely incredible,” Palmer said. “Our integrated combined arms maneuver training produced an incredible team. Both as an organization and as individuals, we grew incredibly. Additionally, each component of our team improved their mastery of their core competencies.”

    “I am convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that as a team, we are ready to answer our nation’s call,” Palmer continued.

    Although this training was a culminating point, it was in no way a finish line for the Soldiers. In the months to come, they will travel to the National Training Center to face off against a well-trained and well-equipped enemy during a simulated brigade-size battle there.

    “We’re going to the show! We’re going to NTC; we’re going to put all of our hard training to the test,” Palmer said.

    Although they still have a big mission ahead of them, leaders were impressed by the performance their Soldiers displayed during round after round of training.

    “The Soldiers and junior-level leaders performed admirably; they understood why they were there, what needed to be accomplished, and how to do it,” Kastl said. “As a commander, the best feeling is when you issue your basic intent for any operation, and you see your junior leaders execute a myriad of implied tasks to achieve the common end state and goals.”

    With this particular training complete, leaders now have an opportunity to reflect on the challenges they faced and those that they will encounter in the next few months.

    “The sequence and intensity of each specific mission we conducted out there added both a mental and physical toll to leaders and Soldiers alike,” Kastl said. “To keep performing at a high-level, which was our number one goal, took extreme focus at all levels to ensure that we were performing both tactically sound and safe operations. Overall, the design of this last rotation prepared every Soldier for the rigors and demands that NTC will place upon us, as well as any follow-on missions after that.”

    “We need to figure out how to keep the company at a high-state of sustainable readiness for any future operations post-NTC in July,” Kastl continued. “Both are challenging tasks, but with the leaders we have in this company at the lower levels, I feel very confident that we will accomplish both of those tasks very well.”

    With weeks of hard work under their belts, 3-2 SBCT Soldiers returned to Joint Base Lewis-McChord to prepare themselves and their equipment for the enemy they will face at NTC. It’s an intense training cycle for them, but one that ensures that they are ready for any challenge that comes their way.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 05.08.2015
    Date Posted: 05.09.2015 12:48
    Story ID: 162815
    Location: YAKIMA TRAINING CENTER, WA, US
    Hometown: MIDLAND, MI, US

    Web Views: 359
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN