Oregon tank unit builds on success

Photo By Staff Sgt. Patrick Caldwell | An M1A2 System Enhanced Package (SEP) Abrams tank assigned to Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment, Oregon Army National Guard, rolls up on a gunnery range at the Orchard Combat Training Center. In August, Charlie Company will join the rest of the 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team for a rotation at the National Training Center.  

LA GRANDE OREGON, OR, UNITED STATES

05.11.2015

Story by Staff Sgt. Patrick Caldwell 

116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team

ONTARIO, Ore. – The effort to build a solid bedrock of triumph can take many forms but for Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment, the foundation of achievement occurred through the skillful negotiation of a key gunnery test during its annual training cycle in 2014.

On the surface, the gunnery qualification skills test conducted last summer at the Orchard Combat Training Center south of Boise Idaho appeared to be business as usual for the Oregon Army National Guard tank unit.

Yet the success the unit secured during its annual training exercise on the Gem state’s high desert, set a standard that its commander believes will resonate through an upcoming rotation at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California.

“Last annual training was kind of a validation for some of us,” Charlie Company commander and La Grande, Oregon, resident Capt. Christopher Miller said.

A critical building block for the future was set when one of the tank crews assigned to Charlie Company secured the 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team’s top gun honors during annual training.

By clinching high accolades, the M1A2 System Enhanced Package (SEP) Abrams tanked manned by Staff Sgt. Brian Allender, Sgt. Eduardo Martinez, Sgt. Bo Hansen and Sgt. Miguel Estudillo, set a standard for the future Miller said.

“That really changed the mindset. That was really the linchpin for success,” Miller said.

Raising the bar in terms of success did not just happen, though. Miller said focused training and an emphasis on ingenuity and know-how regarding the M1A2 SEP tank paid dividends for Charlie Company as well. Another key item for overall success was a dedicated effort toward recruiting, both at the state level and within Charlie Company, Miller said.

“I pushed hard on an internal recruiting effort,” he said.
Miller said he is looking forward to Charlie Company’s August rotation at NTC.

“Outside of deploying that [an NTC rotation] is as good as it gets for a tanker,” he said.

Miller is already familiar with the harsh climate that is a hallmark of the NTC. During his initial military stint as an enlisted man with the U.S. Marine Corps he was stationed at Twentynine Palms Marine Air Ground Combat Center situated near the NTC.

“Some the most vivid memories of training I have are with the Marine Corps down there,” he said.

While Miller conceded the upcoming NTC rotation will not be easy challenge, he said he is confident Charlie Company will perform well, mainly because the key building blocks to success are already in place.

“The guys have proven to themselves that they are a premier unit. And our battalion has done a good job of putting together a training program. This is what we’ve been training for. The NTC will really be a validation of all the hard work everyone has been doing,” he said.

• Date Taken: 05.11.2015
• Date Posted: 05.11.2015 18:43
• Story ID: 162963
• Location: LA GRANDE OREGON, OR, US
• Hometown: LA GRANDE, OR, US