Photo By Maj. Cody Gallo | The breach squad from 3/A 1-160th Infantry moves up to help secure the objective after...... read more read more
FORT HUNTER LIGGETT, Calif. – ‘We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother…’
It was William Shakespeare, from the play Henry V, who is credited with coining the phrase ‘band of brothers.’ The play chronicled King Henry V and the battle of Agincourt.
It’s unlikely that he knew the significance this term would take way back in 1599, but more than 400 years later, it has become an esprit de corps of the Infantryman. The long days and nights of training in harsh conditions brings them together, sharing each other’s pain while motivating each other to push through.
Soldiers of 1st Battalion, 160th Infantry trained over the past year in anticipation of a platoon live-fire exercise slated to take place June 11, 2015 at Fort Hunter Liggett, Calif., but they would have to wait one more day as the arid conditions and blazing central California heat led to a brush fire, eventually forcing Range Control to close the training area for the day.
The Soldiers took a reprieve from the overwhelming heat, as they waited for word from Range Control, by huddling together in the small areas of shade provided by their Humvees, joking, talking about their dogs, fast food, and the dream of a long hot shower – downtime like this builds the bond Infantry Soldiers share.
Spc. Vincent Quinteros, a machine gunner from 3rd platoon, Alpha Company, 1-160th Infantry, a former combat-tested Marine who deployed as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, went on to add that the camaraderie he shares with his team not only what makes these long hot days bearable, but it also becomes something he looks forward to as a contrast to his work as a mental health counselor in Los Angeles.
“We’re the best team in California,” he continued.
The Infantry serves as the tip of the spear of the Army. Infantrymen take pride in it. The intense training and grueling repetition keeps them sharp. Staying sharp means staying safe, as this makes up the culmination of more than a year of rehearsals. They traded in their blanks for magazines filled with live rounds, locking them into their M-4 rifles.
Arriving the following morning to a much different scene – the charred landscape virtually free of concealment-providing tall grass, the burnt brush radiated a pungent fragrance. The conditions changed, but the mission remains the same.
If camaraderie stands as the foundation of the Infantry’s success, trust serves as the pinnacle.
“We’ve all been waiting for this for a long time,” said Sgt. Killianne Sath, acting third squad leader, first platoon, Charlie Company, 1-160th Infantry. “I have complete trust in my guys that we can achieve our goal here today as a platoon and at the company level.”
The Soldier’s objective on this day is to move as a platoon, using tried and true Infantry tactics to breach an obstacle and attack the enemy. Before the troops assault the hill, they would need a little help to gain the advantage.
A mantra for Infantrymen since the beginning of their training states, “always initiate contact with the most casualty-producing weapon.”
A Delta Company section pulled their gun trucks into defilade to give a coordinated and overwhelming support-by-fire attack to the rifle platoon. Truck-mounted machine guns initiated contact at the onset of the assault. After the onslaught of rounds decimated the hilltop objective, the breach and assault squads charged from the final covered and concealed position of a hill toward whatever remained of the enemy.
The 1-160th Infantry’s platoon- and company-sized assault proves vital because it mirrors the intensity and concentration of the real-life operations they could encounter together if deployed to a combat zone.
Major Chris Walter, Executive Officer, 1-160th Infantry, stressed to his men the importance of situational awareness when it comes to operating on a platoon- and company-level assault because of the coordination required with units to the left and right.
“If this was a real scenario I’m going to send a Company, that’s how we get things done effectively,” continued Walter, “and you’ll have platoons operating on either flank.”
Once the pinging sounds of the rounds impacting the metal targets subsided, the assault and breach squads bounded toward the hilltop objective, using dirt berms for cover and implementing individual movement tactics (IMTs) to move toward the enemy and neutralize all threats.
Once the gunfire ceased and the enemy lay defeated, the Soldiers faced another challenge – save one of their battle buddies’ life. Adding to the harsh realism and all-too-likely scenario of actual combat operations, the Infantry Soldiers along with a combat medic assessed a simulated casualty with a “gunshot wound to the armpit.” The platoon setup 360 degree security positions around the injured sergeant as his teammates buddy-carried him to the relative safety of a trench to provide combat life saving procedures and call in a nine-line MEDEVAC request, a message sent to aircraft crew notifying them of a casualty in need of airlift to a hospital.
“Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more…” Shakespeare continued in Henry V, and 3/A, 1-160th Infantry will return the next day to propel one another through the intense but necessary training yet again, understanding that the pain they feel now may save the life of their brothers-in-arms downrange.
| Date Taken: | 06.13.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 06.13.2015 23:35 |
| Story ID: | 166566 |
| Location: | FORT HUNTER LIGGETT, CA, US |
| Hometown: | INGLEWOOD, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 681 |
| Downloads: | 5 |
This work, Into the breach with 1st Battalion, 160th Infantry, by SPC Matthew Dixon, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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