Photo By Staff Sgt. Patrick Caldwell | Capt. Christopher Miller, a La Grande, Oregon, resident and the commander of Charlie...... read more read more
By SSG Patrick Caldwell
116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team
ORCHARD COMBAT TRAINING CENTER, Idaho – During an intense, 11-day training exercise at this high desert locale the 3rd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment once again revealed its ability to overpower challenges and secure success in a tactical environment.
The 11-day cycle is part of a critical train-up for the Oregon Army National Guard battalion as it prepares for its August rotation through the National Training Center (NTC) at Fort Irwin, California.
The latest tactical exercise, though, presented a number of challenges to the Soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, including the fact it was compelled to compress a great deal of training and gunnery trials into a short amount of time.
While the commander of the 3rd Battalion, Lt. Col. Brian Dean, a resident of Salem, Oregon, conceded the exercise schedule was an intense one, he also pointed out that finding a way to complete necessary training inside a short time window is not a new paradigm to the 3rd Battalion.
“This is what we (the 3rd Battalion) do,” he said.
Not only did the battalion encounter the usual challenges attributed to a training exercise at Orchard Combat Training Center – a harsh climate, long hours, mechanical issues – but it also entered the 11-day training stint with a lot of new people in new positions in its tank companies.
Dean said he while the battalion’s strength was solid, he wanted to present as many opportunities to Soldiers across the unit and throughout the state to participate in the upcoming NTC rotation.
“I was able to convince the state (the Oregon Military Department) to view the NTC rotation as it would a deployment. Because of that I brought more than 250 Soldiers and leaders to join in the training,” he said.
A large share of those new people, Dean said, arrived from the Oregon Army National Guard’s 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team but he also utilized individuals within the 3rd Battalion to fill critical spots.
“The guys interested in being tankers, we attached them to the tank units. We took a holistic look at how to fill the unit at NTC. Mechanics, cooks, infantry, truck drivers, whatever, we provided them the opportunity to learn new skills and experiences,” Dean said.
Yet the influx of new people – and especially individuals plugged into tank companies – did create some initial challenges, Dean said. Both of the 3rd Battalion’s tank formations – Delta and Charlie companies – tackled the seemingly tough challenge of incorporating new people into existing tank crews just as the 11-day training session started this month.
“So we had some crew turbulence,” Dean said.
Capt. Christopher Miller, a La Grande Oregon resident, and the commander of the 3rd Battalion’s Charlie Company, said early on the transition proved to be new test for his unit.
“Only three of our 13 (tank crews) were a tank commander/gunner combination last year. The rest are all new. We are not as accustomed to having that many crews and that many crews needing extra attention. So it’s been a learning experience,” he said.
Tank and Bradley fighting vehicle crews must negotiate a number of gunnery ranges on the road to a decisive Table VI qualification trial. Last week both Charlie and Delta companies trained on the Table V gunnery range before preparing for the key Table VI gunnery test.
The 3rd Battalion’s Master Gunner, Master Sgt. Daniel Ishaug, a La Grande Oregon resident, though said he was pleased with how the new crews were absorbed by the line tank companies. Even with the influx of new people, crews were coming together as teams, he said.
“I’m not disappointed. They are learning from every engagement. The scores from (tank gunnery) Table V to Table VI are better, which they should be. You know, it isn’t supposed to be easy. Tank gunnery is hard,” he said.
Capt. Sean Phillips, the commander of the 3rd Battalion’s Delta Company said while his unit tackled the task of incorporating new people into its existing tank formations, he said the challenge wasn’t an insurmountable one.
“We are all trained the same so it’s not anything we can’t overcome,” he said.
Dean said his confidence in the 3rd Battalion’s ability to overcome challenges was reinforced during the first week of tank gunnery when technical problems stopped training.
“On the ninth, on our Table 5, the range computer broke down and no one fired that night,” he said.
With such a short time frame to complete the battalion’s training a one-day delay on a gunnery range appeared to be a problem.
“Typically we provide additional time as a precaution as we battle elements, weather and technical and other unforeseen issues,” he said. “So instead of two nights to fire 13 tanks (on Table 5) I had one night.”
Yet Dean said it proved to be an opportunity, not a challenge.
“We organized ourselves for maximum through-put. We staggered the crews,” he said.
If one crew couldn’t fire for whatever reason – for example, a minor mechanical or software issue – it was immediately moved out of the way and the next crew pushed forward, Dean said.
“In eight hours we got 13 tanks through Table 5,” he said.
Yet the proof of success can really be accessed best at the tank crew level. Sgt. Justin Hoeft, a resident of Heppner, Oregon, and a gunner assigned to Delta Company said while his crew was relatively new, it was performing up to standard.
“We are doing well,” he said.
Then he paused and looked out over the line of Delta Company M1A2 System Enhanced Program Abrams tanks and smiled.
“This is what makes your whole year. Right here, doing this,” he said.
| Date Taken: | 06.10.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 06.20.2015 00:00 |
| Story ID: | 167415 |
| Location: | BOISE, ID, US |
| Web Views: | 301 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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