Courtesy Photo | More than 100 Flint Hill leaders and partners of the 1st Infantry Division and Fort...... read more read more
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FORT RILEY, Kan. - As the Soldiers and civilians on Fort Riley celebrated the 98th birthday of the “Big Red One” and the 240th U.S. Army birthday, the Soldiers of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division helped fire things off larger than the fireworks on the Fourth of July.
The brigade’s Soldiers conducted a combined arms live fire exercise June 9 on Fort Riley as part of “Victory Week” celebrations. More than 100 leaders from the Flint Hills and Fort Riley’s community partners witnessed some of the Army’s most advanced equipment and highly trained Soldiers as they synchronously maneuvered, engaged and destroyed identified objectives at the post’s Range 18 maneuver training area.
“This exercise was a way of showcasing to local partners and America how significant and valuable the training areas and ranges on Fort Riley are for the units stationed here,” said Lt. Col. Andy Sanchez, commander for 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd ABCT.
Late last year, the brigade covered more than 75,000 acres of training area as they conducted a two month-long situational training exercise and a full-scale combined arms live fire, which led to combat readiness certification earlier this year at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, California.
“You have tanks and Bradley’s, close combat air, unmanned aerial vehicles and artillery fire working together in concert with each other,” Sanchez said. “The training that is required to get to this point is just invaluable. This is as close to the real thing as it gets.”
Weston Graves, a 16-year-old high school student and family member of a Fort Riley Soldier, agreed with how real this experience was for him.
“This was the first time I have experienced anything like this…and my father is in the military,” Graves said. “You could feel the guns shooting and hear it all and even with ear plugs my ears are still ringing.”
“It’s real,” Graves added, “Not just a ‘Call of Duty’ game.”
For two local Kansas television news reporters it was an experience they said they will not forget.
“This was a very exciting exercise,” said WIBW Channel 13 reporter Monte Thompson. “Being this close and personal helped me to identify the noises I use to hear in the distance when I attended K-State.”
KSNT Channel 27 News reporter Katya Leick added that the next time she is invited to attend and cover an event like this, she would bring family and friends.
“I have never see anything like before,” Leick said. “This was an awesome and memorable experience for me.”
Despite not having as much area as other Army installations, combined arms units here can safely and effectively conduct training missions, whether small or large as we demonstrated today with the CALFEX, without having to leave Fort Riley, said Sanchez.
Sanchez added, “Our units gain very invaluable training at Fort Riley and because of that our Soldiers are Ready Now!”
Editor's Notes: More photos from the event can be found on the 2nd ABCT Flickr page at https://flic.kr/s/aHskdcqz87. The video for the CALFEX can be found on https://youtu.be/q8KWlQbKwzM.
| Date Taken: | 06.09.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 06.29.2015 15:08 |
| Story ID: | 168522 |
| Location: | FORT RILEY, KS, US |
| Web Views: | 70 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Fort Riley Soldiers demonstrate combat readiness for local leaders, partners, by SFC Tamika Dillard, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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