Maintenance window scheduled to begin at February 14th 2200 est. until 0400 est. February 15th

(e.g. yourname@email.com)

Forgot Password?

    Defense Visual Information Distribution Service Logo

    Arrowhead Soldiers charge hard at National Training Center

    Arrowhead Soldiers charge hard at National Training Center

    Photo By Sgt. Tammy Marshall | U.S. Army Soldiers from Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd...... read more read more

    FORT IRWIN, CA, UNITED STATES

    07.21.2015

    Story by Staff Sgt. Justin A. Naylor 

    1-2 SBCT, 7th Infantry Division

    JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. – It’s dusty. It’s hot. It’s the National Training Center. Yet, despite the harsh conditions, it’s a place for Soldiers of all ranks and military specialties to test their skills against a simulated enemy force intent on winning the fight.

    Soldiers with 3-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team are currently taking part in a training rotation at NTC, which is the culmination of many long months of training and preparation.

    Designed to simulate the difficulties encountered in a real deployment, 3-2 SBCT Soldier will spend two weeks in desert training areas throughout NTC.

    During their time there, the Soldiers will be faced with simulated enemy forces in a lifelike battle for domination of the area of operations. 3-2 SBCT’s current training rotation is a departure from those of the past where counter insurgency was the primary focus.

    As part of this training, the Soldiers are fighting against an enemy with similar capabilities to our Army to include helicopters, tanks, and a slew of modern weaponry.

    With thousands of Soldiers on the front lines facing off against the opposing army, it takes a big support staff to keep operations running smoothly.

    “Our main focus here is on casualties,” said Spc. Kierra Ivey, a human resources specialist and Hopewell, Virginia, native.

    Ivey helps track the number of Soldiers who are “injured” by the simulated enemy on the battlefield. She uses this information to request replacements so that the fight can continue.

    Although Ivey, like many other Soldiers, is struggling with the intense summer heat of the NTC, where highs routinely top out over 100 degrees, she says this isn’t the most difficult part of the training.

    “Honestly, the most difficult thing I can say about being here is not being able to talk to my mom for two weeks,” said Ivey.

    For Ivey, here experience in the field has been a mostly positive one.

    “I feel like a big positive of this is that you get the chance to focus on your job,” said Ivey. “We have time to focus on set things like personal development and we get the chance to interact with new people.”

    “It’s busy; there is stuff going on every hour on the hour, but it is all part of the job,” she continued.

    For Staff Sgt. David Cavener, the brigade headquarters’ chaplain assistant and an Ada, Oklahoma, native, this trip, which is his first to NTC, has been a big learning experience.

    “It seems like they increase the tempo to induce the stressful nature of a deployment, said Cavener who has deployed to Iraq three times. “Basically, so that they can find your weak areas and help you improve on them.”

    Cavener has spent a lot of time with observer/coach, a Soldier from outside the unit designated to coach, train and mentor the unit as it throughout its time at NTC.

    A large number of these O/Cs are distributed throughout the brigade providing critiques and feedback to the unit as it battles against the simulated enemy.

    “The hardest thing for me is to basically reduce my sensitivity level and to open up to the recommendations of the O/Cs,” Cavener said.

    “The O/Cs, basically through their experience from all the training rotation they see come through NTC, they have a better operational picture of where we need to be,” Cavener said. “They relay that to us through critiques of our products and processes.”

    Aside from taking part in the planning and execution of the battle, the chaplain and his assistant have a real-world mission: to provide religious support through worship services, sacrament and counseling.

    “Sometimes Soldiers have a hard time coping with long durations without connectivity to family members and friends,” Cavener continued. “It is easier for soldiers to come and talk to the chaplain. They get that comfort and reassurance to help build up the morale of the soldier, which in turn increases work productivity.”

    Although the battles are tough and the environment is rugged, 3-2 SBCT will come out a stronger and more proficient unit from their time at NTC.

    LEAVE A COMMENT

    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 07.21.2015
    Date Posted: 07.21.2015 20:49
    Story ID: 170711
    Location: FORT IRWIN, CA, US
    Hometown: ADA, OK, US
    Hometown: HOPEWELL, VA, US

    Web Views: 534
    Downloads: 1

    PUBLIC DOMAIN