Troop B, 1st Squadron, 98th Cavalry Regiment Air Insertion Training

Photo By Sgt. DeUndra Brown | Soldiers of Troop B, 1st Squadron, 98th Cavalry Regiment, Mississippi Army National Guard, strengthen their individual and combat readiness training on a Black Hawk during an Exportable Combat Training Capability exercise at Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center, near Hattiesburg, Miss., on Aug. 6, 2015. This training brings rapid deployment for dismounted scouts and assists with putting eyes on the objective for mounted troops. (Mississippi National Guard photo by Sgt. DeUndra Brown, 102nd Public Affairs Detachment/Released)  

CAMP SHELBY, MS, UNITED STATES

08.06.2015

Story by Sgt. DeUndra Brown 

102d Public Affairs Detachment

CAMP SHELBY, Miss. – Dust swirls around the rotor blades of a UH-60 Black Hawk as it descends to the landing zone. Before the skids touch the ground, Soldiers are flooding out to set a perimeter for security.

Soldiers often don’t get to experience riding in rotary wing air support like the Black Hawk, which is used by 25 nations for multi-mission support. Today, Soldiers of the Mississippi Army National Guard’s Troop B, 1st Squadron, 98th Cavalry Regiment, were able to complete air insertion training in one of Mississippi's own aircraft.

Air insertion training allows Soldiers to practice loading and unloading of the helicopter, providing 180-degree security once dismounted, and learning where troops are assigned seats for future missions.

This training is in conjunction with mechanized and wheeled vehicle movement and gunnery, where they will be providing eyes for the fighting vehicles during the mission.

This is important because when components are out on missions, you have to bring all assets to bare so they can know how to integrate with each other on the battlefield, said Capt. Rodney A. Edwards Jr., troop commander, from Rolling Fork, Mississippi. Individual and crew training is conducted frequently, but it’s only when all the elements are brought together that they see how they bring things to the fight to assist each other in the overall picture during different missions.

“Training on the Black Hawk gives us a broader platform to use as far as reconnaissance,” said Sgt. Judston K. Nichols, from Belmont, Mississippi. The Cavalry Scouts are responsible for being the eyes and ears of the commander during battle. They engage the enemy in the field, track and report their activity and direct the employment of weapons system to enemy locations.

Most scouts think this training should be extended to all Soldiers.

“Today we trained on the Black Hawk in our operation zone,” said Spc. Daryl J. Barefield, from Booneville, Mississippi. “This was a great experience for me. I think that everyone should get to experience this at least once.”

• Date Taken: 08.06.2015
• Date Posted: 08.06.2015 22:13
• Story ID: 172427
• Location: CAMP SHELBY, MS, US