3rd BCT paratroopers team up to ensure CALFX success

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Anthony Hewitt | Sgt. Michael Greismer, a Paratrooper assigned to Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division directs his Paratroopers during a combined arms live fire exercise at Fort Bragg, N.C., Sept. 17, 2015. The CALFX was the culmination of months of training the company has undertaken to prepare itself for its upcoming support to 1st BCT, 82nd Abn. Div. during a Joint Readiness Training Center rotation at Fort Polk, La. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Anthony Hewitt/Released)  

FORT BRAGG, NC, UNITED STATES

09.23.2015

Story by Sgt. Anthony Hewitt 

3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — In the distance is the sound of an incoming OH-58 Kiowa helicopter. The noise of the rotary blades gets louder as the aircraft crests above a tree line near an open field. The helicopter pilots acquire a target and launch two rockets, blasting the field to demonstrate the helicopter’s lethal capabilities.

Paratroopers assigned to Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, look on from Observation Post 13 as the destruction unfolds during their unit’s combined arms live fire training exercise at Fort Bragg, Sept. 17.

During the training, Paratroopers equipped with M4 rifles, M240B machine guns, M320 grenade launchers, AT-4 anti-tank weapons and mobile 60mm mortar launchers took their training to the next level by teaming up with two OH-58 Kiowa helicopters, artillerymen firing 120 and 105mm howitzers and an attachment of Paratroopers operating Humvees equipped with heavy weapons.

The platoons moved through rough terrain, dispersing into assignments such as machine guns teams supporting over-watch, maneuver assault elements, obstacle breaching teams, room clearing teams, and medical evacuation teams.

The event is the culmination of many months of hard work, said Sgt. Michael Greismer, a weapons squad leader assigned to A Co.

Greismer said the training began at the individual Soldier level, transitioned to the team level and progressed to completing a platoon-level live fire exercise. The current exercise, the CALFX, brought all the platoons together to work as a company.

The best part about the training was watching the Paratroopers grow professionally, Greismer continued. He said it’s reassuring to see young leaders call out commands, give sectors of fire and execute everything they have been trained to perform.

The training will continue for the Paratroopers as they are slated to support the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Abn. Div. during an upcoming rotation at the Joint Readiness Training Center in Fort Polk, Louisiana.

“The progress from the last six to eight months has been absolutely astounding, especially from the junior leaders within the organization,” said Capt. Kyle Frazer, commander of A Co. “After this we refine the training we’ve learned and apply that at JRTC so we can provide a fully capable company of lethal and effective combat power.”

• Date Taken: 09.23.2015
• Date Posted: 09.23.2015 11:12
• Story ID: 176962
• Location: FORT BRAGG, NC, US