1-182 FA Regiment to conduct joint training overseas

Photo By Ismael Ortega | Soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 182nd Field Artillery Regiment, Michigan Army National Guard, walk toward the aircraft that will transport them to an overseas theater of operations Dec. 21, 2015. The unit will conduct joint training with partner nations on the High Mobility Artillery Rocket system during their deployment.  

FORT BLISS, TX, UNITED STATES

12.21.2015

Story by Ismael Ortega 

Mobilization and Deployment, DPTMS Fort Bliss

FORT BLISS, Texas - Soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 182nd Field Artillery Regiment, Michigan Army National Guard, deployed overseas from the Silas L. Copeland Arrival/Departure Air Control Group airfield Dec. 5, 2015, to conduct joint training with partner nations on the High Mobility Artillery Rocket systems.

Preparation for the deployment started at Camp Grayling, Michigan, with 35 training days focused on Army warrior tasks and crew drills. Here, they spent an additional 50 days focused on refining core artillery skills, such as loading, movement and firing drills.

After completing their training, the unit proceeded to stage, load and airlift their equipment with assistance from the Air Force Mobility command and A/DACG personnel prior to their departure.

“Camp Grayling is (about) 22,000 acres, so a lot of the training we accomplish here we could do there,” said Maj. Lonnie Strickland, executive officer, 1st Battalion, 182nd FA Regiment. “The nice thing about Fort Bliss and McGregor Range (New Mexico) is that we had someplace new and it forced us to do those field artillery task like reconnaissance.”

Lt. Col. Edward K. Koledo, commander, 1st Battalion, 182nd FA Regiment, said the unit had enough time to train-up each Soldier.

Training involved certified courses in marksmanship along with individual and squad movements. They also conducted a number of staff exercises at the battalion level, moving into an operational exercise that involved moving, firing and communicating with the artillerymen in the field.

“In Michigan, you have a lot of distractions, everybody wants to go home or everybody wants to get off ... but coming down here and living together for the last two months has really brought us together and brought the sense of camaraderie,” Strickland said.

In their previous deployment, 1st Battalion, 182nd FA Regiment conducted convoys from Kuwait to Iraq with their sister battalion.

“This deployment is totally different from a lot of previous deployments, where artillery units typically serve as security forces or provide convoy security,” Strickland said. “This is one of the few opportunities where the unit actually deploys as a field artillery unit.”

Various individuals, including the commander, stated this deployment is a rare opportunity for the unit to demonstrate their FA capabilities with an expectation of returning as the Army’s best-trained HIMARS unit. Being able to execute their field artillery skills as well as review and train on crew drills on a daily basis, they want the National Guard Bureau to recognize their efforts after this deployment.

Individually, the unit leadership encourages Soldiers to better themselves by providing assistance to help reach educational and physical fitness goals.

“We are representing not only our country but the U.S. Army and our family name,” Command Sgt. Maj. Joseph K. Gregory, battalion sergeant major, 1st Battalion, 182nd FA Regiment said. “We’ll go out, do our job and make a good impression with the partner nations we’re working with.”

• Date Taken: 12.21.2015
• Date Posted: 01.14.2016 16:05
• Story ID: 186312
• Location: FORT BLISS, TX, US