497th CSSB sustains the fight at NTC Rotation 16-03

Photo By Maj. Sean Delpech | Army Reserve Soldiers from the 497th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion take part in training on the M249 squad automatic weapon while participating in Sustainment operations as part of Decisive Action Rotation 16-03 at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, Calif., Jan. 27, 2016.  

FORT IRWIN, CA, UNITED STATES

01.31.2016

Story by Capt. Sean Delpech 

310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command

Story by 497th CSSB Unit Public Affairs Representative Sgt. Garrett Stockdale

FORT IRWIN, Calif. – During Decisive Action, NTC Rotation 16-03, at Fort Irwin, it was up to the Army Reserve Soldiers of the 497th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion to sustain and support the forward operating units in the austere simulated deployment environment of the desert post.

When the Army needs full-spectrum sustainment support, it looks no further than Combat Sustainment Support Battalions (CSSB) like the 497th CSSB. Units like this are capable of deploying independently on short notice to provide mission command for assigned and attached sustainment units.

“Our mission for this exercise was to transport bulk fuel, rations and water to client units,” said LTC Matthew C. Holbert, battalion commander for the 497th CSSB. “The 497th CSSB has never trained in the type of environment offered at the National Training Center before,” said Holbert.

“It was a great opportunity for our Soldiers to grow into and perform in roles they were not used to taking, forcing them to improve their leadership skills,” said Holbert. “They’re going to take that knowledge back with them to their units when they leave.”

During NTC Operations, the 1017th Quartermaster Company, out of San Diego, Calif., was tasked with conducting convoy operations for forward operating units at Fort Irwin.

“It’s challenging to work with outside units that aren’t organic to your organization, and once you start the team building process, you learn to work together both to focus on unit strengths and to overcome unit training deficits,” said Holbert.

Training at NTC challenged the Soldiers of the 497th CSSB. They didn’t just have to worry about sustaining and resupplying forward operating units. Force protection was also an important part of the training environment, defending and reacting to enemy attacks on their personnel and equipment with the goal of training them in their wartime mission in the real-world environment.

“The security of our perimeter and our ability to defend it is paramount, just as it would be in a deployed environment,” said SGT Marcus Poole, HHC, 497th CSSB, sergeant of the guard for Forward Operating Base Sante Fe.

Due to the low density MOS training of the exercise, many soldiers under the 497th CSSB found ways to make the most out of the training opportunities that did come up.

“The exercise at NTC was all about opportunity,”said Command Sgt. Maj. Franklin L. Booker, senior enlisted adviser for the 497th CSSB. “It gave us the opportunity to see how well we can sustain the fight,” continued Booker.

Some soldiers received Convoy training operations, others went outside the wire on foot patrols and many received Entry Control Point (ECP) training.

“One program that we concentrated on while at NTC was NVG night driving,” said Booker. “We took the opportunity to move through the crawl, walk, run phases, identifying deficiencies within the unit night driving program,” said Booker.

“After we completed the process, we had put a driving course together, properly trained Soldiers, issued licenses and became fully functional as a CSSB by implementing Army standards and controls,” said Booker.

For many new soldiers, the exercise introduced a way of life out on the fob that they had never experienced prior to the simulation.

FOB Sante Fe often experienced indirect fire simulation from the Observer Controllers (OC) and small arms from the fictitious Donovian Forces.

There was also an NBC attack training exercise which brought the reality of a gas attack to unsuspecting soldiers early one morning. The ever looming threat of the opposing forces kept the Soldiers on their toes, standing ready to defend their small piece of land in the middle of the Mojave Desert from enemy forces.

While at the NTC exercise, Soldiers of the 497th CSSB received the chance to use different equipment they normally would not have access to at their home station. For sustain and support operations, soldiers of the 497th CSSB diligently worked to ensure the units that depend on them received the support they needed.

The training being conducted during NTC by the 497th CSSB has given insight into the unit’s abilities, whether they will be needed here in the United States or overseas. Units such as the 497th CSSB hold the key to sustaining the fight.

“Walking away from the exercise, we need know we need to improve on our Warrior Tasks and Drills, making sure Soldiers are capturing and maximizing training time for those Warrior level combat skills,” said Booker.

• Date Taken: 01.31.2016
• Date Posted: 03.09.2016 16:50
• Story ID: 191788
• Location: FORT IRWIN, CA, US
• Hometown: BEDFORD, VA, US
• Hometown: FORT PICKETT, VA, US
• Hometown: GALAX, VA, US
• Hometown: SALEM, VA, US