1-30 Inf. prepares armored companies for IRC

Photo By Staff Sgt. Candace Mundt | An M3A3 Bradley fighting vehicle of 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division travels after completing training during Battle Focus at Fort Stewart, Ga., March 10, 2016. Battle Focus is a battalion-level training exercise hosted by 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd ID. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Payton Wilson)  

FORT STEWART, GA, UNITED STATES

03.10.2016

Courtesy Story

2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs

By Pfc. Payton Wilson
1-30th Inf., 2-3IBCT UPAR

FORT STEWART, Ga. - Leaders of 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division conducted Battle Focus at Fort Stewart, Georgia, March 6-15.

Battle Focus is a battalion-level training exercise to prepare Companies A and B, 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd ID, for validation at Joint Readiness Training Center, Fort Polk, Louisiana as the immediate ready company supporting the global response force.

“At the end of the day you have one force that is able to train, as well as fight, in whatever capacity and whatever type of environment,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Quentin Fenderson, senior enlisted advisor of 1-30th Inf.

The armor companies were attached to 1-30th Inf. Feb. 16, 2016, to train for IRC.

“Initially trying to get all those different things put into place, we had to build those relationships to make this work,” Fenderson said. “It’s not often that a light battalion gets the opportunity to train a mechanized battalion, but it’s been some great lessons learned, as well as understanding the firepower that’s available with the Bradley fighting vehicles.”

By assuming the IRC role, the armored companies must maintain readiness to provide expedient global support.

“That company’s responsibility is to be prepared to deploy at any time within 18 hours,” Fenderson said.

Both companies refined a variety of skills during Battle Focus, ranging from mounted movement to ground tactics.

“Basically combine Bradley movement with dismounted movement and put it all together to try to accomplish the mission,” said 1st Lt. Derek Cobb, platoon leader of Company A.

To prepare for Battle Focus, the attached companies took every opportunity to train.

“Before we came out here we had classes led by our [non-commissioned officers],” Cobb said. “For example, our aid and liter teams would get with the company medic and do practices on how to deal with bleeding.”

“At the end of [physical training], squad leaders would take guys and go through bounding and do a quick react to contact once we finished doing our cool down stretches,” Cobb continued.

Cobb said the Soldiers always stayed focused, putting their personal thoughts to the side and made sure to complete their mission.

“I think everyone’s secret to success is resiliency because you get hit a lot, especially in the Army, with failures, but you just need to move on,” Cobb said. “We take the hits we get, find out what we can improve upon, and go back out there and execute to the solution.”

The companies are slated to train at JRTC this spring.

• Date Taken: 03.10.2016
• Date Posted: 03.14.2016 16:25
• Story ID: 192316
• Location: FORT STEWART, GA, US