Summer Training

FORT IRWIN, CA, UNITED STATES

05.21.2016

Story by Spc. Adam Parent 

220th Public Affairs Detachment

Fort Irwin is an unforgiving place. Soldiers from all over the United States are sent there to endure a rigorous training regimen that pushes them to their physical and mental limits. Units sent to the NTC undergo conditions akin to an overseas deployment while they train for anywhere from two weeks to months at a time. Instructors at Fort Irwin are made up of both active duty soldiers and civilian contractors who put soldiers in training through a series of tests and challenges to prepare them for the worst possible conditions they could encounter in a combat zone.
In May the 687th Combat Support Sustainment Battalion, along with smaller attached units, was sent to the NTC for a few weeks of annual summer training. The 687th is an Army Reserve unit and its mission is to keep other units supplied while deployed overseas. This includes physical items such as food, medical supplies, and replacement parts for equipment, as well as more abstract support such as internet connections and satellite communications.
One of the most important jobs in the United States Army is that of the cooks who keep the fighting force well fed. Sgt. Nathan Jacks is a cook with the 687th CSSB, and he loves his job.
“I joined in 2005 and I’ve enjoyed it ever since,” said Jacks. He enlisted because he felt it was his duty after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
The food that keeps soldiers fueled does not move on its own, it needs soldiers to move it. Motor Transport Operators, more commonly known as truck drivers, are the spearhead of logistics. They are the soldiers who deliver essential supplies to the troops at the frontlines.
Pfc. Ryan Periera and Pfc. Narkim Scott are two truck drivers with the 325th Transportation Company, another Army Reserve unit. They routinely perform vehicle maintenance, convoy missions, and guard duty while training at Fort Irwin to be prepared for operations while deployed, said Periera.
The 325th TC joined up with the 687th CSSB to create a joint force that could help each other complete their mission of keeping soldiers well supplied. Another unit which joined the 687th CSSB is the 98th Expeditionary Signal Battalion, a small unit in the Army Reserve whose mission is to maintain strong and secure communications for frontline forces.
“We are expected to provide communications in austere environments, like the invasion of Iraq, when there was no backbone there to go off of for internet or phone,” said 1st Lt. Dat Dang of the 98th ESB.
After establishing communications for other units the 98th is prepared for any contingencies that could complicate their mission. They are trained to counter cyber warfare attacks on their systems, set up alternate modes of communication if their primary equipment fails, and fight the enemy head on if they come under physical attack, said Dang.
The 687th CSSB, 325th TC, and 98th ESB are all Army Reserve units, which allows the soldiers within them to serve their country while also living a regular civilian life.
“Joining the Reserves, I could still be a part of the Army, still be a part of something larger than myself, and I could still go to college,” said Spc. Paul Stenberg, a network technician with the 98th ESB. “It kind of offered me a half-in, half-out setup where I could further my education while getting degrees and certifications in network administration and the Army could help me pay for it.”
The Army Reserve does not just help its own soldiers with their personal goals, its broader mission is to support the needs of the whole Army in times of conflict. By training with the active duty soldiers at Fort Irwin the soldiers of the Army Reserve learn how they can best contribute to the needs of the active component Army while deployed.
The Reserves play a key role in the modern operations of the Army by keeping a large number of soldiers ready for action at a moment’s notice, while only needing a small amount of funding and resources to maintain unit readiness.
The training done annually by Army Reserve units at Fort Irwin may only be a few weeks long, but it provides soldiers with valuable experience in how to deal with the challenges they could face one day when they are deployed abroad. The trials they endure at the NTC are brutal, but the soldiers of the Army Reserve are rewarded by knowing they are prepared for any mission in their future.

• Date Taken: 05.21.2016
• Date Posted: 05.21.2016 18:25
• Story ID: 198710
• Location: FORT IRWIN, CA, US