Photo By Staff Sgt. Shawn Miller | Dismounted infantry Soldiers from Alpha Company, 2-112th Infantry engage targets...... read more read more
By the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office
CAMP SHELBY, Miss., -- If it ain't raining, you ain't training. Or so the saying goes in the military, but don't tell that to these Pennsylvania National Guardsmen. During their annual training at Camp Shelby, the Soldiers of the 2-112th Infantry, 56th Stryker Brigade withstood three weeks of temperatures topping 100 degrees (before factoring in the heat index), with barely a cloud in the hot Mississippi sky on many days.
These Soldiers, in addition to the rest of the commonwealth's unique 56th Stryker Brigade, will be heading down to Camp Shelby for their mobilization training prior to being deployed to Iraq by the end of the year.
They knew that deployment was inevitable as soon as it was announced that the brigade would be transitioning to a Stryker unit. They have responded by gearing up their operational tempo and training.
A POINT OF PRIDE
Much time has been put into finalizing the sweeping transition to becoming a fully operational Stryker unit and familiarizing the Soldiers with the new weapons systems and their capabilities.
The 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team is currently the only National Guard Stryker unit, and it has become a point of pride for the Keystone State.
"The Soldiers in my battalion really understand that it is a privilege to be chosen to be a Stryker battalion," said Command Sgt. Maj. Christopher Kepner, 2-112th Infantry battalion sergeant major. "They take that very seriously and they're honored and they understand the extra commitment that is required."
"We can go anywhere with Strykers," remarked Spc. Joshua McConaughey, a Stryker vehicle commander with Company A. "They're made to get things done," he added.
UPPING THE OP-TEMPO
The vehicles aren't the only ones getting it done. As soon as the unit's transition was nearing completion and the brigade approached its operation readiness, they were alerted for deployment and the pace was picked up even further.
Spc. Lance McGee, who had served in the active duty Army for four years, and is now an infantryman in the 2-112th's Company C, said being in the National Guard can make it hard to develop the type of cohesion that these men desperately need to perform their duty.
The unit's leadership recognized that from the start and began extending drill weekends by days and annual training by a week or more since the 56th Stryker Brigade was officially alerted in the fall of 2007 for the likelihood of deployment the following year.
"Having long drills and a long annual training gives you the time you need to learn to work together," said McGee. "Doing drills hundreds of times together teaches muscle memory." He also said that after enough repetition you can begin to predict exactly how the rest of your team will react to certain situations. This is a must, he said, because an infantry team is designed to be much greater than the sum of its parts.
Kepner pointed out that although the training schedule is very robust and the troops are undeniably being pushed harder, the maximization of training time is exactly what is needed for this deployment.
"We've had a robust training schedule and it's pushing the troops a little bit," said Kepner. "But they're getting plenty of opportunities for live-fire which is exactly the kind of training the battalion needs to prepare for deployment."
The guys with the boots on the ground seem to agree with those sentiments even if they are being pushed.
Pfc. Eric Fuller of the 2nd Battalion's Headquarters Company said, "The more training you get, the more you can put in your pocket and take with you and have a better chance of coming back."
But it's not just how much training you do, it's how well you're prepared for it and how much you absorb that really counts he said.
TRAINING FOR TRAINING
Although the battalion was completing much of the training it needs to conduct prior to deployment, most of their troops expect to repeat the training when they mobilize in September.
Pfc. Justin Roland of 2-112th's Company C said getting familiar with Shelby was as important as getting familiar with the training.
"After a couple of weeks here everyone really gets comfortable with the surroundings and that makes it easier to focus on the training, making it more effective."
Spc. Jeffrey Zayas of Company A said their annual training started off a little slow, but "slow is smooth, and smooth is fast." He too feels that having a pre-existing familiarity with Shelby will allow him and his fellow Soldiers to fully dive into their mobilization training in September.
Diving in is exactly what the leadership wants from the Soldiers, and being at Shelby truly allows them to do just that.
"We've really been able to maximize training time down here," said Kepner. "The ranges have been run with 1st Army personnel, so for range support requirements, we haven't had to take that from within our own battalion as we normally do at home."
His Soldiers agreed.
Fuller said, "This is a taste of the training we'll be getting for deployment, and it's a good taste."
PLAYING IT COOL IN THE HEAT
In addition to getting familiar with Camp Shelby, which at 136,000 acres is a tough task in itself, the deploying Soldiers must also become familiar with the environment.
Hot and humid is the norm in southern Mississippi and these Pennsylvanians said it took some getting used to. During their annual training, the average temperature at Shelby was more than ten degrees hotter than at the battalion's headquarters in Lewistown, Pa.; 95 and 84 degrees respectively. And this doesn't account for the humidity.
One morning, Company A was waiting for their dismount training to begin and the heat was particularly oppressive. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, but with the thick humidity it felt like they were in one, said Spc. Dave Smith.
The range operators were delaying the training until all of the targets could be tested. It was barely 9 a.m. and the heat index was well above 90 degrees. As the group of Soldiers gathered in a lone patch of shade like you would expect them to huddle together for body warmth on a cold day, one Soldier speculated that perhaps range control has a rule against operating ranges unless it was 95 degrees or hotter.
Staff Sgt. John Gibbons, a squad leader in Company C, played it cool for his troops.
"Well, yeah, I guess the heat is a little rough, but it's good acclimation, that's all," said Gibbons. "Plus it's probably worse here than over there (in Iraq)." The average temperature in Baghdad during the unit's time at Shelby was 113 degrees, but it's hard to make an argument against the Mississippi humidity.
THE HOME FRONT
As the deployment date draws closer, stresses on the home front start to surface; but the men of the 2-112th once again show their ability to adapt and overcome any obstacle in their path.
Being open and honest with family about deployments is key, said 1st Lt. Sam Coover of 2-112th Headquarters, a single father with three young children at home.
"I made it no secret whatsoever," said Coover. "We watch the news and I say 'Hey, this is where Daddy is going.'"
"I don't want it to be a shock to them," he added.
In the age of the all-volunteer Army, there is a strong sense of duty from the Soldiers of the 2-112th. They note that though it will be hard to leave loved ones behind, it is their choice and part of the job.
"It's always going to be a mixed feeling," said Fuller. "I actually have a kid on the way in November, and we mobilize in September so leaving at that time is a little rough, but I signed up for it, so it is what it is."
The command is on the same page.
"I sort of equate [deployment] to asking an auto mechanic how he feels about fixing cars," said Kepner. "It is part of this profession we've all volunteered for, and my family feels that while they don't like it, they understand it as well."
For any apprehension on the home front that the deployment may cause, there is still the bright side that the Soldiers of the 2-112th find through realizing the importance of spending time with friends and family.
"As it gets closer to the deployment, it gets a lot more surreal," said Coover. "We start cherishing the moments more and more."
ROLL ON
Throughout the three weeks of heat, lack of sleep and constant training, the men of the 2-112th lived up to the 28th Division motto of 'Roll On'. As members the sole National Guard Stryker brigade, they hope to make a large impact and a good impression on the rest of the Army.
If they make the same impression as they did on their sergeant major, they will have nothing to worry about.
"I am very, very impressed," Kepner said proudly of them. "The Soldiers never cease to impress me with their motivation and what they can do."
| Date Taken: | 06.22.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 06.22.2008 13:44 |
| Story ID: | 20754 |
| Location: | CAMP SHELBY, MS, US |
| Web Views: | 1,004 |
| Downloads: | 831 |
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