CSTX 86-16-03 Offers New Challenge

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Clinton Wood | U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers assigned to the 327th Engineer Company, 397th Engineer Battalion, 372nd Engineer Brigade, 416th Theater Support Command, donned their pro masks and took vcover in their fighting positions in a complex attack that included "chemical" warfare during Combat Support Training Exercise 86-16-03 (CSTX 86-16-03) on Fort McCoy, Wis., Aug. 22, 2016. Nearly 9,000 service members from across the country are participating in CSTX 86-16-03 hosted by the 86th Training Division and the 84th Training Command’s third and final CSTX of the year. (U.S. Army Reserve Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Clinton Wood).  

FORT MCCOY, WI, UNITED STATES

08.31.2016

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Clinton Wood 

84th Training Command

For the 84th Training Command, CSTX 86-16-03 was the third and final CSTX of the year. The Command, headquartered in Fort Knox, Kentucky, is following suit on the Army's shift of not preparing for desert warfare like it has done for the past 14 years, rather the Command is focused on preparing units to deploy anywhere in the world.
Instead of having thousands of U.S. Army Reserve, active duty and National Guard soldiers occupy established Forward Operating Bases, or FOBs, spread throughout the 60,000 acre training area, Soldiers were instructed to move to the wood line to pitch their own tents and dig fighting positions. FOBs also went by the wayside, they are now called Tactical Assembly Areas or TAAs.

So what did soldiers think of these living conditions? In order to take a shower at one Tactical Assembly Area, soldiers walked a mile in roughly 40 pounds of military gear, including their weapon, advanced combat helmet, and load bearing vest full of a hundreds of rounds of blank ammunition.

Pvt. Austin Stachina, a bridge crew member who has been in the U.S. Army Reserve for 10 months and is assigned to the 652nd Engineer Company, said the experience was "fun."

"I think it is a lot better for us than staying indoors and living the easy life," said Stanchina who is studying to become an electrical line tech at Michigan University.

This collective training exercise wasn’t designed to be easy, it was designed to prepare units for operational deployments. Solders were given a three week sample of what that experience would be like. They reacted to multiple attacks by an Opposing Force, or OPFOR, performed different individual Warrior tasks, dined on plenty of Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) and took shelter from several downpours in tents.

Stanchina added that he thought he brought something to the "fight." Since he graduated from One Station Unit Training in March, he was more familiar on how to react to OPFOR attacks than some of his fellow soldiers.

Staff Sgt. Brandon S. Wertz, a full-time training noncommissioned officer for the 327th Engineer Company located in Onalaska, Wisconsin, shared his thoughts.

"I think this exercise really kind of pushed them and pushed the envelope on them to find out what they are really capable of doing," said Works, who served as an infantryman with the 101st Airborne Division and deployed twice to Afghanistan.

Spc. Andrew Hrabe, a combat engineer assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 397th Engineer Battalion, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, also deployed twice to Iraq. He noted that he spent his first deployment in hard-stand buildings and his second in tents. "So, I am kind of used to it," said Hrabe, of the living conditions. "It's rough not having a wooden floor when it rains really hard on a cranberry bog though."

Mother Nature made sure to expose the soldiers to rain and heat, with several days climbing above the area’s average of 83 degrees Fahrenheit.

Pfc. Joseph George, a combat engineer assigned to the 344th Engineer Company, found a way to adjust to the heat.

"Every time we get a good breeze, that’s our air conditioning when the windows are up," said George, a lifeguard and pizza delivery driver from Fort Walton Beach, Florida. George is fourth generation military, following in the footsteps of his father, grandfather and great grandfather.

George, who has been in the Army Reserve for two years, had no problem adjusting to the conditions because he goes camping at least four times a year.

For Spc. Breona Washington, an automated logistical specialist with the 383rd Quartermaster Company based in St. Charles, Missouri, the living conditions didn't bother her either.

"Just come prepared and ensure you have everything you need," said the t-shirt company owner who has served five years in the Army Reserve.

Cpl. Paul Eidam, a Marine Reservist assigned to Headquarters and Service Company, 4th Medical Battalion, Miramar, California, provided another insight.

"I am used to the desert so honestly it is kind of neat to be out in the woods," said Eidam who has been in the Marines for six years.
Eidam, a squad leader and one of the Marines who provided a Quick Reaction Force for TAA Cranberry, was impressed with how seriously the soldiers defended their area.

"They are in their fighting holes almost all the time," he said. "We're surprised that they always seem to be in them. It seems like 24 hours a day."

It is safe to say that U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers have adjusted well to this new challenge.

Stanchina said it best, "Come with a good attitude, come out with a good attitude and remember it is not over until you get back home."

• Date Taken: 08.31.2016
• Date Posted: 08.31.2016 12:49
• Story ID: 208604
• Location: FORT MCCOY, WI, US
• Hometown: ONALASKA, WI, US