Photo By Staff Sgt. Armando Limon | Caelum Rutledge touches a M2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle (ESR) while Staff Sgt. Justin...... read more read more
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SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii — Veterans, families and members of the local community were overawed by the combat power on display during a capabilities exercise (CAPEX) led by the 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Inf. Division, at the Battle Area Complex, here, Oct. 6.
The CAPEX was a live-fire training mission that displayed the raw power of the 25th ID “Tropic Lightning.”
More than 200 Soldiers performed before 450 spectators during the exercise to finish off the annual Tropic Lightning Week held in the beginning of the month.
“The CAPEX really brings in a company task force,” said Lt. Col. John E. Hill, commander, 2-35th Inf. Regt. “Typically, a lot of our training is done with the enablers that the battalion can provide. However, during the capabilities exercise, we bring in aviation, artillery, and we bring in engineer assists.”
Soldiers assigned to the 29th Bde. Engineer Bn., 3rd BCT; 3rd Bn., 7th Field Artillery Regt., 25th Div. Artillery; and 3rd Bn., 25th Aviation Regt., 25th Combat Avn. Bde., worked in concert within Task Force Cacti during the CAPEX.
“It really goes to show how lethal, trained and prepared a company or battalion task force can be – what we can do when we’re deployed in the battlefield,” Hill said. “Wherever we go in the Pacific area of operations, we can bring a lot of lethality.”
For many of the Soldiers, platoon leaders and company commanders, the fruition of the exercise was due to the arduous yearlong training the battalion had undertaken to make the CAPEX the success that it was Oct. 6.
The performance of the Soldiers of Tropic Lightning linked them to their veterans who had served with the division in peacetime and previous wars.
“Today, especially, with the 25th Infantry Division veterans that have come out today to witness this great event, the 25th ID alumni association, we can connect the current Soldier with the past, and that’s hugely important to them,” Hill said.
One of the veterans making a connection to the Soldiers serving today was Rick Melli, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel.
“It’s fantastic seeing everything out here today,” Melli said. “It’s like coming home.”
Melli said he had served with the 2nd Bn., 27th Inf. Regt., here, from 1963 to 1966. During his last year in Hawaii, Mellie was part of the advance party, in what was then the Republic of Vietnam, before the rest of his regiment arrived at the port of Vung Tau, near Saigon. He was deeply impressed by combined arms elements of TF Cacti using an infantry company supported by mortars, artillery fire, sappers and aviation elements working in concert during the CAPEX.
The unseen element for TF Cacti, the scout platoon, gave invaluable support by giving invisible, but extremely lethal direct fire.
“We have a reconnaissance team; that’s how we’re conducting surveillance and reporting back to our battalion (tactical operations center) on any movements on the objective,” said 1st Lt. Christopher Pawlik, scout platoon leader, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2-35th Inf. Regt. “In our battalion, we have one sniper team that interdicts targets at the objective, and any targets of opportunity, to provide freedom of movements of the main company.”
Members of Pawlik’s platoon impressed the crowd to its delight when they emerged from grass taller than the height of an average male while wearing their ghillie suits, a special type of camouflage uniform.
“Actually having our snipers close to and seeing the rest of the battalion and all the VIPs come and witness,” Pawlik said, “it’s very rare to see a sniper come and shoot to take down targets. It’s awesome to be a part of and get recognition for our guys.”
| Date Taken: | 10.06.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 10.14.2016 15:47 |
| Story ID: | 212070 |
| Location: | SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, HI, US |
| Web Views: | 93 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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