Photo By Spc. Allison Churchill | Green Bay, Wisc., native Spc. Lee Lemirand, Military Training Team driver, 2nd...... read more read more
By Spc. Allison Churchill
41st Fires Brigade Public Affairs Office
FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA, Iraq – The 41st Fires Brigade was missing an important piece of their arsenal until recently. That piece arrived in Iraq July 3, and is ready to begin their mission.
More than 300 Soldiers of 2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery Regiment traveled to Iraq weeks after the brigade so that they could conduct extensive training in Kuwait to prepare for a non-traditional mission.
The Deep Strike Soldiers began training for their new mission, which is essentially an infantry mission, as soon as the brigade received warning orders, said Sgt. 1st Class Gerald LaSalle, operations non-commissioned officer-in-charge. The battalion spent more than six months in 2007 training for launch missions; starting in January, they put that training aside and went to work learning infantry roles.
"This is not an objective opinion, but I don't know that anyone else could have done this," said Toledo, Ohio native Lt. Col. Timothy Bush, 2-20 FA Regt. commander.
The training in Kuwait was the first time most of the 2-20 FA Regt.Soldiers had been in a mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle because they didn't get to go through a National Training Center or Joint Readiness Training Center rotation.
The training also gave the reorganized crews the chance to train together on mounted and dismounted patrols, urban operations and traffic control points.
"There was a more realistic effect," said Sgt. 1st Class Brian Jones, battalion master gunner, of the facilities run at the Kuwait training center. The Heidelberg, Miss., native said Soldiers worked with live rounds, local citizens and a climate much more like Iraq than Texas would be able to offer.
There is still some training to be completed locally, but the 2-20 FA Regt. Soldiers are eager to get to work with their Iraqi counterparts.
"I want to help (Iraqis) see we aren't here to hurt them, but to do what they want to build a peaceful country," Jones said, on gaining the local population's trust.
Part of the bridge to Wasit province will be through the Military Training Team, which is partnered with the Iraqi army's 32nd Infantry Brigade.
"I would like to see three things," said Maj. Kirk Calloway, MiTT commander and former battalion executive officer. Calloway, from Cairo, Ga., said he wants the MiTT to teach the Iraqis to improve their logistics system, plan their own operations and properly collect and handle intelligence.
The rest of Deep Strike will provide provincial reconstruction team escorts, internal FOB quick reaction forces and teach and coach the IA and Iraqi police.
"We'll give them some of our skills and push them to a higher level," said Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Hatfield, command sergeant major of 2-20 FA Regt., and a Gatesville, Texas, native.
The Iraqis need to set their own training standards, but Hatfield said he predicts 2-20 FA Regt. will know when their partners are ready to patrol and conduct missions on their own.
After some final training and vehicle familiarization, 2-20 FA Regt. plans to get the mission kicked-off mid-July. They're scheduled to uncase their colors July 16.
| Date Taken: | 07.11.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 07.11.2008 04:55 |
| Story ID: | 21379 |
| Location: | AL KUT, IQ |
| Web Views: | 261 |
| Downloads: | 240 |
This work, Deep Strike joins the effort, by SPC Allison Churchill, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT