Strength Soldiers Make Mountain Peak Surmountable

Photo By Staff Sgt. Nathan Akridge | A military vehicle is pulled from the mud via a wench system during the Mountain Peak exercise.  

FORT POLK, LA, UNITED STATES

03.12.2017

Story by Staff Sgt. Nathan Akridge 

3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division

FORT POLK, La. – Patriot Soldiers participating in the Mountain Peak exercise faced an enemy that has plagued Soldiers from the time of Ghengis Khan to the Dough Boys fighting in the trenches of World War I….mud. When the rains moved in and thick mud stopped heavy vehicles, a group of Soldiers from 710th Brigade Support Battalion got down and dirty to help recover vehicles that were stuck in the muddy quagmire.

Without the efforts of these Soldiers, the Mountain Peak exercise may have come to a stand-still.

“We got everybody back into the fight as quickly as possible,” said Sgt. Mark Gutierrez, a 710 BSB Soldier attached to 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, Juliet Forward Support Company. “On the way to the exercise we had two vehicles in our convoy go down, so we had to lend a hand and recover them. During the exercise we had approximately ten vehicles that got stuck. On the first day here, we helped 317 Engineers recover an armored vehicle that sank into the mud.”

Sgt. Gutierrez added that he and his crew lived up to their call sign.

“We know a lot of people are depending on us to get them back into the fight. Our call sign is Bounty because we’re the quicker picker-upper.”

Many of the Soldiers operating recovery vehicles said the effects of their efforts were instantly visible.

“The Soldiers we helped recover were very relieved to see us,” said Pfc. Keith Barber, 2-2 J. FSC. “Many of them had been guarding their vehicles for a long period of time.”

While their mission was at times challenging, many of the recovery vehicle operators were happy to lend a helping hand to their fellow Soldiers in need.

“Like any success, it’s very rewarding to get out there and complete your mission,” said Barber.

Despite the best efforts of Opposing Forces and Mother Nature, the Soldiers of the Patriot Brigade managed to stay mobile, motivated and ready to fight during Mountain Peak.

• Date Taken: 03.12.2017
• Date Posted: 03.12.2017 12:30
• Story ID: 226586
• Location: FORT POLK, LA, US