The 469th CSSB conducts FTX at Camp Parks

Photo By Capt. Fernando Ochoa | Soldiers and elements from the 469th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion participated in a Field Training Exercise at the Camp Parks Reserve Forces Training Area in Dublin, Calif., March 9-12. The 469th CSSB came to Camp Parks and set up a battalion tactical operation center, then set up a base TOC in the field, where the down trace units could live in tents and be directed by the observer controller trainers.  

DUBLIN, CA, UNITED STATES

03.09.2017

Story by Capt. Fernando Ochoa 

311th Expeditionary Sustainment Command   

DUBLIN, Calif. – Capt. Andrew Adams, 469th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion officer in charge, and Command Sgt. Maj. Denise Dial, 469th CSSB command sergeant major, led their Soldiers during a Field Training Exercise at the Camp Parks Reserve Forces Training Area in Dublin, Calif., March 9-12.

Soldiers from the 227th Inland Cargo Transfer Company, 728th Transportation Company, 729th TC CO, 923rd Transportation Detachment, and the 924th TC DET, traveled to Camps Park, which is a hidden jewel in the Army Reserve footprint, to conduct down range type training in the foothills of California.

The primary focus for this FTX was for units to conduct major unit collective training events in order to prepare for annual training requirements with a primary focus of training for collective tasks that included the use of the VBS-3 and live convoy operations.

"The purpose of this FTX is to work on our battalion METL and collective tasks and training with an outside organization like the 2-360th Tactical Support Battalion provides us with an honest, outside perspective and sight picture of our units METL readiness," said Adams. "It is always critical for Soldiers to develop their basic warrior skills. We must be proficient in the basics skills such as shooting, movement and communication."

The 469th CSSB came to Camp Parks and set up a battalion tactical operation center, then set up a base TOC in the field, where the down trace units could live in tents and be directed by the observer controller trainers.

During this exercise scenario, the enemy forces are from the town of Atropia, which is a safe zone for the Atropian Liberation Front. The ALF personnel wear civilian clothing to blend into the populace and are armed with small-arms, IEDs, RPGs, and Crew-served weapon systems. The ALF forces are known to hijack civilian/military convoys and the 469th CSSB is sent in to clear the area.

The 469th CSSB worked all of its’ down trace units in all aspects of military tasks. The TOCs and sleeping quarters were set up, truck convoys were dispatched here and there, and dismounted troops engaged enemy OPFOR forces in a village scenario.

“The best part of Soldiering is when we get a chance to go out into the field and execute those tasks we were trained to do,” said 1st Sgt. Robert Balcazar, 227th Inland Cargo Transfer Company first sergeant. “To me, nothing is funnier than going out into the field, roughing it by sleeping in tents and eating MRE’s, going on marches, marching through the mud and encountering OPFORs.”

This training is important to the commander's training objectives, exercises the TOCs staff goals of planning and executing a base camp supporting operations and conducting exercises that benefit the junior Soldiers.

The mission of the 469th CSSB is to provide mission command of all assigned and attached units of the Combat Sustainment Support Battalion as it operates logistics hubs of supply, transportation, and maintenance support to the Sustainment Brigade and supported Brigade Combat Teams.

• Date Taken: 03.09.2017
• Date Posted: 03.20.2017 16:10
• Story ID: 227439
• Location: DUBLIN, CA, US