Positive attitudes help beat the heat during annual training

Photo By Spc. Brianna Rhodes | Staff Sgt. Cody Swearengin, a native of Noble, Oklahoma, and a Soldier with Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 180th Cavalry Regiment, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, fires an M2 machine gun during an annual training exercise at Fort Riley, near Junction City, Kansas, June 21.  

FORT RILEY, KS, UNITED STATES

06.21.2017

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Amber Osei 

145th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment   

A positive attitude and motivation is what carries Soldiers through the training cycle, especially while dealing with the Kansas heat.

Members of the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT), Oklahoma Army National Guard, conducted their yearly training at Fort Riley, Kansas, June 2017. The focus was on a combination of individual Soldier training and warrior tasks essential to keeping Guardsmen mission ready with the Army Force Generation (ARFORGEN) Cycle, a cycle that assists Soldier preparation and readiness for war.

“I like being out in the field, I’m just here to support anything; anything anybody needs that’s what I’m here for,” said Spc. Coriano Gipson an automated logistical specialist assigned to Alpha Company, 700th Brigade Support Battalion (BSB), 45th IBCT, after a long day of scraping ammo and handing out rounds to provide support at the range. “I’m actually glad to be here. I enjoy the people I’m around.”

Soldiers from the various battalions of the IBCT, occupied a multitude of areas that spanned from Oklahoma to Kansas. From the maintenance section who ran the ranges and ammo points, to the communications and human resources specialists, multiple Army occupational specialties working together allowed the various units to work cohesively, preparing them for a realistic demonstration of deployment-style training.

During the “Train-Ready” phase of the ARFOGEN Cycle, the 45th IBCT trains on the intricate tasks such as land navigation, individual movements, weapon qualification, driver’s training, grenade implementation and more. AT allows for these training tasks to be consistently practiced and perfected.

“This is basically the first step in setting conditions for their post-mobilization training,” said Maj. Michael Scanlon, operations officer for the 45th IBCT. “The [deploying] unit has done some consolidating to meet their deployment conditions requirements, so this first round of training is really completing the individual training gates that will enable them to do the collective training and meet the mobilization requirements.”

Going through these training cycles is the obligation of every Soldier in order to enhance their careers. While continuing to hone in on warrior skills, Soldiers are laying the building blocks for their next level of training. AT is the best place for the Guardsmen to accomplish these requirements.

“Every year the National Guard Bureau sets an agenda for us and we as a brigade fulfill those tasks in order to get us ready to mobilize at any time for any purpose,” said Staff Sgt. Antwoin Clark, Headquarters Company, 45th IBCT. “We just want to make sure that we are ready both physically and mentally.”

• Date Taken: 06.21.2017
• Date Posted: 06.30.2017 16:53
• Story ID: 238993
• Location: FORT RILEY, KS, US