Photo By David Bedard | U.S. Army Pvt. Terry Bulliner, an M249 Squad Automatic Weapon gunner with 3rd Squad,...... read more read more
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Few things are more disruptive to a Soldier's life than an emergency deployment readiness exercise.
Inevitably, the call comes at oh-dark-thirty: “Grab your rucksack. It's time to go. Destination unknown.”
For Soldiers of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment “Bobcats,” 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, their destination by way of two C-17 Globemaster III cargo aircraft was Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
The Fort Wainwright unit's Sept. 8, 2017, objective was to deploy to JBER's digital multi-purpose training range and carry out squad-level live-fire exercises with a Stryker vehicle in support.
Capt. Brian Slamkowski, C/1-5 Infantry commander, said he feels there is great benefit in training his unit at a well-supported facility in a place unfamiliar to his infantrymen.
“The biggest accomplishment of an EDRE where we come down to JBER is our Soldiers get to see a whole new look and face a whole new enemy on a piece of terrain they have never used before, which is exactly what is going to happen in combat,” Slamkowski said. “This range – specifically the MPTR at JBER – allows us to do collective gunnery.”
Maj. Brandon Cheney, 1-5 Infantry operations officer, said the Stryker vehicle is usually used as a means of delivering an infantry squad to the battlefield. Rarely do Bobcat Soldiers get to deploy the Stryker as a maneuver element.
“You don't want the first time a squad leader directs a Stryker to be in contact down range,” Cheney said. “Being able to train that aspect in a training area like this is invaluable to learning the fundamentals.”
The M1126 Infantry Carrier Vehicle, the Stryker variant used by Charlie Company, is a lightly armored, eight-wheeled vehicle that lies somewhere between an armored Humvee and a tank. It isn't going to fight head-to-head with tanks, but its armored shell will stop enemy small-arms fire, and it packs quite a punch in the form of a .50-caliber machine gun or a 40-mm grenade launcher.
Sgt. Rodney Omelau, the squad leader of 3rd Squad, 2nd Platoon, needed every advantage he could get to surmount the two bunkers manned by opposing forces determined to stop him. Buried in an broad field with wide-open fields of fire, Omelau's task of destroying the bunkers was a difficult one.
“We are using this scenario to stress the squad leader to not only fight the close fight in the bunker system, but also to think to the next level getting the Stryker integrated for the targets that are beyond 300 meters,” Slamkowski explained.
Though the exercise culminated in Omelau's squad engaging popup targets during the live-fire phase, his squad faced flesh-and-blood enemies in the guise of four OPFOR Soldiers during the blank-fire phase.
After giving his Soldiers a short mission brief, carrying out spot inspections and calling in a radio check with platoon headquarters, 3rd Squad moved out.
Early September in Southcentral Alaska is usually cool and rainy, and this year was no different. A break in the clouds meant no rain the day of the training, but grass and exposed roots on the route of march were slick from recent downpours.
Due to the thick underbrush, the squad traveled single file until the foliage thinned out closer to the objective. Omelau ordered his teams into wedge formations, ensuring maximum security and effective fields of fire in case of enemy contact.
The squad leader spotted the first bunker while his element was still in the treeline. He was about to call his Stryker into action to flatten the hardened structure but he spotted something that gave him pause: an OPFOR Soldier carrying an RPG-7.
Omelau's Stryker is bulletproof, but the enemy's rocket-propelled grenade launcher fires an armor-penetrating projectile capable of stopping cold the squad-leaders ace in the hole. The infantry squad would be responsible for clearing the first bunker.
Overwhelming the enemy is all about fire and maneuver. Omelau ordered Alpha Team to provide suppressive fire with their M4 carbines and M249 Squad Automatic Weapons. The SAW, capable of firing 725 rounds per minute, is especially well suited to fixing the enemy in place and making their own fires ineffective.
Once Alpha Team managed to keep the two-man RPG team's heads down, Bravo Team emerged from the tree line to rush the bunker. It was only a matter of time before the squad neutralized and captured the first bunker, giving them a base of operations to capture the second bunker.
The distance to the second bunker precluded the squad from responsibly attacking it. Any attempt to maneuver over such a large open area would leave Omelau's infantrymen exposed for too long. He needed backup.
“3 Golf, 3 Golf, this is 3 Actual, what is going on?” Omelau squelched over his squad radio to the Stryker in hiding. “I need that Stryker on Checkpoint 2.”
Reliable with live ammunition, the .50-caliber machine gun can jam with blank ammunition, and the Stryker crew was working to get it back into action.
“3 Actual, this is 3 Golf, there's a malfunction on my weapon,” the vehicle commander called back. “I'm fixing it time now, over.”
“Alright, let's fix it, I have troops to my 12, and I need your help here, over,” Omelau said.
He ordered his squad to form a line at the first bunker in an effort to suppress the second bunker until the Stryker could come to their aid. It was only a few moments, but Omelau uttered a few choice words under his breath to signal his impatience.
“3 Actual, this is 3 Golf, moving to Checkpoint 2, over.”
The Stryker rolled up, diesel engine blaring, and opened up with the 50.
Each burst of fire signified the punishment the gun dealt: Wump, ump, ump, ump.
Hurling a small padlock's worth of metal with each bullet, the Stryker packed the punch necessary to effectively suppress the enemy.
Leaving Alpha Team at the first bunker, Omelau led Bravo team to take the second bunker. The drill was very similar to the first bunker, but the distance was far greater and they had backup.
With the enemy destroyed and the second bunker captured, Omelau reported the results of the action to platoon headquarters while his squad treated a simulated casualty – mission accomplished.
Having graduated from team leader to squad leader recently, Omelau said he was somewhat surprised by the added complexity of maneuvering a squad. The requirement of integrating a Stryker only reinforced his appreciation of how challenging his job can be.
“As a former team leader, being a squad leader is a lot more than I expected,” Omelau said. “But I'm up for the challenge.”
| Date Taken: | 09.08.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 09.13.2017 14:06 |
| Story ID: | 248122 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, AK, US |
| Web Views: | 75 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Away game: Bobcats rapidly deploy to, train at JBER, by David Bedard, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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