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FORT IRWIN, Calif. — It was a warm 103 degrees and the air was thick as Soldiers stepped off the air-conditioned buses June 16 at the National Training Center (NTC) at Fort Irwin, California. They were about to partake in the age-old tradition of the conflict between the “Atropians” and “Donovians” during the exercise that concluded Monday. An elite fighting force, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, makes up the largest brigade in the Army with an excursionary mission of reconnaissance and security (R&S). With 10 battalions, numerous companies and several enablers from other units across the armed forces, all working together, it is important to train and be “Ready to fight tonight.” “As Soldiers, we always train like we fight, and it is important to have the most up-to-date information available,” said Staff Sgt. Shawn Hough, chaplain assistant, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st SBCT. “It is important that when we receive that information that we, as leaders, disseminate it to our Soldiers, as written in the Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer, ‘I will always keep my Soldiers informed.’” As the days progressed and temperatures continued to rise, NCOs with HHC united to see what they could do to increase morale while battling the hot temperatures. “It is no secret that it is really hot out here, so we wanted to put some ice in the water buffalo,” said Staff Sgt. Johnny Wong, a three-time NTC veteran and provost sergeant with HHC. After more than 130 bags of ice were added to the water buffalo, the team moved its vehicles to the staging center. 1st SBCT and supporting elements rolled into the training area June 22 with more than 5,700 service members and 1,700 pieces of equipment. Multiple units from across Fort Carson, including some portions of 1st SBCT, and 1st Battalion, 14th Field Artillery Regiment, out of Fort Sill, Oklahoma, manned fighting positions, observation posts and checkpoints across the area of operations. Elements of HHC, the 450th Civil Affairs Battalion from Riverdale, Maryland, and the 345th Tactical Psychological Operations Company from Dallas endured an 18-hour road trip covering nearly 40 miles of rugged terrain, steep hills and loose rocks. “It worked out really well. I know a bunch of NCOs were walking the line when we had long pauses giving out ice water just to keep morale as high as possible,” said Wong. Although it was a long trip, every section pulled together to set up operations. Soldiers faced many challenges such as vehicle breakdowns due to extreme heat or shredded tires from the rough terrain, blowing sand and remote locations where resupply was difficult at best. Soldiers were hit by gas attacks and donned full protective gear in the extreme heat. NTC is a challenging, but necessary tool to prepare for potential adversaries. “NTC affords us a similar environment which simulates the type of terrain that we could possibly be operating in,” said Sgt. 1st Class Joshua Garman, support operation center NCO in charge, HHC. “Here we have the room for maneuver elements, force on force, live fi re and the use of our engineer assets. The terrain also forces us to validate our communication assets across a larger environment.” Temperatures ranged from 103 to 116 degrees but, as in real life, the training exercise continued. “Despite the heat, the guys continued to persevere and showed their resiliency by overcoming the challenges they faced,” said Maj. Daniel Rand, Civil Military Operations Center chief, 450th Civil Affairs Battalion. “They processed displaced civilians who were coming from all different sectors, made sure they were healthy, fed and cared for them before sending them to the refugee center. We also ensured that they filled out a family separation form in case their Family came to look for them.” From the infantrymen on the front lines, to the logistics team planning and moving supplies, to the civil affairs and psychological operations teams that interacted with displaced civilians daily, every one played an integral role in the success of the R&S concept. The full moon illuminated the desert fl oor well into the night as Soldiers set up a defensive perimeter and long-range communication antennas. After a few hours of sleep and well before the sun peeked over the mountains, Soldiers rolled up camouflage nets and prepared to move out. The 1st SBCT command group had already made it to a tactical position and coordinated directions to the battle captains as forces advanced into the battlefield. The complex coordinated advance ensured the safety of the forces by making sure a unit or formation didn’t cross into a friendly sector of fi re. Leaders marked maps with the latest intelligence reports of enemy and friendly forces. Before engaging the enemy, a positive identification had to be made. The north to south fight over several mountain ranges was done to test the brigade’s ability to successfully conduct its reconnaissance and security mission for an advancing corps and utilized its full suite of infantry, Strykers, M1A1 tanks, Apache helicopters and both tube and missile artillery.
| Date Taken: | 06.14.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 11.17.2017 16:47 |
| Story ID: | 255774 |
| Location: | BARSTOW, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 27 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Reconnaissance and security, by SSG Chris Perkey, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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