3 ABCT's Stinger Academy

Photo By Staff Sgt. Felicia Jagdatt | Soldiers who participated in 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division Stinger Academy pose with the instructors after 90 Soldiers were trained and proficient on the FIM-92 Stinger weapon system. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Felicia Jagdatt)  

EL PASO, TX, UNITED STATES

05.03.2018

Story by Staff Sgt. Felicia Jagdatt 

3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division Public Affairs

Soldiers assigned to 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, participated in their first Stinger Academy May 3 on Bulldog Field.
Stinger Academy instructed Soldiers with in-class and hands-on training on the FIM-92 Stinger, which is an air defense missile.
“The Stinger is a shoulder-carried, portable system and is capable of engaging unmanned aerial vehicles, rotary winged aircraft, and cruise missiles,” said Capt. Edwin Gonzalez, an air and missile defense officer who was also the senior instructor of the academy. “The system, if trained properly, is easy to learn and use.”
Gonzalez went to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California, to receive instruction on how to properly use and teach about the system. Later this month, 3 ABCT will be the first unit to use the FIM-92 there.
The Stinger is not a stranger to old-school Soldiers because it was abundantly used in earlier decades, but it has made a reappearance after nearly 15 years.
"Times are changing, threats are changing, and the need to bring back the stinger missile is essential in order to fill the gap in air and missile defense,” said Gonzalez. ”The importance of this familiarization training is to highlight the need of our maneuver units to be cross-trained with the Stinger missile.”
On the morning of May 3, Soldiers sat in a classroom to go over the mechanics of the weapon system. Then they held the weapons system for the first time while learning the proper firing technique.
In the afternoon, Soldiers paired up to navigate an obstacle course on Bulldog Field. The course consisted of maneuvering with the Stinger, firing the Stinger under pressure, donning a tactical gas mask, and firing under a simulated chemical attack.
“All of the events during the course are to ensure that Soldiers are able to grasp the concept of the Stinger systems and get a general understanding of its employment,” said Staff Sgt. Henry King, an electronic warfare specialist and instructor of the academy.
Spc. Brandon Cortez, an armor crewman with Company B, 1st Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment, enjoyed the training and said, “It was a fun experience with the new system. It is important to learn and understand how to use because it could be the difference between life and death.”
“In the end, it was well executed training,” said King. “They all were familiar with the weapon systems and understood its benefit in the battle space.”
As of today, the brigade has a total of 90 Soldiers familiarized with FIM-92 Stinger tactics and techniques and, believe me, there will be more to come, said Gonzalez.
After every Soldier completed the training, teams from each battalion competed to be the best, concluding the training day with some excitement. Out of the five battalions that participated, 2nd Squadron, 13th Cavalry Regiment came in first place.

• Date Taken: 05.03.2018
• Date Posted: 05.10.2018 13:48
• Story ID: 276570
• Location: EL PASO, TX, US