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    ‘Red Warriors’ earn combat infantryman badge

    KANDAHAR, Afghanistan – On the evening of March 28, Soldiers of 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, were called into action after an indirect fire attack near the base here.

    At the time, the Soldiers of 3rd Platoon, Company D, 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, didn’t know that the call would earn them the right to pin on the coveted Combat Infantryman Badge on May 14.

    Responding to the attack, the platoon, on their second day of rotation as the quick reaction force, immediately went to the point of origin along with an explosive ordnance team.

    “My guys were familiar with the route we were on,” said 1st Lt. Blake C. Bill, platoon leader for 3rd Platoon, Company D. “Then all of a sudden an (improvised explosive device) initiated on the second truck in the convoy.”

    The IED was intended for the lead truck of the convoy, said the Comanche, Texas native.

    “The Soldiers in the truck that got hit were immediately evacuated and our medic began to do his tests and check for injuries,” said Bill. “Luckily there were no significant casualties and EOD was with us so they were able to react fast. My guys spent the rest of the night recovering the vehicle and finding and clearing alternate routes.”

    Bill said he attributes the success of the incident to pre-deployment training and his Soldiers’ commitment to expertise in their field.

    Sgt. James T. McCann, a native of Rochester Hills, Michigan, was the truck commander for the lead convoy vehicle that day.

    “From the moment we left the base I was watching the sides of the road for wires or any people around the area and had my gunner scanning everything,” said McCann, an infantryman assigned to 3rd Platoon. “It was easy for me to react to the attack, the training prior to the deployment helped me be calm and know what needed to be done at that moment.”

    Now over a month later, the Soldiers of 3rd Platoon have the privilege of wearing the CIB.

    “I couldn’t have asked for a better group of Soldiers to be with me that day,” said Bill “The way they reacted at the moment was truly at an expert level.”

    As an NCO, McCann said he is proud of how his Soldiers reacted down to the lowest level.

    “It means the world to me to have been able to earn this badge along with my Soldiers and to have had no casualties that day,” said McCann. “To me, earning this badge tells me that my Soldiers are proficient in their profession and that they are exactly what this Army needs them to be.”

    The senior leaders of the brigade also noticed the professionalism that the Soldiers displayed on the day of the incident.

    ”We trained for over one year, we are resourced and equipped to be experts and ready for moments just like this, I would expect nothing less from an Ivy Division Soldier,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Anton Hillig, senior enlisted leader for 2IBCT. “I am proud of the discipline, lethality, and understanding our Soldiers and leaders exhibit each and every day, it is the essence for what our combat awards represent.”

    Although the incident did not cause casualties, Hillig hopes this also sends a message to all the Soldiers in the battalion and throughout Kandahar about staying alert.

    “Our Soldiers continuously place themselves in harm's way to accomplish the mission we have been asked to do in support of Resolute Support-Afghanistan,” said Hillig. “It doesn't matter if we are conducting partnered patrols to secure the ground defense area or advising our Afghan army partners, they recognize, appreciate, and prepare for the risks and our leaders recognize the responsibility and accountability we shoulder in fighting complacency. Our awarding combat badges reminds us all the seriousness of the profession we have chosen to serve.”
    According to both Bill and McCann, to deter complacency it is important for all Soldiers regardless of rank or time in service to know their role in the platoon.

    “You need to hone and understand your craft,” said Bill. “Everyone has an important piece in the puzzle from the rifleman, grenadier, saw gunner and (truck commander) and if one person doesn’t click, bad things can happen.”

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 05.15.2018
    Date Posted: 05.25.2018 09:56
    Story ID: 278453
    Location: KANDAHAR, AF
    Hometown: COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, US
    Hometown: COMANCHE, TX, US
    Hometown: FORT CARSON, CO, US
    Hometown: ROCHESTER HILLS, MI, US

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