Photo By 1st Sgt. Khalia Jackson | Spc. Terry Michael, computer specialist, Louisiana National Guard, is one of the 5,500...... read more read more
HOHENFELS, Germany - Louisiana Guardsman packed up their bags and said goodbye to the comforts of home to spend three weeks training as part of Saber Junction 18, a multinational exercise held from Sept. 4-Oct. 1 at the 7th Army Training Command’s Joint Multinational Readiness Center.
Saber Junction 18 is a U.S. Army Europe-directed exercise designed to assess the readiness of the 173rd Airborne Brigade to conduct unified land operations in a joint, combined environment. It provides an opportunity for the nearly 5,500 participants from 20 Ally and partner nations to practice tasks critical to their mission in a realistic setting.
The 926th Mobility Augmentation Company, based out of Baker, Louisiana, trained and prepared for the past year, according to 1st Lt. Philip Bougere, company commander. As the mission drew closer, additional Soldiers were needed to augment the unit and that is when the ability to train and organize got interesting.
“As volunteers signed up for this, they practiced as best they could at home,” said Bougere. “We did not meet the [other] members of the team until just prior to us coming here. So when got here and found out some of the mission sets, we did a lot of rehearsals,” he said. “The first sergeant assigned them to different platoons, the platoons ran with it and each time we found out another mission, we reacted to it and had time to prepare.”
With additional Soldiers from across the Louisiana Guard representing a wide range of military occupational specialties (MOS), 1st Sgt. Blake Konczol said there was a tremendous learning curve.
“Most of them do not have an infantry MOS. They’ve been operating as light infantry for the last two weeks—packing all their gear with them wherever they go. They learned real quickly to pack light,” Konczol said with a laugh.
Across the sprawling training center with pre-fabricated villages and towns, the 926th did not fight as U.S. forces but as the enemy using some of the tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs), employed by U.S. forces and their Allies.
“The skirmishes that came along were pretty spot on,” said Bougere. “Our TTPs that we are going against are the same TTPs, so it is interesting to see us work it out.”
Another thing to work out was adapting to the environment and the need endure discomfort.
“Back in the States you’ve got your normal environment that you deal with,” said Konczol. “Over here it is totally different. (It’s) different terrain. Overnight it can be in the 30s (degrees Fahrenheit).”
The commander agreed that the training tests the Soldiers’ resilience.
“A lot of this (training) is realistic,” added Bougere. “We do get sleep deprived. We have to work through lack of food and water.”
Always Ready…Always Relevant
For the Soldiers of the 926th, Saber Junction 18 has proven to be a good experience and one that they agree is a plus for National Guard units.
“It’s important to have something that is outside of your field,” said Spc. Terry Michael, one of the augmenters from the 61st Troop Command. “Most of the time we are involved in hurricane preparation, flood and disaster relief, and environmental issues. This is definitely a nice thing for the National Guard to participate in and I think it is important for every Guard unit see what they are capable of in this type of environment.”
| Date Taken: | 09.28.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 09.28.2018 06:09 |
| Story ID: | 294762 |
| Location: | HOHENFELS, DE |
| Web Views: | 192 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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