Photo By Staff Sgt. Armando Limon | Capt. Russell Ross, a team chief assigned to the 478th Civil Affairs Battalion...... read more read more
JOINT BASE McGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. — In the cold woods and fields of southern New Jersey, far from the sunny locales of Miami, Florida, with which D Company, 478th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne), is familiar, U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers have been brushing up on their essential warrior tasks and battle drills.
Over the past month, “Patriot” observer coach/trainers assigned to 174th Infantry Brigade, First Army Division East, have guided those Soldiers through their mobilization exercise in preparation for the unit’s deployment overseas this year.
“This [mobilization exercise] trains us to be administratively, medically, and tactically qualified in order to deploy,” said Maj. Andrew Dacey, commander, D Co., 478th CA Bn.
Chief among these qualifications was learning how to build a rapport with local populations and collect civil information.
Civil affairs operations are concerned with working with local populations and organizations in order to help people in turmoil, to achieve a secure and stable environment, according to Field Manual 3-57, Civil Affairs Operations.
Soldiers also brushed up on their marksmanship skills, both in an Engagement Skills Trainer facility and at the range. EST training, sometimes compared to a video game, allows Soldiers to practice their marksmanship fundamentals in a safe environment with instant feedback on their basic rifleman skills like shot placement and aim.
Once qualified, Soldiers participated in counter-improvised explosive devices and unexploded ordnance, both in the classroom during two days at a range conducting a practical exercise.
“They had us dismount to try and find IEDS,” said Capt. Russell Ross, a civil affairs team leader with D Co., 478th CA Bn. “We were looking for the things [the enemy] would use, and any type of indicators to make sure we wouldn’t get hit by IEDs when we’re going out for mobilization.”
Ross said IEDs are the leading producer of casualties and learning how to identify the indicators and report suspected devices was a key skill.
“It’s good to get this training so we can help prevent those deaths,” he said.
With counter IED training fresh in their minds, Soldiers spent several days in Combat Lifesaver (CLS) training, where they learned to perform tactical first aid under stressful conditions.
The CLS training taught the Soldiers how to assess, treat, move, and evacuate the wounded in a variety of different scenarios.
All of this training led up to their culminating training exercise which incorporated everything they had learned thus far into a four day event. In the CTE, the unit “deployed” to a fictional country that had recently suffered a natural disaster. Soldiers had to contend with corrupt civilian officials, adverse weather conditions, and other hostile elements in order to bring stability to the region.
Dacey, the company commander, praised the professionalism of the OC/Ts from 1st Battalion, 314th Infantry Regiment, 174th Infantry Brigade, who guided the training and provided feedback along the way through several after action reviews.
“The 174th has been assisting us and has been guiding us throughout this mobilization exercise from its inception,” Dacey said, “and they’ve done a phenomenal job with facilitating the resources and the training instruction to allow us to train for [mission readiness].”
| Date Taken: | 03.19.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 04.08.2021 20:18 |
| Story ID: | 393402 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NJ, US |
| Web Views: | 750 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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