Cavalry Scouts; Eyes and Ears of the Army

Photo By Spc. Samuel Brandon | Soldiers from Red Platoon in the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, go over the battle plan for the field exercise, Aug. 25, 2022, Fort Carson, Colorado. The brief was led by Red Platoon leader, 1st Lt. Leah Foodman, who went over the Communications Status Report with her soldiers. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Samuel Brandon)  

FORT CARSON, CO, UNITED STATES

09.06.2022

Story by Pvt. Samuel Brandon 

14th Public Affairs Detachment

FORT CARSON, Colo. - The Red and White Platoons from Coldblood Troop, 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, conducted a platoon Situational Training Exercise Aug. 24-26 on Fort Carson.
Red and White Platoons were the last platoons from 3-61 Cavalry Regiment to partake in the field exercise. The field exercise was designed to practice night-operation maneuvers and the proper usage of Night Observation Devices.
“Everything’s easier in the day, but the way Cavalry Scouts work is we rest in the day, and move at night,” Cpl. Jaylen Hundon with Coldblood Troop, 3rd Sqdn., 61st Cav. Reg., 2nd SBCT, 4th Inf. Div., said. “Getting as much night training as possible will really help these guys in a real life scenario, when there’s zero illumination and you’re wearing a NOD.”
The event began with each squad departing in the assigned Strykers and driving to the training area. 1st Lt. Robert Norwood, Red Platoon Leader, went over things to look out for when the time came to execute.
“A big thing that we do as scouts is we set observation posts,” Norwood said. “We practice and train to look for good spots where we can see the enemy, set into position and then look for the enemy.”
The following day, Strykers were refueled and made mission-ready. Most of the day was spent resting, as the platoons would be up until the early morning.
Platoons gathered to go over the plan for the evening, with 1st Lt. Leah Foodman, Red Platoon Leader, explaining the plan of action on a terrain model to ensure complete understanding of the mission.
“Red Platoon conducts a zone recon from Tactical Assembly Area Destroyer to a screen along Phase Line Cherry in order to provide 2-12 Infantry with freedom of maneuver,” Foodman said.
Red Platoon’s mission was to scan the area from their TAA to Phase Line Cherry to allow 2-12 Infantry - another battalion from the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team - safe passage as they conduct their own missions.
The Red and White Platoons prepared to begin the mission in the early evening. The squads drove their Strykers out to the vehicle drop off point and then continued on foot in search of the Opposing Force. The squad needed to keep a lookout for enemy Soldiers wanting to engage in combat with them, using NODs when it got dark. An OPFOR sniper team’s concealment was particularly well-done, and proved to be extremely difficult, even with the NODs.
The other platoons that came before us were unable to find the snipers before being disqualified, Foodman said. If the platoons wanted to find them, they’d have to be quiet, and remain undetected whilst looking for them.
The training would continue past sunset well into the early morning hours. By this time, Soldiers would either be disqualified by OPFOR, or they would still be on the hunt. If the Soldiers did not find the OPFOR before 4 a.m., then their mission was considered a failure. In a real world scenario, this would mean that the enemy still poses a threat to friendly forces and that the Scouts must continue their efforts to find and neutralize the threat.
Foodman was confident Red Platoon would find the snipers before White Platoon.
A squad from White Platoon was able to find the OPFOR snipers, making White Platoon the first platoon from 3rd Sqdn., 61st Cav. Reg., 2nd SBCT to find them. While looking for their observation post, they came across the snipers, and disqualified them immediately.
As the sun rose, the training exercise concluded, and the Strykers gathered at a secondary location, where they would be debriefed by leadership.
The Soldiers returned to the Strykers and slept until sunrise. The platoons returned to their Company Operations Facility after resting.
Cavalry Scout training exercises like these are designed to train Soldiers to operate in situations where visibility is low, and NODs are required. This training exercise provided the opportunity for Soldiers to refine their skills at night.

• Date Taken: 09.06.2022
• Date Posted: 09.06.2022 17:44
• Story ID: 428680
• Location: FORT CARSON, CO, US