Photo By Spc. Charles Leitner | U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Corey Troxell, a tank platoon sergeant and company master...... read more read more
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NIINISALO, Finland – Old growth forest, heavy mist and a swath of spongy moss blanket the lush forest floor at a training area near Niinisalo, Finland. The ground is soft to the touch and footprints from U.S. and Finnish soldiers who have trained here for two weeks remain long after their boots have lifted from the earth.
A trained eye can spot camouflaged bell tents scattered through the forest. There are small chimneys that peer out from the tops of the canvas tents and plume thin smoke trails into the clouds above, warming the soldiers nestled inside who are busy preparing for another day of training.
“This is the culminating event for our rotation,” said Sgt. 1st Class Corey Troxell, a tank platoon sergeant and company master gunner with the Dakota Company, 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division (3-1 ABCT), operationally assigned to the 1st Infantry Division (1 ID). “We came out here with a great mindset.”
The woods are teeming with activity. There are squads conducting training regularly and armor elements at work trudging through the muddy trails that weave around pine trees and scattered granite stones. Out from between a slew of branches emerges the barrel of an M1A2 Abrams tank commanded by Troxell. Like a periscope searching for boats on the high seas, the tank barrel wiggles, rotates and upon finding a target in the distance, settles.
Inside the tank, a swift orchestra of action erupts between Troxell and the rest of his crew, made up of Sgt. Adrion Lewis, a tank gunner, Spc. Mathew Armstrong, a tank driver, and Sgt. Hunter Moffat, a combat medic. A quick string of commands is followed by a rapid flow of confirmation responses that are sent through the crew’s communication channels and, as though synchronized together all at once, a simulated round is programmed into the gun, the target is confirmed and a fire command is given.
There’s no loud bang, no smoke spews from the tip of the tank’s barrel nor explosive impact downrange to indicate a successful hit on target. U.S. and Finnish soldiers that took part in Hammer 22, an annual combined forces exercise, used a Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System to create realistic scenarios that allowed units to engage under simulated combat situations that required them to adapt in real time just as they would on the battlefield.
“It’s cramped, it’s cold, but it’s a lot of fun,” said Troxell. “Inside the tank it’s controlled chaos.”
Tankers with the 3-1 ABCT have been training in Niinisalo alongside Finland’s Army Headquarters, Armored Brigade, Pori Brigade, Karelia Brigade, Uti Jaeger Regiment and Logistics Department of the Defense Forces, since Nov. 4, 2022. On a grand scale, this exercise was part of an ongoing effort by U.S. and Finnish forces to improve war fighting capabilities between the two nations.
For Troxell, now at the precipice of another promotion, one that would take him out of the tank and place him in a less frontal position, the scope is more refined and has been solely about witnessing the progression his Soldiers have made.
“We have a bunch of Soldiers that are new to certain positions that are doing exceptionally well,” said Troxell. “I have Soldiers that were acting as loaders that are now acting as gunners. I have gunners that are acting as tank commanders. So the Soldiers are getting the opportunity to learn the next step in a completely new environment.”
Soldiers like Moffatt, who was temporarily reassigned to the tank crew to assist with their training efforts during Hammer 22, has found himself alongside Troxell in the hunt for opposing forces.
“I love being able to be out here with the guys,” said Moffat. “It gives me a more in depth look into what tankers do and gives me a better feel for my role as a medic.”
For two weeks, after numerous laps alongside and against Finnish Forces, the crew had the unique opportunity to participate in an extensive military safari, searching for unfamiliar vehicles like the amphibious BMP-2, the tracked Combat Vehicle 90, and the Leopard 2A4 tank which sits low on the terrain and like the others is camouflaged well into the environment. According to Troxell, this was the first time many Soldiers were given the opportunity to train and fight against something they haven’t seen before.
Mud from the rain and snow presents another problem for tank crews to solve. Navigating the narrow trails whilst searching for opposing forces down a narrow pine corridor is hard enough. Doing this while trying to avoid losing one of your tracks is a different ball game.
“Everything is slippery,” said Armstrong. “Every sound has its own feeling, its own personality. When something’s going to break, you know it.”
Armstrong, the self-proclaimed “best driver” in the unit, spent the duration of the exercise learning to navigate across this new terrain. On deployment from Fort Hood, Texas, he found the inclement weather presented him with fresh challenges to improve his ability to maneuver the tank and its crew where it needed to be in order to be most effective to the rest of the fighting force.
“Everyone’s slipped track out here,” said Troxell. “Just being able to be resilient and learn from your mistakes in a training environment so that when you get to the real thing everything is second nature.”
This has taken many Soldiers out of their comfort zones. But, in doing so, they learn new trades in real-time and are better equipped to face new challenges head on.
“Most of the gunners are glued to the thermal,” said Lewis. “Coming out here and having it snow has taken that away so now we’re going back to the old ways by using the GPS and getting real eyes on sight. It’s made me not rely on technology.”
Through Troxell’s eyes, this is all an indication of successful training. As a unit, they’ve built greater resilience, refined their skills and, by training alongside Finnish forces, developed a broader understanding on how to succeed in any environment.
“I don’t want to say I am a father to them, I don’t have kids and I’m not married,” said Troxell. “These guys are my life, I am training my replacements, I hope that they take as much knowledge as I can give them. As long as they succeed, I know I’ve succeeded.”
| Date Taken: | 11.21.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 11.21.2022 17:35 |
| Story ID: | 433650 |
| Location: | NIINISALO, FI |
| Web Views: | 380 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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