FORT HOOD, Texas – Every battery in the 4th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment participated in a battalion-wide field exercise here, May 10-May 21.
The battalion's field exercise was used to evaluate the unit's proficiency in air and missile defense operations.
There are several components during a field exercise that need to be executed to the highest standards in order for the unit's mission to be completed successfully.
One of these components consists of the cooks who prepare the fuel that keeps the Soldiers running during the day. The cooks' mission starts hours before the sun rises for the day.
The cooks wake up anywhere between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. to begin preparing the breakfast meal, said Sgt. Sean Kim, a food service sergeant who was cooking for D Battery, 4-5 ADA throughout the field exercise.
Pfc. Julanda Jones, another food service specialist for D Battery, said that she enjoyed cooking in the field more than cooking in the dining facility. However, one of the worst parts of cooking in the field was cooking when it was raining outside, she added.
The cooks of D Battery even take requests from the Soldiers when they get a craving for a certain meal. The two cooks in the battery cook for over 80 Soldiers, Kim said, and while they have to make sure to make enough food for everyone, they also have to make sure that their food is cooked to standard.
The main goal of the D Battery cooks is to support the Soldiers in their mission and to give them enough sustenance to make sure that they can successfully accomplish their mission, Kim added.
Kim and Jones usually cook two meals a day, breakfast and dinner, and the Soldiers eat MREs for lunch.
Although the cooks are busy, they make a good team, and they always get the job done, said 1st Sgt. Reginald Cotton, the first sergeant for D Battery.
After having a good first meal, the Soldiers of D Battery carry on with their mission for the day. On May 18, that mission happened to be qualifying for their table VIII certification.
The table VIII certification evaluates a unit's ability to engage and destroy a specific air borne target.
There are several parts that need to be set up for a table VIII certification to be successful; some included the launcher, radar and antenna group.
The battery had a specified amount of time to set up and complete its operations. One of the timed set-ups included Soldiers from the antenna mast crew. This crew had to make sure that its equipment was set up in under 45 minutes. However, usually the crew can get the equipment set up in about 25 minutes, said Spc. Joseph Butler, a member of the crew.
Spc. Evan Jennings, a PATRIOT launching station maintainer, hoped that the battery would perform all of its duties to standard so that they would be successful with their table VIII certification.
The hardest part of the field exercise for many Soldiers was surviving the unpredictable weather and heat, said Pvt. John Duncan, a PATRIOT missile operator.
Down the road from D Battery, Service Company was performing their mission essential tasks to assist all of the batteries in the battalion.
Each battery relies on teamwork to make it through their missions successfully, said Spc. Ignacio Hernandez, a wheeled vehicle mechanic for the company.
"We all need the man to the right and to the left of us," said Pfc. Lekristen Smith, a petroleum supply specialist in the company.
The main purpose of service company was to fix vehicles, generators, air conditioning units, etc., and to make sure that all of the batteries had equipment that was up to par, Hernandez added.
While the Renegade battalion was in the midst of conducting its operations in the field they also were subjected to attack from outside forces that were posing as a threat to their missions.
During the attacks, the atmosphere was a "controlled chaos", said Spc. Anthony Lavalley, a utilities equipment preparer in service company.
One attack that service company encountered included sniper fire, Lavalley added, and during a different attack the company was subjected to mortar fire.
During the attacks, the Soldiers in the company have to use battle buddy first aid on their fellow Soldiers, as well as make sure that their area was secure, and also, eliminate the threat.
Each battery in the battalion encountered an enemy attack several times during their two week field exercise.
One of the best parts of being in the field is the enemy attacks, said Smith. Anyone could potentially get called into harm's way, and the attacks give us an opportunity for great training, she added.
All of the training that the Renegade Battalion accomplished during their field training made them a stronger, more cohesive and combat ready unit, which in turn, makes them ready to conquer any obstacles that may cross their path in the future.
| Date Taken: | 05.26.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 05.26.2010 16:39 |
| Story ID: | 50325 |
| Location: | FORT HOOD, US |
| Web Views: | 194 |
| Downloads: | 157 |
This work, Soldiers strive to exceed standards during Renegade Battalion's field training, by SGT Maria Kappell, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
