Photo By 1st Lt. Jonathan Sauls | Grassland terrain and visibility constraints challenged teams to adapt in real time.... read more read more
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Soldiers from the black Sheep Scout Platoon, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, spend the day at Story Live Fire Complex rehearsing their blank iteration in preparation for an upcoming squad live fire certification.
During South Korea's hottest summer on record, and with the weight of their kit pressing down, the Scouts rehearsed fundamentals of their profession under pressure. Bounding, suppressing, reacting to contact, and calling up reports in preparation for both day and night live fire iterations. The mission: Prepare to fight for information in high-risk, high-stakes environments… on their own.
“Squad Live Fire isn’t just a training event,” said Capt. Mitchell Brown, commander of HHC, 2-23 IN. “It certifies the tomahawk Battalion’s all-weather reconnaissance asset to shoot, move, and communicate when it counts and on their own. Scouts will be prepared to fight for information in uncertain, high-risk environments whenever our nation calls.”
The squad live fire certification represents a critical benchmark for reconnaissance units like the Black Sheep platoon. Unlike conventional formations, scouts often operate ahead of friendly lines, identifying and verifying enemy positions, terrain features, and risk factors that shape the picture of the battle field for the brigade commander.
“This matters because at the end of the day, being a combat MOS [Military Occupational Specialty], it’s our duty to fight, defend, and win,” said Staff Sgt. Tyler Johnston, Bravo Section Leader. “And we do that by focusing on the fundamentals. I have a lot of passion for the Army and its future. I want my junior subordinates to have as good of leadership as possible because they’re the next generation of leaders.”
The Blank iteration is the last full-speed, dry-run rehearsal before live ammunition is introduced. It provides soldiers the opportunity to fine-tune their movement, refine their communication, and adjust to real-time friction on the field. Once complete, teams move into live fire iterations where the margin for error drastically narrows. Where confidence in the fundamentals makes the difference.
For the Black Sheep, success is not only measured in the accuracy of rounds fired. It’s also measured in readiness, cohesion and the trust they build as they prepare to operate in some of the Army’s most complex environments.
| Date Taken: | 07.31.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.04.2025 00:55 |
| Story ID: | 544650 |
| Location: | KR |
| Web Views: | 50 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Black Sheep Scouts Prepare for Combat Certainty during Squad Live Fire Training in Korea, by 1LT Jonathan Sauls, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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