Courtesy Photo | CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq - Cpt. Damon Wells, commander, Headquarters and Headquarters...... read more read more
Sgt. 1st Class Jerry Malec
Fires Bde. PAO, 4th Inf. Div.
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Ask veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and most will agree that going out on a convoy is one of the most dangerous duties deployed Soldiers face.
Soldiers with the 324th Network Support Company, Fires Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, took advantage of an opportunity to refresh their convoy skills March 25 in an intense training event - the M1114 Convoy Lanes Training.
The exercise took convoy teams through their paces, from initial preparation all the way through to completing the mission, along with dealing with possible challenges along the way.
Training included reacting to unexpected situations which could occur outside the wire - from dealing with improvised-explosive devices to how to handle just plain "crazy drivers."
"I think the biggest challenge of going on convoys is actually getting prepared for them " the training, the briefings and pre-combat checks," said Pfc. Katrina Wiltz, supply clerk, 324th NSC.
The full day of training began at 7 a.m. and concluded 10 hours later.
"Stay focused," advised Wiltz, a Savanna, Ga., native. "Always keep your eyes on the road, watching your surroundings."
The lanes training also gave participants the opportunity to test how they would react to a medical emergency. The 324th Soldiers were tasked to move injured comrades from a vehicle disabled by a roadside bomb, and obtain assistance.
"Calling in Med-Evac and moving patients from one truck to another was definitely a huge challenge of today," said Cpl. Matthew Cates, communications noncommissioned officer, 324th NSC.
Cates, a Society Hill, S.C., native, who joined the Army in 2001, said the day's training bolstered his confidence.
"Fires Brigade has been lucky to not have any fatalities so far because we perform pre-combat inspections and pre-combat checks, and we do training like this. It's very helpful."
Cpl. Jeffery Gibbon, signal support specialist, 324th NSC, had only been on one convoy prior to the M1114 Convoy Lanes Training. He agreed with Cates that dealing with the simulated medical emergency was by far the most meaningful part of the day.
"When the IED went off and we had casualties, I had to work hard to keep my head on straight to forge through everything," said Gibbon, who hails from Madison Ohio.
He said he will use his new-found confidence to make sure every convoy he supports is the best it can be.
"Learn from your mistakes; always study up on everything you are going to be doing - and don't take no for an answer," advised Gibbon.
All units within Fires Brigade will continue this training while deployed to Iraq.
| Date Taken: | 04.07.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 04.07.2006 16:24 |
| Story ID: | 5987 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 240 |
| Downloads: | 109 |
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