STARKE, Fla. (June 15, 2016) – For the first time in 15 years, all of the companies that make up one of the most diverse battalions in the Florida Army National Guard, came together for a culminating, realistic training exercise at Camp Blanding Joint Training Center, Florida’s premier training site.
The units assigned to the 927th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, is comprised of the 153rd Financial Management Support Unit, the 631st Support Maintenance Company, the 256th Area Support Medical Company and the 144th Transportation Company, which joined forces to execute training missions while operating under stressful conditions that simulated real-world combat environments over a four-day annual training period last week.
After taking command of the 927th last spring, Lt. Col. Geri Swarts immediately began preparing her multi-purposed units for this consolidated battalion-level annual training. Her intent was to conduct a training exercise that required all of the 927th’s subordinate companies to work collectively within their leadership channels and across the many units that comprise her battalion.
“One of my pillars of success in my command philosophy is communication: up, down and sideways,” said Swarts. “I want to make sure our peers are working together, our commanders are familiar with one another, and that they are even more familiar with unit capabilities.”
This training event not only allowed communication to flow directly between companies and up to the battalion level, but between Soldiers at the lowest level and their first line leaders. While reacting to exploding ordnances and CS gas that they could potentially encounter in a combat situation, Soldiers and leaders would shout directions and call out status updates to each other.
“This allows us to build teamwork and camaraderie while conducting collective training with participation from the Soldiers of every unit in the battalion,” Swarts said.
The overall mission followed a series of events that flowed from attacks on multiple convoys and concluded in the grand finale of a comprehensive attack on the forward logistic element. In the midst of an attack, Soldiers responded urgently, dragging their wounded ‘friendlies’ off the battlefield and binding ‘enemy’ Soldiers’ arms as they were captured.
Watching what is often referred to as “the fog of war,” senior leaders observed and evaluated their junior leaders and how units cooperated under confusing conditions that simulated the realism of combat. The battalion’s most senior non-commissioned officer, Command Sergeant Major Christopher Lagasse, observed his NCOs step up and take charge, and then evaluated them on how they reacted.
“As a leader you must be able to think on your feet and react at a moment’s notice,” said Lagasse.
The operation encompassed a multitude of tasks and procedures, giving Soldiers a taste of what real-world situations are comprised of and a confidence in their ability to respond to them. By testing their abilities to make decisions under pressure, Soldiers are now properly prepared to handle a crisis as a battalion, unit or team, whether it is responding to a violent riot in a domestic response, or overseas in an enemy attack.
“Having knowledge of other units’ capabilities is critical to developing as a team, regardless of the composition,” said, Swarts. “Phenomenal job 927th, Hooah!”
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