FORT IRWIN, California—The 1st Battalion, 155th Infantry Regiment, the 6th oldest infantry regiment in the U.S. Army and part of the 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team, Mississippi Army National Guard, is conducting combat training to enhance its capabilities by taking advantage of the large maneuver areas at the National Training Center May - June, 2017.
NTC is the U.S. military’s premiere training facility that has the “Mississippi Rifles” facing challenging scenarios developed through actual combat experiences.
The 1-155th is a combined arms battalion that integrates Abrams tanks, Bradley fighting vehicles and dismounted infantry supporting each other to accomplish missions. It is made up of companies from around the state.
Company A, based in Biloxi, Mississippi, one of two Bradley companies in the battalion, is getting to practice on a larger scale than at their regular training area at Camp Shelby, Mississippi.
“We have a great home station,” said Capt. John Rowland, company commander. “At Camp Shelby we have a lot resources, but in those resources we’re restricted on being able to maneuver the Bradleys like we’re supposed to.”
“At Camp Shelby the dismounts might be in the back of the Bradley for maybe an hour,” said Rowland. “Now the dismounts are seeing what it’s like to be the back of Bradley for, let’s say, 7-8 hours waiting for us to get to the objective.”
Allowing Soldiers to train in an environment that effectively replicates combat and allows them to practice tactics and techniques at full scale is helping the unit maintain its abilities after gaining experience in two Operation Iraqi Freedom deployments in 2004 and 2009.
“It’s the most realistic training that I’ve ever experienced outside of being overseas,” said Rowland.
“By coming out here to NTC we’re actually having the ability to execute our military mission,” said 1st Sgt. John B. Melson, the senior enlisted member of Company A. “This is the closest thing we’re going to get to an actual combat mission. Where we can actually execute or jobs under real world pressure.”
The scenarios at NTC have been tough and exhausting for the unit but they are glad to be taking home lessoned learned.
“Here it’s a scenario playing off another scenario, off another scenario, so it’s a continually developing process,” said Melson. “It’s helped us become more flexible and adaptable in order to accomplish our missions under these pressures.”
After completing all of their assigned combat scenarios the battalion will begin live fire exercises to reinforce the training they have conducted at NTC and help the Mississippi Rifles remain a ready force.