Grafenwoehr, Germany – Soldiers with the 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, completed Combined Resolve XI Phase II near the Camp Aachen training area, Grafenwoehr, Germany, Jan. 23, 2018.
As the Ironhorse Soldiers finish out their duties prior to redeployment, Sgt. Maj. Leonardo Alaniz, the Operations Sergeant Major for 1-7 CAV reflects on Combined Resolve and the rotation as a whole.
“We knew from the beginning it was going to be a little bit difficult,” Alaniz said. “When we got into the field, the weather was very challenging, the terrain was very challenging, the [opposing force] was very challenging.”
Compared to the dry and familiar weather and terrain at home, Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels, Germany, offered Garryowen Soldiers a unique experience.
“The terrain is very muddy, slick and rocky,” Alaniz said. “For the tracked and wheeled vehicles alike, the terrain made getting from point A to point B unseen very difficult.”
Garryowen also had to contend with notional opposing forces, or OPFOR, during Phase I of Combined Resolve XI in Hohenfels, Germany – offering the Soldiers the opportunity to more closely train the way they fight.
“We encountered a lot of surprises from the OPFOR,” said Alaniz. “We did not expect them to be securing our own vehicles and using those vehicles against us. That was definitely new, eye-opening and interesting.”
The challenges Garryowen faced during Combined resolve were not exclusively notional – some were the kinds of challenges most organizations face every day.
“When we were in Hohenfels, we had new people, new crew,” said Alaniz. “It was a steep learning curve for all of us; constant changes, constant challenges.”
Combined Resolve XI Phase II was the final major exercise for Garryowen Soldiers during Ironhorse’s rotation through Europe in support of Atlantic Resolve.
“We saw a big difference when we got to Grafenwoehr,” Alaniz said. “It was almost automatic.”
A cumulative live-fire exercise, Combined Resolve XI gave Garryowen the chance to demonstrate the increased lethality and various proficiencies gained during the rotation.
“Everybody knew their job, everybody knew their spot, everybody knew what to monitor and what to write,” Alaniz said. “Seeing how we progressed – it was a very good experience.”