Supporting the Spartan Brigade
By Spc. Jordyn Worshek
Fort Stewart, GA. - When people think of the Army, a certain picture comes to mind. The combat arms Soldiers are off in some far away land, engaging the enemy with their weapons, tanks and field artillery. While combat arms military occupational specialties are a big part of the Army, other careers are often less talked about. Specifically, the careers of Soldiers in our forward support companies.
A forward support company is comprised of Soldiers who are equally important to mission success by providing key services that keep our units running strong such as, maintaining vehicles, providing Soldiers with medical care, fuel for vehicles, and distribution of ammunition.
To make sure the Spartan Brigade is ready for their rotation to the National Training Center in May, all 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Teams, FSCs came together under the 703rd Brigade Support Battalion to conduct a sustainment field training exercise starting Feb. 4, 2019 at Fort Stewart, Ga.
During a sustainment FTX, the training focuses on vital tasks that allow the FSCs to be self-sufficient while forward deployed. These tasks are area defense, movement to contact, support in an attack, and area security.
While FSC Soldiers train with these objectives in mind, they also perform their primary military occupational specialty.
One component of support is maintenance. Maintenance works along-side ammunition Soldiers, medical specialists and ammunition supply to support the unit mission.
“Every support MOS has its role in maintaining the fleet,” said Staff Sgt. Cole Wenzel, a tank mechanic assigned to Company B, 703rd BSB, 2nd ABCT. “Our focus is to maintain and operate vehicles, including the M88A2 and provide security. We have to work with other support MOSs’ to be able to fix the equipment and complete our mission as maintainers to support the Brigade mission.”
In order to complete the overall mission, another integral part of the FSC are the medics. With their support, all Soldiers have effective medical care and are trained on how to prevent serious injury while in the field.
“Our main objective is to train to enhance our capabilities to provide medical care, and see how we align with the other battalions within the brigade,” said 1st Sgt. Tyrone Thompson, a medic assigned to Company C, 703rd BSB, 2nd ABCT. “We work to prevent various hazards to Soldiers’ health and make sure there are no serious injuries. By supporting the warfighters within 2 ABCT with medical care, it allows for other Soldiers to complete their mission.”
Ammunition specialists are responsible for the management of ordinance (ammunition and explosives). They are tasked with receiving, storing and issuing conventional ammunition, guided missiles, large rockets, explosives and other ammunition and explosive related items. Without the support of these Soldiers, combat troops would lack the means necessary to defeat the enemy.
“Our job is to issue, turn in and take ammo accountability,” said Staff Sgt Leroy Newsome, an ammo specialist assigned to Company A, 703rd BSB, 2nd ABCT. “We work with all the other MOSs’ and if you don’t have ammo, you can’t fire any weapons. But everything has to interchange and if you don’t have all the FSC MOSs’ working together, the Brigade can’t complete its’ mission. We are all necessary.”
All Soldiers must work together as a team to accomplish the mission. The more field training exercises they complete, the better they become at their individual pieces to the overarching mission, the more the entire Spartan Team will benefit.