BUTLERVILLE, IND. – 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) conducted an Emergency Deployment Readiness Exercise (EDRE) at the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center in Butlerville, Ind. May 30.
At 12:00 a.m. and without prior warning, Bravo Company and elements of nearly every other company in 1-187 were notified of an emergency order to conduct an assault and secure a simulated high-value target at the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center. With only a few hours to rally their troops, prepare their equipment, and move to the training area, the battalion leadership tested their ability to notify and prepare their Soldiers for the unexpected as they drew weapons and ammunition. At approximately 4:00 a.m., the Leader Rakkasan Soldiers of “Task Force Bulldog” were staged at Campbell Army Airfield prepared to conduct an air assault into Indiana.
The call came to Capt. John Bergman, the Commander of Bravo Company, and he knew that this exercise would test his Company’s alert and recall status. “What it came down to was leaders conducting Troop Leading Procedures,” said Bergman. “With the proper guidance and a general sequence plan, the Soldiers were able to perform exceptionally.”
When asked about what lessons were learned from the exercise, Bergman said “Everyone can always improve. This EDRE was an opportunity for leaders to identify who needs to be more physically fit and where Soldiers struggle to adjust training to fit the mission at hand.” He continued, “Despite this, the mission was a success. Task Force Bulldog rescued the simulated hostage and got everybody home in the end.”
After their deployment to the training area, Task Force Bulldog established a forward command post, medical station and staging area to prepare for their assault into the urban training site. With the help of scouts, the Solders made their way through the trees around the training site, using the tree line to keep them unseen as they prepared for the assault. Then, once in position, the attack began on the opposition force’s well-defended positions.
Staff Sgt. Alvaro Chavez, a squad leader with 1st Platoon, Bravo Company, said that his squad’s training and muscle memory gave them the skills they needed to execute the attack.
“For my squad, speed and communication were essential to clearing inside the buildings. Training, the physical fitness of my Soldiers, and repetition enabled us to complete the mission,” Chavez said. “It was all very last minute. We didn’t have much time to prepare. Overall, our Soldiers already knew how to prepare what we needed. At that point, it all came down to muscle memory. They had done things like this before; they were ready.”
During the operation, the Soldiers used blank rounds to provide realistic feedback during this force on force exercise. The Soldiers from Bravo Company moved from the tree line to clear buildings from the east while elements of Alpha Company assaulted the buildings from the north. Task Force Bulldog steadily push the simulated enemy elements out of their defended positions while in search of a simulated high-value target. Once the opposition had been eliminated and the simulated hostage secured, they practiced their medical care training, treating the wounded, and calling for medical evacuation until the end of the exercise.
To Capt. John Bergman and the rest of the battalion’s leaders, Task Force Bulldog’s success confirmed his company’s alert and recall status is ready enough for any fight.