Fort Campbell, Ky.- The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) conducted Rail Load Training at Fort Campbell, Ky. April 23, 2026. Rail Load Training is where units move vehicles onto rail cars and tie them down in preparation for deployment. “The purpose of this training is to give the soldiers hands-on training for railroad operations, to not only improve their knowledge, but to improve their Command Deployment Discipline Program,” said Master Sgt. Eric Pettengill, Operations NCO in Division Sustainment Brigade (DSB). This training gives units the autonomy to move equipment on their own without having to rely on contractors. It’s not often that soldiers get to work on trains and it was Pettengill's soldiers first time teaching the class. “We used to have movement control teams for our MOS then the Army got rid of a lot of them, so it’s very less that we’re working on them, but something we’re trying at the DSB is establish Eagle Deployment Teams to help the loss of the Movement Control Teams and for us to be proficient in our jobs and help the division with deployment or redeployment operations,” said Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Zackowski, Senior Movement Officer for DSB. The training consisted of going over hand-arm signals, inspecting the rail car for damage, ground guiding the vehicles on and off the rail car, and tying the vehicles down to the rail car. Safety is paramount when conducting this training as accidents can happen if individuals are not careful. “I think it’s important because you have to check your equipment, check what’s right, check what’s wrong, so you can be sure that when you get to where you’re supposed to get everything is done,” said Spc. Julissa Madrano, Transportation Coordinator for Division Sustainment Brigade. The Division Sustainment Brigade will be conducting more Rail Load Training and also Air Load Training for the next couple of weeks in order to ensure the 101st Airborne Division is always ready for the next fight.