Photo By Amabilia Payen | Sgt. Russell Campbell, infantryman with Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 113th Infantry...... read more read more
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FORT BLISS, Texas - Soldiers in the U.S. Army are given a Military Occupational Specialty that determines what they will be doing in their Army career. Yet, every now and then, there is a time when Soldiers are required to train on something different to meet the needs of the Army.
Such is the case with Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 113th Infantry Regiment, New Jersey Army National Guard. They deployed on September 22 from the Silas L. Copeland Arrival/Departure Air Control Group and are carrying their guidon into the theater of operations as a security force, not as an infantry company.
“It is an interesting deployment because we are partnering with the Navy,” said Capt. Patrick Moore, A Company commander. “We are also partnering with other tenant units from Fort Bliss as well.”
A Company, 2-113th Inf. Reg. underwent security training at McGregor Range, New Mexico, learning the same skills and tasks that their Naval counterparts are currently doing in the middle east. Due to the new tasks, the company’s mobilization training took more than the usual 30 days timeframe.
However, the majority of the leadership conducted a similar mission in their past experience, which made this training simply a refresher for them. One Soldier with A Co., 2-113th Inf. Reg. is skilled and experienced in security, but this will be his first time deploying as a squad leader. Sgt. Russell Campbell, from Phillipsburg, New Jersey, says that being the oldest out of seven brothers in his family, will contribute to his leadership skills for his Soldiers.
“I look at my squad as my little brothers, and I ask myself, ‘What can I do to take care of my little brothers,’” said Campbell. “I’m very confident in this role.”
Campbell claims to tell his troops that he knows how it feels to go into a mission that is different from your MOS.
“We ran into the same situation the last deployment,” said Campbell, “but, they always say every good infantryman always learns to adapt and overcome, and that’s the key to life everyday, doing what we do. These guys are young and eager and this will be a good experience for them.”
Campbell compliments the service that the Directorate of Mobilization and Deployment provided the unit. So does Moore, who was impressed with the detailed Soldier care.
“It’s been great,” said Moore. “We were able to do a lot of coordination with DoMaD in advance before coming here. Everyone was able to accommodate what I needed as a commander and it wasn’t an experience where they just push you out the gate. Very customer service oriented.”
A Company, 2-113th Inf. Reg. is scheduled to return to Fort Bliss approximately a year after this mission is complete.
| Date Taken: | 09.22.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 10.07.2014 10:51 |
| Story ID: | 144481 |
| Location: | FORT BLISS, TEXAS, US |
| Hometown: | FORT BLISS, TEXAS, US |
| Hometown: | PHILLIPSBURG, NEW JERSEY, US |
| Web Views: | 2,456 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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