Photo By Master Sgt. Anthony Hewitt | A Paratrooper assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry...... read more read more
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CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C., -- More than 500 paratroopers assigned to 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, hunkered down in the vegetation and weapon ranges at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune preparing for a 17-day training event, Feb. 27-March 14.
During the two-week period companies from the battalion branched out over Lejeune's 246-square miles of land, training exclusively in key roles for the unit.
Live-fire exercises
Each platoon from Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie Company conducted day and night live-fire exercises.
Moving in platoon formations across a 200-meter wide range, the paratroopers assaulted four objectives to include bunkers and a trench clearing.
Squad leaders moved their squads fluently over hills and across open spaces.
Team leaders called out fire commands to different weapon systems, suppressing the simulated enemy in an effort to gain ground toward the final limit of advance.
“The volume of fire sounds great,” said Lt. Col. Justin Reese, commander of 1st Bn. 508th PIR. “I think we`re making good decisions out there and team leaders are keeping the platoon in the fight.”
Engineers assigned to the 307th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 3rd BCT, 82nd Abn. Div. were attached to each platoon in order to breach wired obstacles and provide any additional security or firepower.
Reese says paratroopers out here are putting forth great hustle and doing the right thing.
Air Assault
Pilots and crew chiefs assigned to Charlie Troop, 2nd Battalion, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Abn. Div. Provided three UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters for air assault support.
The helicopters enabled Bravo Company with air mobility across the skies of Camp Lejeune and to their training sites.
“It's great to provide this support and training,” said Chief Warrant Officer Two Traci Thomas, a UH-60 pilot assigned to Charlie Tr., 2nd Bn., 82nd CAB. “Our whole mission is to support the ground force commander.”
Thomas says the battalion reached out to us for their support enabling us to train.
“We benefit from learning how to plan and execute picking up troops, flying an air mission with them and then conducting a drop off on time, said Thomas.
“I think it`s really cool that the battalion called and requested us,” said Thomas.
“When we train, we want to train big,” said Reese, when asked about the air assault training.
Heavy weapons
And with big there's also heavy.
Delta Company – the battalion's heavy weapons unit – took part in crew gunnery qualification, section gunnery, and situational training exercises.
Capt. David Quantock Jr., commander of Delta Company, 1st Bn., 508th PIR says these paratroopers are mastering the fundamentals of mounted heavy weapons to support the line companies using machines guns, automatic grenade launchers and remotely operated weapons stations.
Entire tactical vehicles combined with speed, communication and firepower can move as one massive weapon.
Each vehicle is equipped with up to two heavy weapons, a driver, truck commander and gunner.
As targets pop up in the distance, the truck commander relays direction and description to his gunner, only taking seconds before the simulated enemy is destroyed.
"[We have] 16 qualified gunners in every weapon system," said Quantock." I believe heavily in what we`re doing, in order to support the commander's intent."
Fire support
A small open field of green grass was home to the Red Devil Thunder [mortar platoon] for a short time, but during this time, the paratroopers dug in fighting positions maintaining a "gun line."
The platoon was on call day and night from forward observers, in support of indirect fire missions.
“As we`ve worked with the [forward observers] we`ve been utilizing FPF [final protective fire] missions, search and traverse, suppression, and night illumination,” said 1st. Lt. Stephen Murray, a paratrooper assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Bn., 508th PIR as the platoon leader.
Each paratrooper conducted training with the 60mm, 81mm, and 120mm systems.
“Whether it`s a company section or in the mortar platoon. They are all trained in every mortar system and we are able to provide flexibility to the battalion,” said Murray.
Scout snipers
Looking through the scope of a long-range rifle is a paratrooper's single dominant eye.
He slowly inhales and exhales, squeezing the trigger tighter and tighter with each breath.
The rifle fires with little recoil and a sharp crack echoes through the air.
Smoke poofs from the rifles chamber and long muzzle.
The sniper loads another single round.
"We're starting with [a] 100 meter zero, then push back to 300, 500, 800 and [ending with] 1,000 meters," said 1st Lt. Oliver Salman, a paratrooper assigned to HHC, 1st Bn., 508th PIR as the scout platoon leader.
The scouts put their long-range marksmanship to the test.
They were afforded the opportunity to test their abilities in a joint training exercise with the Marine Special Operation Command students.
"We sent a two man sniper team attached to MARSOC for a 24-hour period," said Salman. "They in-filled into a village, set up a hide site and were able to locate and destroy the [simulated] high-value target."
The ‘Fury’ scout platoon is honing their skills as a long-range asset to the battalion commander.
“One of the best things that [snipers] can provide for the battalion is target interdiction,” said Salman. “They can provide over-watch for platoons attacking an objective or set the up with a recon team and look for high-value targets over an extended period of time.”
‘Jumping’ home
While two weeks may have passed and the paratroopers load up to go home to their families, they had one more mission to accomplish en route back to Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
“We have [more than 150] parachutes,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Wayne Lawrence, assigned to 1st Bn., 508th PIR as the battalion command sergeant major. “The best live-fire platoons will jump back into Sicily Drop Zone and the rest of the battalion will air assault. [We will] then culminate it with a small objective on the drop zone.”
The battalion has been through a lot of training during the last year with individual and collective training.
The unit recently completed a training rotation at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana, while attached to 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Abn. Div.
Now as ‘Fury’ settles down for a short time they still have plenty more on their schedule.
Lawrence says we will be afforded 10 days of leave at the end of the month allowing the Soldiers to spend time with their families.
He says we are [preparing] to jump into the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California, where we will conduct our combined arms live-fire exercises.
There, paratroopers will train in the mountainous Mojave Desert.
| Date Taken: | 03.09.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 03.15.2016 13:03 |
| Story ID: | 192430 |
| Location: | CAMP LEJEUNE, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 548 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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