Photo By Sgt. Thomas Scaggs | A Company, 3-10 General Support Aviation Battalion's CH-47 Chinook helicopter prepares...... read more read more
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FORT DRUM, N.Y. -- The 10th Combat Aviation Brigade completed its iteration of 10th Mountain Division (LI)'s annual Mountain Peak exercise at Fort Drum on Tuesday, braving the North Country's first bouts of cold weather and a long stretch of rain.
The exercise included joint training with the visiting 101st Combat Aviation Brigade from Fort Campbell, Ky., and infantry, cavalry and field artillery assets from 2nd Brigade Combat Team, offering Soldiers the ability to gain unparalleled professional development and a taste of being in a deployed combat environment.
"There was no single standout moment during this exercise -- we grew as a team every day and every night," said Col. Clair A. Gill, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade commander. "We are a different unit than just 10 days ago, and our increased readiness reflects it. We have definitely shown that the CAB gives our BCTs that critical overmatch to fit and win in any environment, as demonstrated by the air-assaults that started and ended this great training event."
Gill explained that the fast-paced exercise, coupled with real-world and training contingencies, required 10th CAB to adapt quickly.
In one example, weather affected communications systems and forced the battalions and brigade to create analog duplicates of mission information. By having reliable backups, Gill said, the mission can go on even when technology fails.
Knowledge didn't always come the hard way during Mountain Peak. Experts from the U.S. Army Joint Readiness Training Center's Alpha Team, specializing in aviation, came from Fort Polk, La., to observe and offer their advice throughout the exercise.
"I would be remiss if we didn't acknowledge the phenomenal professionalism of our coaches and trainers from JRTC's Alpha Team," Gill said. "Lt. Col. Linn Desaulniers' team was an absolute game-changer for us."
Enlisted Soldiers received some high marks from the commander as well. "Strikers," as Gill called them, are individuals who see a problem, are proactive about finding a solution, and then boldly attack it.
Gill also credited noncommissioned officers' attention to detail in ensuring Soldiers' safety.
By inspecting equipment before going out in the field, checking Soldiers' feet after a wet day, or coordinating schedules and messages, NCOs contributed to the exercise's overall success.
"The main thing I learned at Mountain Peak was how to use systems that I haven't touched before because I've yet to deploy," said Spc. Joshua Fuhrman, an intelligence analyst at Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade. "I also learned the importance of communicating with the other sections for mission success."
Mountain Peak offered 10th CAB the ability to ceaselessly practice and hone their skills, adding to the brigade's readiness for the future.
"There was never a rest, even when the rain and cold came, yet the brigade excelled at all times," said Command Sgt. Maj. Steven DiGeorgio. "(The) 10th CAB is a team of teams and would not operate in such a highly efficient manner without all the Soldiers giving their maximum effort."
| Date Taken: | 10.27.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 05.09.2017 10:28 |
| Story ID: | 233133 |
| Location: | FORT DRUM, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 63 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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