Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Zane Craig | Gen. Joseph Lengyel, chief, National Guard Bureau, and Comand Sgt. Maj. Christopher...... read more read more
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FORT IRWIN, Calif. – Gen. Joseph Lengyel, chief, National Guard Bureau, promoted Spc. Kevin Washington, a forward observer with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania Army National Guard, in the field Aug. 7 during rotation 18-09 at the National Training Center here.
Lengyel and his senior enlisted advisor, Command Sgt. Maj. Christopher Kepner, circulated the simulated battlefield to observe the 56th SBCT’s rotation at NTC and meet the Soldiers operating in the austere desert conditions.
“It feels really good to be promoted like this,” said Washington, a Chichester, Pa. native who has been in the Pennsylvania National Guard three years.
Washington said the severe heat, blinding sun and whipping dust are bearable, but frequently setting up and tearing down the Tactical Operations Center (TOC) to stay ahead of the opposing force, is tiring.
Soldiers with the 56th SBCT put in many extra days of training at the squad, platoon and company levels in preparation for this culminating training exercise and evaluation of readiness at NTC.
“I feel confident in my team, that we’re doing a good job,” said Washington, reflecting how the extra training has paid off here. “We track the fight on the computer system, the friendlies, enemies, targets, fire support coordination measures, phase lines, so really the whole battlefield picture.”
Washington is currently making use of Pennsylvania National Guard benefits to study information technology and computer science at Delaware County Community College.
“So it helps that I’m on a computer system here and we’ve also been learning networking and how to set up networks between the other units, so I’m getting a lot of actual experience.”
| Date Taken: | 08.09.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 08.09.2018 20:25 |
| Story ID: | 288117 |
| Location: | FORT IRWIN, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 334 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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