4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division offload at rail head station

Photo By Sgt. Victor Ayala | Spc Jacob P. Wilbur, a Soldier with A Co., 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, installs MILES gear onto a Stryker vehicle during the brigade's rotation through Fort Polk's Joint Readiness Training Center, June 10. The Military Integrated Laser Engagement System is a training system much like laser tag, which the brigade will use throughout its training at JRTC.  

FORT POLK, UNITED STATES

06.12.2009

Story by Pfc. Victor Ayala 

49th Public Affairs Detachment   

FORT POLK, La. - Hot steel tracks, the unforgiving Louisiana sun and the dull roar of engines sum up the experience some Soldiers with the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, have enjoyed since offloading began at Fort Polk's rail head station on June 3.

Since their arrival from Fort Lewis, Wash., Soldiers with the brigade have been offloading vehicles from train cars and preparing them for the month-long rotation through Ft. Polk's Joint Readiness Training Center, the center that will prepare the Soldiers for their upcoming Iraq deployment by immersing them in a simulated combat environment.

In addition to nearly 100 Stryker vehicles, the brigade brought with it a large number of other tactical vehicles, all of which had to be specially prepared for the training. From the Stryker to the smaller Humvees, Soldiers with the brigade guided the vehicles along narrow train cars and delivered them to the bays where they were inspected. Once inspected, Soldiers outfitted them with the Military Integrated Laser Engagement System.

The MILES is a system that places laser receivers along the surface of a vehicle and responds once a laser strikes the face of one of the receivers. Improvised explosive devices and rocket propelled grenades are just a couple of threats the MILES can simulate.

For Spc. Alois Peter, a gunner with B Troop, 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 4th SBCT, 2 ID, the MILES gear is a new training tool. While he is unfamiliar with the technology, he is optimistic about its contribution to the training to come.

"I went straight from basic to Iraq, so I'd personally never used it, but it'll be good for general training," Peter said, "It'll help us train against [rocket-propelled grenade] attacks and [improvised explosive devices]. It'll also help us train for concealing and positioning our vehicles for security. That's definitely something we need because we have a lot of new guys straight out of basic training."

The MILES will alert Soldiers if their vehicles are 'damaged' by notional weapons during their training.

"It'll give direct feed-back, letting us know if we get hit. Instead of someone saying, 'Hey pal, you got hit', we'll see the lights and know we got hit and ask, 'What can we do to fix this?'" said Sgt. Adam D. Bush, a squad leader in B Troop, 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry, 4th SBCT.

The offloading and outfitting of the vehicles is expected to continue through June 13. Sgt. 1st Class Don Oakes, non-commissioned officer in charge of inbound rail operations for the brigade, says the operation so far has been smooth and is confident it will continue that way. Once the mission there is done, the training will begin, and Oakes is looking forward to the overall experience.

"This is our culminating event before our deployment to Iraq. There are some good live-fire exercises planned and five to six days of force-on-force training," he said. "It should be fun."

• Date Taken: 06.12.2009
• Date Posted: 06.12.2009 17:54
• Story ID: 34986
• Location: FORT POLK, US