Photo By Sgt. Joe Padula | These Soldiers from 3rd Platoon, Company B, 2nd Battalion 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd...... read more read more
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FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — Combat is the last place to do something for the first time. Being prepared for battle will save time, avoid unwanted stress and most importantly, save lives. Combat readiness is a condition units obtain after many demanding, back-breaking months of becoming organized and designing efficient teams, squads and platoons. These unit-sized factions need to be ready for any type of conflict thrown their way. The most effective way to achieve combat readiness is through realistic training.
Soldiers with Company B, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), are on a quest to build stronger elements through realistic combat training.
"What we have done is set up either Afghanistan or Iraq, right here in the back 40 of Fort Campbell," said 1st Sgt. George Fitzke Jr. the company first sergeant.
Fitzke believes by making all training as realistic as possible creates effective, tactical Soldiers.
"You can have all of the tools you want, but unless a Soldier knows which tools to use for which tasks while under fire, all the tools mean nothing," said Fitzke. "Realistic training is getting Soldiers to apply the right tools or tactics to the right situations while reacting to contact."
A way 3rd Platoon trains for reality is with combat training gear called Digital Infrared Timing Simulator, better known as DITS. This newest form of non-lethal, force-on-force training equipment uses lasers and blank cartridges to simulate actual battle.
Soldiers wear small laser receivers over the body from the legs up to the helmet and detects when a Soldier has been hit by an opposing laser. An actual computer enhanced voice will say exactly what and where the wound is. The laser is designed to accurately imitate the effective range of the weapon on which it is used.
"DITS is accurate; it is light in weight, does not cause discomfort like its predecessor did, and it helps make the training more real," said Staff Sgt. Ronald King, the platoon sergeant.
The squads need to see what a situation would be like if a member of their team or even they themselves become wounded while engaged and this is something DITS can provide, said King.
During a route clearing mission, they came into contact with the enemy and a leader fell. The system reported the casualty to be dead.
"Realistic training will have team leaders go down so we train and prepare our guys for that situation," said 1st Lt. Adam Devereux, 3rd Platoon's platoon leader. "Everyone in this platoon will know their job as well as one level higher, for that exact situation."
By putting casualties with specific wounds in play during combat training, Soldiers then have to properly assess injuries and care for them as needed and not just go through the motions of padding down a body and throwing on a tourniquet. Different types of injuries demand different methods of care. One of the casualties during the training needed to be medically evacuated.
While taking fire from the enemy, tactical field care was preformed on one of the casualties and the assessment called for a medical evacuation.
They sent in a 9-line MEDEVAC request and an actual ambulatory evacuation arrived at the location.
"In order to keep the realism, we train with our medics too," said Fitzke.
The medics receive the request while at the base, use their navigation skills to locate the pick-up site and successfully transport and care for casualties.
"Say we're out on a route clearing mission and something goes wrong. We're training for that also; we need to be prepared for the real situations that can occur," said Fitzke.
This company is focused on combat readiness and prepared for action when ever called upon, especially at the squad level.
"Platoons and its squads are going to see the most action so training in its realist form while still at home will help develop action-ready platoon and team leaders," said Capt. David Yu, the company commander of Company B.
In reality, the company commander and first sergeant can not always be on the ground with their squads at all times; they aren't always going to be there to correct everything.
"Fixing mistakes while in training is better than fixing mistakes while in combat, and that is why we train like this." said Yu.
Long road marches and dismounted patrols are very much a deployment-like situation whether in Iraq or Afghanistan. Third Platoon prepares for such hardships through constant foot marches, with some well over 15-miles.
During deployment, patrolling in vehicles is not always an option. An actual air assault operation could be miles away from the combat zone.
"We have to be ready to walk-out to the mission, complete the task and make it back, and with that comes realistic training, like long road marches in full gear," Yu said. "It will be rigorous out there, so they'll be ready for it."
"If they go over there and have to patrol 12-miles and never done it before, then they don't know if they can," said Fitzke. "We do this in training so they are physically as well as mentally ready for the mission. Once you believe you can do something, you're going to do it and that's what builds faith in a team."
Building confidence within a team may be the greatest result when training as realistic as possible. With real training comes real sweat.
"The more a team sweats together, the better the cohesion becomes and the harder and life-like the training is, the thicker the bond," said Spc. Stephen Donovan, a team leader with the platoon.
"All day training and then to come back walking for miles will get us ready for deployment," said Donovan, a previously deployed infantryman.
Teams and squads are labeled the "tip-of-the-spear" and considered the most important part of an infantry regiment. They are the ones making the first and quickest decisions on the battle field. Realistic training of teams and squads is a sure way to sharpen the "tip-of-the-spear" and ensure their safe return upon completion of the mission.
"We are an infantry regiment with the 101st Airborne Division, we have to be ready to handle rigorous tasks," said Yu.
| Date Taken: | 08.19.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 08.19.2009 19:28 |
| Story ID: | 37721 |
| Location: | FORT CAMPBELL, US |
| Web Views: | 312 |
| Downloads: | 205 |
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