Photo By Alexandra Shea | A Trooper assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment fires a .50-caliber machine...... read more read more
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PABRADE, Lithuania – The Pabrade Training Area in Lithuania was silent. The snow-covered ground glittered as the sun slowly rose over the tall pine trees surrounding the training area. A sudden boom followed closely by a short burst of rat-tat-tat from an Abrams tank broke the silence and rang in the start of 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment’s section gunnery Jan. 21, 2021.
“Designate tank,” Staff Sgt. Wyatt Uitich, an Alpha “Animal” Company tank commander, voice crackled over the Abrams’s internal communication system. “Fire.”
“On the way,” his gunner replied.
Uitich and his tank crew were one of about 20 crews who participated in the regiment’s three-day section gunnery. The event is designed to test the skills and lethality of heavy armored units under battlefield conditions.
“This gunnery shows the lethality between the two tanks of the section and the coordination of the tank section,” said Staff Sgt. Delon Williams, Bravo “Eager Arms” Company tank commander. “It gives the section sergeant a vision or field of view to conduct battlefield operations.”
Notional enemy targets are observed in the area by range tower staff and relayed by radio to two tanks occupying the range. The tank section’s turrets swing left and right as they scan their engagement areas and radio back to inform the tower once notional enemy vehicles are spotted.
The scenarios produce several outcomes each section is prepared to handle including receiving enemy fire, notional injuries requiring a nine-line medical evacuation request and a call for fire from mortar sections ready to support from their tree-obscured location.
Though Abrams sections were first to run the gambit of notional enemy invasions, the Bradley Fighting Vehicle and mortar sections each took a turn to prove their battlefield proficiencies.
“The Bradley is used for a number of things such as scouting and for infantry dismounts,” said Staff Sgt. Nathan Bagley, a Bradley Fighting Vehicle platoon sergeant assigned to Charlie “Cobra” Company. “The Bradley and Abrams fit together well on the battlefield through mutual support. We complement each other.”
Each section demonstrated their ability to operate on a battlefield during daylight and night. 2-8 Cav. Reg. mortarmen supported the gunnery using illumination rounds that, once employed, highlight the silhouettes of enemy vehicles by flooding large sections of the range with white light.
“Gunnery proves you can shoot and kill on these weapon platforms,” Bagley said. “Personally, I think Cobra’s Red Platoon is the best platoon in the battalion.”
Bagley is one of several leaders who expressed pride for their section and crews.
“My crew are a great set of guys,” Williams said. “My crew got the top section in the company for the gunnery.”
With gunnery complete, 2-8 Cav. Reg. can move forward with future multinational training events with Lithuanian, NATO-enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup Lithuania and other NATO allied and partner forces.
Williams summed up the gunnery by saying, “This is a chance to get back to standards before we move on to other training.”
| Date Taken: | 01.22.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 01.28.2021 02:38 |
| Story ID: | 387710 |
| Location: | PABRADE, LT |
| Hometown: | FORT CAVAZOS, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 272 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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