Photo By Sgt. Salvador Castro | 10th Mountain Division Soldiers trek through the snow dragging an Ahkio sled at...... read more read more
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Boots thump against the icy roads as Soldiers from across the 10th Mountain Division and Fort Drum conduct the D-Series XXIV exercise Jan. 18-19, honoring the legacy of the division’s forefathers, who participated in an exercise of the same name 80 years ago.
The original D-Series was held in 1944, in which the newly created 10th Mountain Division faced a month-long exercise that tested and refined the unit’s ability to survive in austere environments and honed skills necessary for their alpine mission set in the mountains of Italy during World War II. The current version of D-Series is an annual exercise that pushes the limits of 10th Mountain Division Soldiers and their mastery of warrior tasks and drills, alpine maneuverability and survivability, and mental and physical toughness in a competition where only one team can come out on top.
“As we continue to build out our ability to operate in alpine environments, we’ve also been looking to introduce a more challenging training event that also links the legacy of the Soldiers who served in World War II and the exercise they conducted then to today,” said Maj. Samuel Colby, 10th Mountain Division special operation forces planner.
The 243 Soldiers who competed in the event faced the challenges of establishing shelters capable of surviving in below-freezing temperatures, conducting rappelling maneuvers, using mountaineering equipment to properly move essential gear, and using Ahkio sleds and litters to conduct casualty evacuation and care, all while rucking between each event.
“In addition to the basic shoot, move, communicate, medicate tasks, we need Soldiers not just surviving, but thriving in alpine environments,” Colby said. “They’re going to become confident that they can start a fire, they are going to become confident in their ability to move their wounded in the environments we need to be able to perform in, they’re going to become confident in their ability to make decisions at their level that help win the fight.”
The legacy of the original 10th Mountain Division Soldiers and what they accomplished has grown beyond the division itself. Other units from across the installation, such as the 91st Military Police Battalion, also participated in commemorating the achievements of the division’s ancestors.
“I feel that we’re mentally prepared for this, and fully invested in the challenges ahead of us and what this event as a whole represents,” said Staff Sgt. John Long, a military policeman and the competing squad leader from the 563rd MP Company, 91st MP Battalion.
“This isn’t just us. We’re continuing to build onto the 10th Mountain peak,” Long said. “It is an honor that we were selected to represent and compete for the 91st MP Battalion and a privilege that we get to help build into the 10th Mountain Division’s history.”
However, the teams participating in the event weren’t the only Soldiers needed to actualize D-Series XXIV, as every unit that participated was instrumental. These units facilitated every detail behind the scenes that made the event possible.
“Soldiers don’t fight alone; we move in packs, we rely on each other,” Colby said. “In order to get everyone out the door this morning, I needed truck drivers from our Sustainment Brigade, I needed people to provide proper rations, I needed units to adequately equip our competitors, and nothing would have been possible to accomplish without the cohesion we have and aim to build upon.”
Ultimately, cohesion, discipline, and motivation carried the team representing 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, to victory.
“Always winning, all the time, that’s our mindset coming into this,” said Staff Sgt. Ethan Kammer, a section chief from 3rd Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Regiment, and leader of the winning team. “We talked about winning every day during our train-up, and it’s great to see it come to fruition after a rough 24 hours.”
Kammer and his team spent their time preparing for D-Series by building bonds and mentally and physically improving themselves, to ensure their success. Kammer said he believes that because of their commitment to winning and to each other, they were able to make their goals a reality.
“We started running every day, we started working out at lunch, we started working out after work, and we held each other accountable,” he said. “It brought us closer together; we’re like brothers now.”
Kammer and the rest of his team will go on to represent the division during this year’s Mountain Legacy Days next month in Vail, Colorado, where they will receive training to further develop their alpine capabilities and engage with the community about the importance of the legacy of the 10th Mountain Division.
“Being able to go to where our roots are based and be part of that history is an awesome feeling,” Kammer said. “We’re ready to get to Colorado and get on the skis and experience what they [the original 10th Mountain Division Soldiers] experienced.”
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| Date Taken: | 01.19.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 01.19.2024 17:41 |
| Story ID: | 462121 |
| Location: | FORT DRUM, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 1,565 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, 10th Mountain Division Conducts D-Series XXIV: Marching in the Footsteps of Their Forefathers, by PFC Kade Bowers, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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