Photo By Spc. Mark Bowman | Ivy Soldiers assigned to the 4th Infantry Division carry equipment down the side of a...... read more read more
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FORT CARSON, Colo. — The 4th Infantry Division held its themed physical training event involving over 12,000 Ivy Soldiers from across the division and Fort Carson, June 14, 2024.
The theme of this event was the 4th Infantry Division’s participation in Operation Overlord. On June 6, 1944, better known as D-Day, Soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division stormed Utah Beach which began the U.S. participation in liberating occupied France from the Axis Powers.
“This event commemorates those heroes,” said Maj. Gen. David S. Doyle, commanding general of the 4th Infantry Division and Fort Carson. “Those individuals who stormed Utah Beach went through artillery, went through machine gun fire, went through obstacles, and liberated towns like Saint Mère-Église, Saint Marie-du-Mont, Picauville, Quinéville, and Montebourg.”
Ivy Soldiers scrimmaged through obstacles that simulated D-Day’s environmental conditions including rocky terrain, barbed wire, makeshift anti-tank barriers, a steep trench, and a container wall to climb over.
“The course was phenomenal,” said Lt. Col. Nathan Platz, commander of the 704th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. “It was a great way to commemorate the great history of this division.”
The anti-tank barriers were the most prominent obstacle that the Ivy Soldiers, who stormed Utah Beach, encountered before climbing the bulkhead to suppress the enemy.
Though the event recognizes a historical moment from the 4th Infantry Division history, participation at the event wasn’t just limited to the division’s Soldiers. Tenant units included the 4th Engineer Battalion, the 71st Ordnance Group, the 627th Hospital Center, and the 759th Military Police Battalion.
This year’s winner of the event was the 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, winning the 4th Infantry Division’s Champions Belt.
“Those Soldiers who took Utah Beach inspire us to do things like this,” said Doyle. “We have to be strong. We have to be ready. We have to be fit. This is what's happening today. This is about making lethal teams. It's about understanding what your body can do and how you can work together — how we're going to function on a modern battlefield.”
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| Date Taken: | 06.14.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 06.14.2024 17:44 |
| Story ID: | 474067 |
| Location: | FORT CARSON, COLORADO, US |
| Web Views: | 262 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Ivy Soldiers Triumph in D-Day Themed Physical Training Exercise, by PFC Jonathan Reyes, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
Fort Carson
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