Photo By Staff Sgt. Aven Santiago | Sgt. John Doran, military police officer, 323rd Military Police Company, conducts fast...... read more read more
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ALPENA, Mich.–During Exercise Northern Strike, members of the 323rd Military Police Company had the unique opportunity to train with Company B, 2nd Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne), in a variety of different tactical operations and environments. One such operation was the Fast Rope Insertion and Extraction System.
Implemented by specially trained individuals across the U.S. Army, FRIES is a technique used to insert and extract Soldiers from a hovering helicopter into environments that would otherwise be inaccessible. With this technique, Soldiers can get into and out of objectives rapidly, increasing overall lethality and effectiveness.
“FRIES gets your Soldiers out quicker and they’re able to assault the objective while on the objective,” said a special operator with Company B. “It also serves as an infiltration platform for forested areas and for mountains; areas where Airborne operations aren’t suitable.”
Soldiers from the 323rd trained, practiced and executed FRIES scenarios under the supervision of Company B, gaining real-world knowledge and best practices from the special operators.
“To see my Soldiers go through this was amazing,” said Sgt. John Duran, military police officer with the 323rd. “It’s excellent to see not only myself but them and others get the opportunity to go out there and work with the best of the best.”
Alongside Duran, 2nd Lt. Kyle Funk and Spc. Aden Hoffmeister, both military police officers with the 323rd, underwent the training and practical exercise due to their air assault qualifications. Air assault training also focuses on rope-based insertion and extraction techniques.
“It’s intense; it feels intense,” said Hoffmeister. “It’s a little nerve wracking at first, but after you do it a couple of times, you get the hang of it. You realize, yeah, I’m capable.”
With this training and partnership, 323rd Soldiers will move forward, not only more effectively and ready to face new challenges, but with a unique experience few in the Army know.
“It’s amazing; it’s an experience of a lifetime,” said Funk. “You always want to see your lower enlisted and noncommissioned officers get the opportunities to do things that a lot of other people wouldn’t get to do.”
| Date Taken: | 08.13.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.22.2024 16:32 |
| Story ID: | 478975 |
| Location: | ALPENA, MICHIGAN, US |
| Web Views: | 92 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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