Photo By Sgt. Lyca Williams | U.S. Army tank crew assigned to 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Armored...... read more read more
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U.S. Army Troopers assigned to 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, work alongside 62nd Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade to conduct wet gap crossing at Fort Cavazos, Texas, Nov.18, 2024.
The exercise not only qualified the engineering teams for their bridge and raft operations but also showcased the seamless collaboration between 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team and 62nd Engineering Battalion.
“One, that shows that we can exercise mobility quickly over a wet gap,” said Capt. Garrett Wilke, commander of 43d Multi-Role Bridge Company, 62nd Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade. “Two, it builds confidence for both our soldiers and cavalry soldiers, that they can cross the river with heavy equipment on these particular pontoon bridges.”
The training provided tank units with the opportunity to navigate pontoon bridges, a critical skill for maintaining mobility in combat situations.
“It's rare that tank platoons or any other elements really get good training with engineers to practice how well that crossing would actually go,” said 1st Lt. Brice Merritt, infantry officer assigned to 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. “It's absolutely a good experience for our tank platoon guys to get out here and experience what it's like to actually drive across a bridge and get over on the far side.”
This type of training ensures the Army remains adaptable and capable of overcoming obstacles in diverse environments.
“The wet gap crossing is a really important training for the Army to do,” said Merritt. “If we need to cross a body of water, we need to be able to get our tanks and other vehicles on the other side to get in the fight.”
Realistic, mission-focused exercises like these prepare Soldiers for the challenges they may face.
“There are going to be a lot of situations, if we're in a large scale combat operation environment, fighting overseas, where we would have to cross large bodies of water and get on the other side because there aren't already typically manufactured bridges capable of, holding the weight of a tank, crossing a bridge,” said Merritt.
The Troopers' participation in this training highlights their commitment to readiness and their ability to respond effectively to any mission.
“We're putting in a lot of good training, a lot of hard work, so that we're capable, if we're called upon, to get after it and get across the other side of the river and keep the fight up,” said Merritt.
| Date Taken: | 11.18.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 11.21.2024 02:53 |
| Story ID: | 485770 |
| Location: | TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 7 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Wet Gap Crossing: Building Confidence and Capability in Combat Mobility, by SGT Lyca Williams, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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