Photo By Sgt. Belynda Faulkner | Staff Sgt. Paul Starr and Spc. Steven Ryder, D Company, 279th Infantry Regiment, 45th...... read more read more
By Sgt. Belynda Faulkner and Spc. Leslie Goble
CAMP SHELBY, Miss. – The 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma National Guard, has been training for deployment at Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center since late March and squad live fire has been a big part of that training.
Squad live fire is covered over a two-day period with day and night scenarios where teams work on communication, reacting to and engaging the enemy, and coming together as a cohesive fighting unit.
The lane works on the crawl, walk, then run training concept. This type of training concept entails going through the entire exercise slowly the first time. This allows Soldiers to learn what they are supposed to do and react accordingly. After the team learns the skills they go through the entire exercise again, only at a faster pace to ensure everyone has their function in that mission correct. The final phase of the training concept moves at combat speed, the team will react and move rapidly. Day one consists of the team working together to accomplish their assigned mission with blank ammunition with day two going to live fire.
Capt. Cortez Pollard, officer in charge of squad live fire, 158th Infantry Brigade, explained the crawl, walk, then run training concept.
“The first part of the training is just going through the motions basically.” Said Pollard “then as each member of the team gets their part down they move faster.”
This training is especially challenging to both the squad and team leaders; they must communicate information using verbal and non-verbal techniques to maneuver their soldiers through the event.
They not only react to indirect and direct fire, but the lane has incorporated some skills that were covered during other training to include clearing buildings, and treating then evacuating a casualty. This allows the training unit to use skills learned in other events and keep that training up to date. This building block training is successful in making a team see a task, react and not have to think about how they are going to accomplish the task.
“Their leadership is involved, they take their training seriously” said Pollard. “They are out there with the troops critiquing and guiding them. Also they are willing to try different tactics to accomplish the mission.”
With the upcoming 45th IBCT mission in Afghanistan, this type of training not only allows soldiers more hands-on time with their personal weapon, it allows squad and team leaders to evaluate where their soldiers’ training needs to be focused. All soldiers have different skills – squad leaders must evaluate their soldiers skill set and plan additional training to ensure that everyone is able to perform the duties required of them in a combat environment.
Spc. Steven Ryder, infantryman, D Company, 279th Infantry Regiment, 45th IBCT, thought the pace set on the range and the two-day training model made the training easier.
“The dry run gave us a chance to make needed corrections,” said Ryder, “by the time we did the live fire portion we were at 100 percent with no problems.”
Staff Sgt. Paul Starr, infantryman, D Company, 279th Infantry Regiment, 45th IBCT thought the squad live-fire lane was good training for the mission they have been given.
“For the purpose of the mission the training was right on target.” Then Starr added with a smile “but as infantrymen we do like more engagements.”
The 177th Armored Brigade trains, coaches and mentors soldiers, airmen and sailors in support of our nation’s overseas contingency operations. The majority of the work at the 177th is with mobilized Army reserve component forces, although they also train active forces. The brigade is stationed at Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center at Camp Shelby, Miss., which is the largest and most active mobilization training center in the U.S. Army.
| Date Taken: | 04.29.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 04.29.2011 17:05 |
| Story ID: | 69596 |
| Location: | CAMP SHELBY, MISSISSIPPI, US |
| Web Views: | 255 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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