Soldiers with Company B, 1st Battalion 38th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, suppress the “enemy” as another weapons squad bounds forward during a support by fire exercise on Fort Carson June 23, 2016. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Nancy Lugo)
By Staff Sgt. Nancy Lugo
1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office, 4th Infantry Division
Soldiers with Company B, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, conducted a support by fire exercise June 20-24, 2016, to certify their commander’s ability to suppress enemy fire.
“It’s important to do these exercises to build into collective training and to figure out the things that need to be fixed,” said Capt. Andrew Long, commander, Company B, 1st Bn., 38th Inf. Reg., 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. “Our job is to be prepared to deploy tonight with what we have today. In order to do that, we need to be trained on our equipment, (standard operating procedures) and how we fight.”
During the exercise, M249 Squad Automatic Weapon gunners were tasked with engaging targets up to 800 meters away as leaders prioritized targets and controlled the rate of fire.
“We got on line and moved to our three phase lines with our gun teams,” said Pfc. Cody Black, gunner, Company B, 1st Bn., 38th Inf. Reg. “Bounding individually, we suppressed the enemy and moved to our last phase line to set in our support by fire.”
The hail, rain and lightning played an integral role in the training as the gunners had to keep their weapons and ammunition clean, while moving through the course and hail.
“(The training) has made me better in multiple ways (and) the weather situation today teaches you to think in the moment,” said Black.
In the end, the weather was just one more element to the training with Soldiers fighting and suppressing the enemy successfully.
“(Training) is important because these are the weapon systems that create change in the tide of the battle,” said Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Strauch, platoon leader, Company B, 1st Bn., 38th Inf. Reg. “They are the most casualty producing systems and having the ability to employ them safely and accurately saves troops’ lives.”