Soldiers with Company C, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, take cover after exiting a Stryker during a live-fire exercise on Fort Carson Oct. 26, 2016. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Nancy Lugo)
By Staff Sgt. Nancy Lugo
1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office, 4th Infantry Division
A Stryker comes to a halt, dust billows over the vehicle as the ramp drops and Soldiers exit, making their way to a nearby dry riverbed.
Smoke erupts after Soldiers with the 299th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, clear the breach during a live-fire exercise on Fort Carson Oct. 26, 2016. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Nancy Lugo)
Soldiers from 2nd Battalion 23rd Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, surrounded an area of interest moving from low ground to high ground and fighting off an enemy to take the objective during a live-fire exercise Oct. 26, 2016, on Fort Carson.
“Some of these kids have never been downrange — never been in a real combat situation,” said 1st Sgt. Steven Adams, Company C, 2nd Bn., 23rd Inf. Reg. “It is important for us to make training as realistic as we possibly can so when they get on that two-way range (and are receiving enemy fire) on the battlefield, this is second nature.
“If we can identify the mistakes here … and we can fix those problems here, we can increase our lethality, which is the overall intent.”
As Soldiers moved through the dry riverbed, engineers used C-4 explosive to remove an obstacle, clearing the way for the platoon.
Company C, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Soldiers clear a dry riverbed during a live-fire exercise on Fort Carson Oct. 26, 2016. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Nancy Lugo)
“This is giving platoon leaders the repetition of maneuvering their platoon as well as integrating assets so that they can learn echelon of fires in order to move their vehicles and personnel up to an objective, clear it and also provide a screen element to push out recon in front of a larger element,” said Capt. William Dormer, assistant operations officer, 2nd Bn., 23rd Inf. Reg.
Platoon leaders had an unmanned aircraft system video feed, engineers and 60 mm and 120 mm mortars to help them get to and clear the objective.
“They are doing really well,” he said. “We have a few younger platoon leaders who are learning a lot. This is more assets than I ever got as a platoon leader. It is good to see them learn how to integrate all that and get the reps, both with fires using engineers and how to properly provide security for those engineers. It allows them to give additional assistance in our breach.”
Each platoon ran through the scenario with a dry fire, a blank fire and a live fire, giving each team member time to perfect his job.
Pvt. Christen McCullough, machine gunner, Company C, 2nd Bn., 23rd Inf. Reg., said the training prepared him for moving in his gear through mountainous terrain with his M240B machine gun as well as providing a clearer picture of what his role is in his squad.
“We have to always be trained to do the right thing the first time,” he said.
Soldiers with Company C, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, exit a Stryker during a live-fire exercise on Fort Carson Oct. 26, 2016. The training provided platoon leaders the repetition of maneuvering their platoon and integrating assets in order to move vehicles and personnel to an objective, clear it and provide a screen element to push out recon in front of a larger element. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Nancy Lugo)