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Blackanthem Military News
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Last Updated:
Jan 5, 2009 - 8:24:33 PM |
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Blackanthem Military News
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| Following their early morning helocast, Soldiers emerge from the ocean and run up the beach to a rally point where teams of approximately nine secured a zodiac boat for transport to a waterway 300 meters away during "Mungadai" training at Bellows Air Force Station, Nov. 6. Photo by: Sgt. Mike Alberts, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade Public Affairs |
BELLOWS AIR FORCE STATION, Hawaii - Just a few meters above the ocean, a CH-47 Chinook helicopter creeps across the surface. As daylight illuminates the horizon, one-by-one, Soldiers leap from the rear of the helicopter into the windblown water below and begin their swim to shore. Their mission - rescue a downed pilot in a nearby insurgent village and disrupt their information operations campaign.
Nearly 30 company/ troop and squadron/battalion commanders, led by Col. Mike Lundy, commander, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB), and joined by Maj. Gen. Robert L. Caslen Jr., commanding general, 25th Infantry Division, participated in the 25th CAB's "Mungadai" training at Bellows Air Force Station, Nov. 6.
The term "Mungadai's" origins begin with Genghis Khan and military units of the Mongol Empire during his exploits throughout central and northeast Asia. Khan used the "Mungadai" as a tool to test potential leaders by linking physical and combat readiness forcing them to perform under extreme duress. Khan's Mungadai-tested warriors were rumored to be the elite military units within the Mongolian Empire's army.
The 25th CAB has used "Mungadai" training as part of the brigade commander's leader training program for some time, and has already conducted about 10 of these grueling events including reflexive firing, stress shooting, air assaults and combat life-saving techniques, all under simulated battlefield conditions. Previous "Mungadai" events were held for company and field-grade officers, senior warrant officers and NCOs, and even to host the Division's battalion and brigade commanders in support of the Division's Green Tab PT.
"This is one of a series of leader professional development events," said Lundy. "The intent was to link physical readiness with combat readiness while providing me an opportunity to get out with all the company commanders and test their mettle."
This intense series of training events began in the early morning hours at Wheeler Army Airfield where Soldiers received their mission brief and conducted rehearsals. They then loaded a Chinook in three teams of nine and were transported to Bellows Air Force Station where each Soldier's mettle was immediately tested with a helocast into the ocean off of Bellows Beach. A helocast is a method of insertion used to position a small number of troops into an operational area by water.
Once in the Pacific, Soldiers swam 400 meters to shore, sprinted to a rally point to their team's Zodiac boat and linked up with a concerned local citizen who assisted each team through the remainder of the event. The need for cohesive teams could not be overstated.
Teams moved by ground, carrying their Zodiacs to an inland waterway 300 meters from the pick-up location. Once at the river, each team paddled upstream 1,300 meters. After disembarking, Soldiers continued by foot to a cache point where they prepared for their assault on an insurgent village more than 1,000 meters away.
Each team conducted their tactical assault of the insurgent strong point, which consisted of a series of freestanding structures, rescued the downed pilot under heavy resistance and finally moved the casualty by litter to helicopter over 1,000 meters away.
"This gave me a great opportunity to do some team building with all 25 of my company commanders and the four battalion commanders," said Lundy. "And at the same time, demonstrate the direct linkage of physical readiness with combat readiness while forcing them to make some decisions under stress. That was the intent of the training."
By all accounts, the training objective was achieved.
"It was a challenge physically and mentally," said Capt. Scott Wyatt, A Co., 209th Aviation Support Battalion, 25th CAB. "But the exercise was also important to show that all our leaders are physically fit and can go out and do anything asked of us," he explained.
Capt. James Pascoe, Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, 25th CAB, agreed.
"I thought it was really challenging," said Pascoe. "The key thing was physical exhaustion - challenging leaders to make sound decisions and to keep moving forward with the mission despite being physically [tired]," he said.
Pascoe shared his thoughts of the importance of linking physical readiness with combat readiness. "Getting your Soldiers through physical exhaustion, especially [a unit's] leadership, to ensure that they all can make those decisions is key for operating at [the National Training Center] or on a deployment," he emphasized.
ADDITIONAL PHOTOS;
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| A team of officers navigate their zodiac up an inland waterway approximately 1,300 meters after their 400-meter swim and 300-meter zodiac carry as part of the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade's "Mungadai" training held at Bellows Air Force Station, Nov. 6. Photo by: Sgt. Mike Alberts, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade Public Affairs |
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| A team of officers navigate their zodiac up an inland waterway approximately 1,300 meters after a 400-meter swim and 300-meter zodiac carry as part of the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade's "Mungadai" training at Bellows Air Force Station, Nov. 6. |
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| A team of Soldiers, led by Maj. Gen. Robert L. Caslen Jr. (pictured second from right), commanding general, 25th Infantry Division, stack and prepare to clear a building at an insurgent stronghold as part of the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade's "Mungadai" training event conducted at Bellows Air Force Station, Nov. 6. Photo by: Sgt. Mike Alberts, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade Public Affairs |
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| A Soldier moves tactically to cover during an assault on an insurgent village as part of the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade's "Mungadai" training at Bellows Air Force Station, Nov. 6. Photo by: Sgt. Mike Alberts, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade Public Affairs |
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| A Soldier prepares to engage the enemy during an assault on an insurgent village as part of the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade's "Mungadai" training at Bellows Air Force Station, Nov. 6. Photo by: Sgt. Mike Alberts, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade Public Affairs |
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| A CH-47D Chinook helicopter, flown by pilots from the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB), races across the Pacific Ocean at Bellows Air Force Station, Nov. 6. The helicopter inserted Soldiers during a helocast as part of the 25th CAB's "Mungadai" training. Photo By: Staff Sgt. Tyrone C. Marshall Jr. 25th Combat Aviation Brigade Public Affairs |
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| Leaders from the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, and Maj. Gen. Robert Caslen Jr., commanding general, 25th Infantry Division, conduct a helocast during the brigade's "Mungadai" training at Bellows Air Force Station, Nov. 6. Photo by: Staff Sgt. Tyrone C. Marshall Jr., 25th Combat Aviation Brigade Public Affairs |
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| Soldiers from the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB), prepare to conduct a helocast from the back of a CH-47D Chinook helicopter during a grueling "Mungadai" training event at Bellows Air Force Station, Nov. 6. The training, designed to push leaders under stressful conditions, challenged both the "Wings of Lightning" Brigade leadership and Maj. Gen. Robert L. Caslen Jr., commanding general, 25th Infantry Division, as they conducted operations during periods of exhaustion and fatigue. Photo by: Staff Sgt. Tyrone C. Marshall Jr., 25th Combat Aviation Brigade Public Affairs |
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