 U.S. Military
One small step was a live-fire exercise at Fort Dix, N.J., where the company is mobilizing. "This training is awesome," said Spc. Nicholas King, of Mitchell, Ind. "They (First Army Soldiers) gave us good training and plenty of rounds." First Army Soldiers observe and train the Hoosier Soldiers at the more than 7,200-acre Army post. Standing behind dirt-concrete berms, or in Humvee turrets, or in makeshift wooden towers, the Citizen-Soldiers fired their weapons toward targets popping up on a dirt and sandy plain. Using M-4 assault rifles, M-249 Squad Automatic Weapons, and M-2 .50 caliber machine guns, the Soldiers shot thousands of rounds down range. King will deploy with his cousin, Spc. Brandon Johnson, also with the 38th, and a Mitchell resident. Johnson, who has been deployed to Iraq once before, agreed with his cousin about the training and said it is building camaraderie among the troops. "It's similar to how it's going to be overseas," he said. "We're working as a team and getting ready to go." Johnson said that deploying with his cousin is a mixed blessing. "It ain't going to be stressful because my cousin is there with me," he said. "If either one of us get hit, then it will be even more stressful." That probable stress can wait. For another Soldier, stress is not getting steel on target. "I love seeing the targets go down," said Spc. Justin Spencer, of Avon. He estimated he and his firing partner, Spc. Brian Rayl, shot at least a thousand rounds. They fired their M-4 and M-249 from one of the towers. "I like it better," said Rayl about shooting from a 20-foot tall tower. "It's a better vantage point, and you have better visibility up here," said the Lafayette resident. The timing of the live fire exercise represents roughly the halfway point for the Danville unit. With one month down, the 38th Soldiers have many more small steps to take before taking the big one across the Atlantic Ocean. ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:
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