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Blackanthem Military News
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Last Updated:
Feb 9, 2012 - 5:06:14 PM |
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Pushing the Envelope
By Sgt. Sheila Holifield, 177th Armored Brigade Public Affairs, First Army Division East, Camp Shelby, Miss.
Jul 20, 2009 - 7:23:22 PM
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Blackanthem Military News
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| Soldiers from Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 151st Infantry Regiment, practice medical evacuation operations while on the Mounted Live Fire Range at Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center, Camp Shelby, Miss. Soldiers with Alpha Co. are training to perform operations in Afghanistan this summer in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Scott Hardesty) |
CAMP SHELBY, Miss. - After being notified last September of a future deployment to Afghanistan, Soldiers from Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 151st Infantry Regiment out of Hammond, Ind., began preparing right away.
Beginning in March, their training was kicked into high gear when they started their mobilization process at Camp Atterbury, Ind. From there, they continued down to Fort Knox, Ky., where they trained during the entire month of May. After Fort Knox, they travelled to Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center in the beginning of June to begin their two-month training period here.
"About every spare minute we have, we are training, whether we are in the barracks at night training on communications equipment, or going over simple pre-combat checks and inspections," said Capt. Matt Hall, commander of A Company, 2-151st.
Despite the record hitting heat Mississippi has brought upon the Indiana Soldiers, they have continued to push the training envelope and allowed the heat to add to their training.
"No matter how much training we do, coincidentally, we are finding out more where we are lacking rather than where we are excelling, so we are continually working to get better," said Hall.
For more than half of the 700 Soldiers preparing to deploy to Afghanistan, this will be their second deployment overseas.
"We are lucky because our leadership is extraordinary," added Hall. "Our platoon sergeants are experienced, our platoon leaders are motivated, and our Soldiers are very patriotic."
Hall, who previously deployed to Afghanistan from 2006-2007, was an Embedded Tactical Trainer attached to a company of Afghanistan National Army Soldiers, so his troops look to him about what to expect in country.
"I try and give them more experience before they go into the fight than I first had. They are all very motivated, and they have pushed themselves and each other," said Hall. "If they can take the push, I am going to keep pushing with them."
Sgt. Doug Green, a communications sergeant with the 2-151st, and deploying for the first time, appreciates the fact that his leadership is experienced.
"They have kept us on track, making sure we are training on what we need to be training on and it has really paid off," said Green.
The 2-151st is set to deploy to Afghanistan in the fall and will be conducting force protection operations during their time in country.
Hall said that he could not be more pleased with the caliber of training his Soldiers have received throughout the mobilization process. All the training sites have tailored the training toward our mission and worked hard to support us every step of the way.
"It is the little things we are getting practice at right now. The experiences that you go through in country that you can't really write down or don't see in the books," said Hall. "You can add on to doctrine, but you can't take away from it, and those ‘outside the box' situations are the things we are pushing right now."
Although the Soldiers of the 2-151st have experienced several changes throughout their training cycle, they have not lost their motivation along the way.
"Throughout this process we are learning how to be flexible while learning to be proficient," said Hall. "When it comes down to it, we are all excited to have this opportunity to deploy and do our job to the best of our ability."
ADDITIONAL PHOTO:
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| Spc. Kyle Bell of Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 151st Infantry Regiment, confirms his sectors of fire during the Mounted Live Fire Exercises held at Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center, Camp Shelby, Miss. Soldiers with Alpha Co. are training to perform operations in Afghanistan this summer in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Scott Hardesty) |
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Mama Higgins
22 Aug 2009, 16:30
Go Yellowjackets!!!! Be safe!
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