CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. - Waiting their turn, National Guard members
from Texas huddled around a space heater in the 17-degree Indiana weather.
The warmth it provided was only temporary as they had to head down to the
range soon.
Soldiers from Task Force Raptor (3-124 CAV), conducted training at the
reflexive fire range at the Joint Maneuver Training Center here in
preparation for their deployment to the Horn of Africa early this year. The
range trains Soldiers for close-quarter combat.
"It teaches Soldiers how to engage the enemy at distances between zero and 25
meters and how to take the recoil from the weapon in a certain manner in
order to engage the target quickly," said Army Sgt. 1st Class Christopher
Demarsiso, senior observer control/trainer with the 1-57 Brigade at Camp
Atterbury.
The range was only one stop of a list of things the Soldiers had to do in
their first week at Atterbury.
Earlier in the week, the Guard members moved from what seemed to be one
endless line to another at Reception, Staging, Onward movement, and
Integration, a process that ensures the Soldiers are cleared of medical,
legal, and financial issues as well as have the gear needed for the mission.
According to Army 2nd Lt. Matthew Venia, staff officer at the RSOI, the
process is worth the wait.
"This process is not only important for the Soldier, but for the family back
home. SGLI [Serviceman's Group Life Insurance] is obviously a good thing to
have up to date, but also their DEERS [Defense Enrollment Eligibility
Reporting System] and ID cards are checked for accuracy to ensure the family
back home is getting the medical care that they are now entitled to."
Once the Soldiers cleared RSOI, they hit the frozen Indiana ground running
with an exercise in base defense. Soldiers trained on a mock military base
conducting security patrols, entry control points and quick reaction force
scenarios. Army Capt. Travis Nelson from Headquarters and Headquarters Troop,
out of Wylie, Texas, was the officer in charge of the tactical operations
center there.
"We're using vehicles and people approaching the ECPs, there are individuals
dropping off suspicious objects outside the base, and even a scenario for the
QRF to escort individuals from the embassy to a safe location."
At the base's front gate, soldiers from the 712th Military Police Company,
out of Houston, stood guard at their ECPs. Army Staff Sgt. Thomas Hayes,
sergeant of the Guard, talks about the training.
"The Soldiers here at the gate make sure all persons coming in and out have
IDs and if needed the passengers are asked to exit the vehicle and searched
separately. This is basically the crawl phase of running an ECP, but it shows
everyone what goes on and what we will be doing on the deployment."
Hayes believes the cold weather adds value to the training.
"The way I look at it, one way or another there is going to be some heartache
involved. Here it's the cold, when we get to Africa it's going to be the
heat; so either way you're gonna have some aggravation to learn to deal
with," said Hayes.
Back at the reflexive fire range, the Soldiers tore themselves away from the
warmth of the heater, clenched the cold steel of their weapons, aimed and
fired.