RAPID CITY, S.D., - During the South Dakota National Guard's 26th annual Golden Coyote training exercise, many special visitors have come to witness firsthand the coordinated efforts of 40 units from 12 states, including three foreign countries in what has become a world-class training venue.
Army Maj. Gen. Charles Luckey, the assistant to the chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff for Reserve Matters, visited for the second consecutive year from his office at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
The intent of his visit was to witness firsthand the types of training opportunities offered here in the Black Hills for service members from around the country.
"I appreciate the sacrifices that your families make in allowing you to be here to train," said Luckey. "Visiting training exercises like this lets the Soldiers know their leadership cares about their training and welfare."
Luckey arrived on June 16 and intends on spending time out in the field with service members as they perform their warrior tasks.
The next day, he spent some time out at West Camp Rapid, a training area near Stevens High School in Rapid City with the firefighters from the 662nd Engineer Detachment, Firefighting Team, from Sparta, Ill.
The 662nd is trained to respond to structure, aircraft, woodland and even vehicle fires. At West Camp Rapid, they were training on vehicle extraction with the Jaws of Life and the K-12 saw.
"Golden Coyote has allowed us to set our own schedule and times when it comes to our training," said Staff Sgt. Christopher Heiken from the 662nd. "We get to train to standards we come to expect."
Heiken said he enjoyed all the training because it makes the unit better at their jobs. "Golden Coyote also sets the opportunity to collaborate with the firefighters from S.D.," he said. "We can teach each other something and it makes us better at our jobs."
The Golden Coyote exercise is the right place to practice unit training, especially when afforded the opportunity to work with other branches of service and foreign countries.
"The more exposure young Soldiers get in dealing with other branches, the better we all will be when performing our missions," Luckey said. "This (Golden Coyote) exercise is one of the most unique training platforms available in the United States."