FORT IRWIN, Calif. - In the immense barren landscape of the National Training Center here, hulking armored machines of the California Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 185th Armor Battalion, grind and clank as their heavy steel tracks churn up the Mojave Desert. The sharp cracks of M4 Carbine rifles echo off the surrounding hills.
These noises blended with a biting wind and pouring rain were the sights and sounds that flooded the senses, as citizen-Soldiers from the Golden State sent volleys of bullets down range during weapons qualification and ripped up the terrain in their Bradley Fighting Vehicles running maneuver exercises.
This armored legion, which has 16 subordinate units commanded by its Headquarters and Headquarters Company out of San Bernardino is the largest battalion in the California Army National Guard and its only armor unit. It supports a myriad of military occupational specialties such as tanker, mechanic, sniper, artillery and infantry, giving the unit the additional designation of a combined arms battalion, or CAB.
All of these elements were on hand Nov. 4-5, to showcase their capabilities at the Army's premier training ground.
The training started early Friday as troops fired their rifles on the qualification range.
"Shooting is a perishable skill," said Army Sgt. Thomas Wituschek, an infantryman and senior sniper for HHC. "You don't get to use these skills every day, but they are the most critical skills a Soldier needs to survive, because at the end of the day, you are a rifleman first. And that's why it's so important to come out here and train."
Though the Soldiers had to shoot in poor weather Friday, it did nothing to dampen their excitement to get out of the armory and get some field time under their belts.
"I'm proud to be here and be a part of this organization," Wituschek said. "For some Soldiers, coming to drill is a detriment to their pay. They make more as civilians but they want to serve anyway. That's what makes me so proud, because here in California, it's not just about showing up and shooting a rifle. The California National Guard will always have a mission, and we will always be ready to serve the state."
"It may be cold out here, but we are still training because training is important," said Army Pfc. Jesus Becerra, an infantryman.
Luck was on the Soldiers' side during the training, which presented clear blue skies for the crews practicing with mortars.
"We, as artillery are essential combat multipliers," said Army Staff Sgt. Gregory Bell, an mortarman with HHC. "We have the ability to react to an enemy situation far faster than a Quick Reaction Force. Our ability to provide timely and accurate indirect fire can save Soldiers' lives."
Another group of Soldiers on Saturday rolled out their preferred weapon, the M2A3 Operation Desert Storm - Situational Awareness Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle, or more simply put, The Bradley.
The tank men operating the multi-ton, fast-moving behemoths had a chance to play in the biggest game of hide-and-seek in their lives as they conducted vehicle maneuver operations in the hot, 1,000-square-mile sandbox of the southern California High Desert here.
The game didn't last long.
A Bradley commander's independent viewer enables him to scan for the enemy using both laser range-finder and direct-view optics without interfering with the gunner's acquisition and engagement of targets. They hunt. They find. They kill.
Army Sgt. Patrick Castillo, a forward observer with an HHC fire support team, or FIST, said the new Bradleys are able to track the battle better than ever.
"The gunner can laser a target without firing and giving away his position, and then the [forward observer] in the back can take that data and use it to call down [an air] strike," Castillo said.
"We are not just training soldiers to be familiar with their equipment," he said. "They need to be proficient. The best part is the tactical aspects we learn as we move and operate out here in the desert environment. When we get the chance to train like this, we don't waste it."
The CAB soldiers made it a special training weekend by inviting their families and employers to Fort Irwin to observe the various training events.
"We are showcasing to the families and employers just what the Soldiers do and its importance," said Marion Lattus, the family support coordinator of the 185th Armored Battalion. "We all have our families, but the [National Guard] is our family too."
The National Guard is a family dedicated to serving the American people, which showed in the Soldiers' enthusiasm for the training at hand. They displayed it loudly with the expert handling of their vehicles, the shredded centers of their targets, and the quickness at employing their mortars.
The combat arms troops showed what they could do during the heat of battle and what fate awaits the enemy when the full brunt of a combined arms battalion lays down its power.
A recommendation for anyone who participates or observes is ear protection - because the sound is deafening.