Soldiers of 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, moved rapidly around Son Drop Zone, Saturday, during the preparation and execution phase of the brigade’s joint forcible entry.
The JFE marked the beginning stage of the Bastogne brigade’s field training exercise that continues through Friday.
UH-60 Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters from 101st Combat Aviation Brigade moved hundreds of Soldiers and multiple pieces of equipment into the training area situated in the post’s back-40.
“The objective of this training is to allow our brigade to maintain a high level of readiness that will allow us to be an option for the Army if it should need to deploy us at any given time,” said Maj. Joseph Loar, executive officer, 1st BCT. “One of the things that we look to do is to test the brigade’s ability to fight and whether or not they are trained at a high collective level of readiness that allows them to do so.”
For the last several months, 1st BCT and 6th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, have been conducting various mission rehearsal exercises in preparation for the FTX, known as Operation Bastogne Cendezela.
During period of darkness Saturday, 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, was inserted into enemy territory with the mission to seize an airfield and prepare for follow-on forces of the brigade. This mission between 2-327th and 6-101st demonstrates the 101st’s unique and maneuverable assets and abilities to deploy behind enemy lines to engage and destroy the enemy.
“Our immediate action is to seize the objective to allow follow-on forces to arrive to reach max combat power to complete the follow on missions,” said Maj. Ryan Calhoon, operations officer, 2-327th Inf. Regt.
Training such as this force all elements to plan, work and communicate with each other to accomplish the mission. The aviation air assault support is critical for mission success, for example the ability to move hundreds of Soldiers and equipment such as light field artillery pieces to conduct combined arms operations.
“One of the more exciting things about this piece of the exercise is this is our big insertion into the fight, into the �foreign country,’” Loar said. “We’re combining the aviation elements, we’re combining our ground elements, and we’re combining our artillery.”
Several hundred No Slack Soldiers gathered at the pickup zone on Saturday evening, in preparation for their overnight entry into the area of operations.
“I’m responsible for ensuring Soldiers are ready to deploy,” said Sgt. Mason Parker, C Co., 2-327th. “I conduct combat checks and inspections. Make sure they have water, ammo, food – all the essentials to carry out the mission. I also make sure everyone knows our task and purpose.”
Ensuring the unit is ready to deploy also includes getting to know the team you will be working with, and how to conduct your own mission in conjunction with other operations.
“This exercise will allow us to practice our reaction time, coordinate with other units, and rehearse for future missions,” said 1st Lt. Evan Grainger, C Co., 2-327th. “Our success will be measured by our ability to provide mass combat power on the objective and effectively coordinate with other units.”
One critical piece of the overall effectiveness of this training is the realism of using live artillery rounds and other capabilities.
“The exciting part about it is that we’re actually firing live rounds from our howitzers, and laying suppression for enemy air defense and preparatory fires, which leads the aircraft into their landing zones,” Loar said. “The gunners in the helicopters are also going to be engaging targets in the impact area.”
Similar to a rotation at the Joint Readiness Training Center or the National Training Center, the 1st BCT is searching to destroy a live and thinking enemy. Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st BCT, are playing the role of enemy forces and have conducted extensive planning to act as a near-peer threat for the rest of the brigade.
“Over the next 24-48 hours we’re going to place our entire brigade of more than 2000 Soldiers into the field to fight an enemy that we will have to figure out, figure out their commander, and actually hunt down the enemy and seize objectives,” Loar said.
This training adds to the Bastogne and Destiny brigades’ famed and storied histories. Both stand ready to fight against all odds and engage the enemy in close combat.
“I’m very proud to be in the unit I’m in, the Soldiers I’m with, and where we are now,” Grainger said.
Using these combined capabilities ensures that the Soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division are in a constant state of readiness and are prepared to conduct critical missions.