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Strike force

Sep-20-2004 » Filed Under: 172nd SBCT

Great article about a recent training exercise involving the 172nd in Alaska.

[Link to Full Article]
By Beth Ipsen

FORT GREELY--At precisely 7:30 a.m. on Sept. 7, the sound of morning prayers in the village of Wadi Al Tarif was interrupted by gunfire as soldiers from the U.S. Army's A Co., 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry launched a raid.

Three large eight-wheeled Stryker vehicles emerged from the bushes surrounding the small scattering of buildings riddled with bullet holes.

In the air, an A-10 Warthog joined in the fight, flying about 500 feet above the battle and drowning out all other sound.

The mission: To capture two suspected terrorists hiding in Wadi Al Tarif.

The result: After 45 minutes of fighting, mission accomplished.

But the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team's first training mission--actually played out in Alaska at the Donnelly Training Area near Delta Junction--didn't come without its bumps, bruises, more than a dozen trips to the hospital and a handful of imaginary casualties over a three-week period.

With tensions high around the world, September's training missions were much more than war games. In a short period of time, the 1,500 men and women who participated in the exercises--more than a third of all Stryker personnel stationed in Alaska--could be facing a real firefight in Iraq, Afghanistan or some other destination yet to emerge.

The Stryker Brigade is the first incarnation of the military's transformation from the slower, heavier military of the Cold War to a lighter, lethal Army of the future. But the transformation takes time.

Like training camp for football teams, the 21-day exercise at Donnelly was designed to build a team whose goal is much more important than touchdowns and titles. The hope was that training in Alaska will save lives in the years to come.

"This is the first time any of these soldiers have gone through this type of scenario," said 1st Lt. Jeremiah Ellis, a 24-year-old infantry platoon leader with the 1-17. "It seemed like things were out of control a few times."


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