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Tomahawk Strykers Invade Ft. Lewis

Feb-19-2005 » Filed Under: 172nd SBCT

Link to Full Article (with photos)
by Bob Reinert, Ft. Lewis PAO

FORT LEWIS, Wash. - As they dismounted from their Stryker vehicles Monday in a neighborhood in Leschi Town, Soldiers from 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment did their best to visualize what they will one day face in Iraq.

On a simulated cordon-and-search mission, members of Company A interacted with other Soldiers playing Iraqi civilians and conducted searches.

Eventually, the situation escalated, gunshots rang out and insurgents, civilians and Soldiers lay wounded.

“We’re trying to replicate, as closely as we can, the environment that we think we’re going to face in Iraq,” said Major Clint Baker, S-3 of 4th Bn., 23rd Inf. “Fort Lewis is great because Leschi offers a really good training venue for us. I can’t tell you how happy we are to have the facilities be available to us.”

At one point in the exercise, a Soldier was wounded. A Stryker maneuvered to provide cover from enemy fire while a fellow Soldier tended to the wounded man.

“That’s what [the Stryker is] there for,” said Capt. Brian Kaiser, an observer-controller for the exercise, who said that the unit was “learning to use these things to the best of our abilities.”

Soon after, members of Fort Lewis’ 1st Special Forces Group took an active part in the exercise, rolling up to a building in a Stryker, dismounting, entering and subduing the insurgents inside.

“That’s joint training,” said Lt. Col. John Norris, 4-23 battalion commander. “That’s what we’re doing in Iraq right now.”

According to Kaiser, the exercise grew organically as Soldiers and role players interacted with one another.

“It’s completely up to the company and how they react to the situation and what direction it takes,” he said. “You have a general plan for the role players, and after that it kind of takes on a life of its own.”

The trip south to Tacoma, Wash., preps the Tomahawks for their spring trip with the rest of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team to the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, La. The brigade will deploy some time this summer to Iraq.

“This is all part of the training strategy to have us peak so that we reach JRTC at a higher proficiency level,” Norris said. “This exercise is extremely important. This is the first collective-level experience that we’ve had as a battalion.

“It’s raising the level of training proficiency for all of our companies so that these Soldiers and their companies are more prepared to go out and do these type of tasks and these missions in Iraq.”

In this company-size simulation, infantry worked with human intelligence, psychological operations, civil affairs and special operations troops. The cohesive approach was the result of lessons already learned in Iraq.

“Over there, it’s becoming very commonplace to have these detachments,” said Kaiser, adding that the presence of special forces “operating within your area of operations” is no longer unusual.

In fact, the 1st SFG was integral to the 172nd’s training here.

“They’ve been fantastic,” Baker said. “They’ve been really helpful in terms of our close-quarters marksmanship, close-quarters battle. Whatever’s required, they have just stepped up to enhance our training. The Soldiers are very excited about it.”

“Fort Lewis has laid out the red carpet for us,” Norris said. “They’ve been extremely hospitable."


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