Stryker Brigade News

The now-three-time veteran of JRTC was in the live-fire barrel May 12 with his company as they rolled into Fort Polk’s Peason Ridge around 1 p.m. Company C’s nine Strykers would clear three “Iraqi” villages and partake in two fierce firefights in less than four hours.

The first assignment was low key. The platoon happened upon a village where it cleared every building and encountered a couple of “Iraqi” popup targets in civilian clothes, some armed, some not. The first of many simulated Improvised Explosive Devices detonated here.

From the relative calm of that first encounter, the next two hours saw the Co. C Buffalos starring in their own version of “Die Hard.”

Artillery and mortars from 1st Battalion 17th Infantry Regiment support fire elements and ribbons of .50 caliber machine gun fire from two 101st Airborne Division Kiowa helicopters softened up the next village. Two Co. C Strykers rolled in, the infantry teams dismounted, and the attack began.

No expense is spared at JRTC on live fire. Popup targets are dressed as Iraqis, Roman candles and other fireworks simulate machine gun fire and IEDs, and the village compounds are built to replicate those found in Iraq.

“The 155-(field artillery) and 120-millimeter (mortar) prep fire hit the location, both platoons moved forward into support by fire positions, dismounted their infantrymen and maneuvered on the objective,” said Lt. Col. Charles Webster, 2-1 commander. “It was very well done.”

Command and control becomes harder when each Stryker has infantrymen on the ground. A platoon leader with three vehicles now has six elements to track instead of three. The chaos supplied by JRTC operations – IEDs, popup targets spraying rounds, and a building’s door that must be blown in with explosives – all keep the Buffalos on their toes.

“A lot of the leadership was getting killed and wounded so a lot of the team leaders had to take control pull stuff from the hip and go with the flow,” Jason said. “My squad leader took off to support one of the elements inside the village to help occupy. Me and the gun team stayed back at the right flank to do support by fire.”

The second engagement of the day ended when Soldiers went into a tunnel complex and emerged with a high value target; in this case, a 300-pound sand bag representing a key terrorist. As Stryker crews tended to the wounded, a call came in to the company commander for the third raid of the afternoon.

“That next objective was three and a half kilometers away so the company commander had to move another platoon to assault that position,” Webster said. “It was a good test of him moving his command and control platforms around the battlefield using the FBCB2, the Stryker’s situational awareness network computer system.”

This village was ripe for an ambush. Fronted by an open field, access to it was via a winding road with no cover. The Kiowas backed off this “danger” area, leaving mortars and 155 shells to rain down on the location. At the outer edge of the pasture, one Stryker stopped to support by fire and dismounted two machine gun teams. The other two vehicles crept up the road to the group of buildings shrouded by Fort Polk’s massive pine trees.

At the village edge, two teams dismounted, maneuvered, and were engaged. Hundreds of rounds were fired, grenades were popped, and after determining the threat had been eliminated, the teams piled back into their Strykers. As they pulled out of the village, JRTC operations decided Co. C hadn’t had enough excitement. A new wave of rifle-bearing popup targets emerged and the support by fire position reacted.

“At the last objective me and my assistant gunner laid down fire to cover the guys as they were leaving,” said Pfc. Andrew Knaggs of the 100-plus M240 rounds he sprayed from 110 meters away. “Enemy targets were popping up, simulating them reattacking. Just training … good training.”

It’s the JRTC experience for young troops like Knaggs that combat veterans like Jason, who went to Afghanistan with Task Force 1-501 Airborne, appreciate.

“Most of the guys in this unit haven’t been to JRTC yet … this is the first rotation for the 172nd to be here in two years,” Jason said.

“For us, this is as close as we can be to combat without actually being there and being shot at so I hope all these guys took something away from this and learn. This is as good a prep there is … this is as real as you can get it.”