CAPE COD, Mass. –
Between Jan. 30 and Feb. 2, infantrymen from the 1st Battalion, 102nd Infantry Regiment, Connecticut Army National Guard, conducted live fire exercises at Fort Dix, New Jersey; Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania; and Camp Edwards on Joint Base Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Live fire exercises are designed to prepare soldiers for combat. During these exercises, infantrymen are tested on their ability to coordinate and maneuver as a team and engage targets with live ammunition. These exercises build familiarity with a soldier’s assigned weapon system, allow unit leaders to practice commanding their sections, and, depending on the scale of the exercise, allow multiple elements of a unit, or multiple separate units, to practice integrating and supporting each other on the battlefield.
Soldiers from Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 102nd Infantry Regiment, spent their weekend living out of squad tents and braced wind, heavy rain, and even snow, during their time at Edwards’ Infantry Battle Course as they trained to conduct a squad assault.
A squad assault is a battle drill in which an infantry squad locates and suppresses the enemy, establishes supporting fire, and assaults the enemy position using fire and maneuver. The squad destroys the enemy, or causes the enemy to withdraw, and conducts consolidation and reorganization.
While it may seem simple, each assault is unique and every encounter with the enemy can be different depending on the composition of the opposing force and the conditions of the battlefield. To facilitate and accomplish a successful operation, the unit conducts a series of steps, including detailed operations planning and inspecting their equipment, designed to ensure mission success.
Following these preparations, the infantry squads maneuvered through the forest and took up positions under a pocket of pine trees in close proximity to the simulated enemy’s position. After the squad leader made a quick recon and determined the best avenue of approach for the assault, the order was given to move out.
The soldiers then traversed along a trail and took up positions in the limited cover and concealment at the edge of the forest. The enemy’s position lay just ahead, at the top of a small hill. Once the squad was in the proper formation, the command was given to open fire and a cacophony of sound erupted as rifles turned out semi and automatic fire, only breaking momentarily when a soldier ran out of ammunition in their magazine and replaced it with another.
After the targets were neutralized, team leaders rushed back and forth checking on their troops, analyzing their status, checking whether they had any ammo remaining, and if they were good on water. Additionally, an inspection was done to ensure all sensitive items were accounted for prior to taking up any new positions.
When the weather permitted, the squads also encountered a drone as part of the exercise. After the drone was reported, it would initiate a simulated chemical weapons attack, requiring the squad to don their chemical protective equipment.
“It’s to prepare us,” said Connecticut Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Conrad Sheldon, one of the infantry squad leaders assigned to Charlie Company. “It was a harassing element and was supposed to initiate a chemical attack. A smoke grenade would be our cue to initiate a reaction to CBRN.”
Following this, the soldiers would maneuver to a staging location to conduct an after-action review and observers, who shadowed the squad as they conducted their assault, provided feedback and made recommendations on what could have been done better.
“You're looking for missed critical steps,” said U.S. Army Master Sgt. Andres Genao, one of the First Army Observer, Controller/Trainers, or OC/Ts, assigned to supervise the 102nd. “You’re looking for guys not pulling security, not getting behind cover, things individual soldiers should be doing. You’re making sure the team leaders are performing their duties. Proper placement of weapon systems, making sure team leaders are giving proper sectors of fire, and making sure no safety violations are happening.”
While this type of training can be considered a refresher, as infantrymen will be taught how to conduct a squad attack during their initial military training, some of the soldiers who participated in the exercise weren’t Military Occupational Specialty qualified infantrymen. These soldiers, like Sgt. Kevin Jacquet, a culinary specialist with 1st Battalion, 101st Field Artillery, Massachusetts Army National Guard, began drilling and training as an infantrymen with Charlie Company.
Approximately 80 soldiers have volunteered and are attached to Charlie Company. Despite many not being infantrymen, soldiers from Charlie have taken them under their wings and integrated them into their squads.
“It was pretty easy [integrating],” explained Jacquet. “The squad I was in was welcoming, they treated us like infantrymen. They wanted to help you because they wanted us to help them in the future. They wanted us to develop trust. They were very welcoming from the top to the bottom.”
Despite this, Jacquet still was out of his element. He wasn't used to conducting movements in full kit and maneuvering as a squad.
“The portion we did, that was the first time I did such a course,” said Jacquet. “I was doubting myself. Am I doing something good? Am I doing this movement right? The way I lay down, the way I walk, it’s not something I do every drill. Being in the field, in the woods, that’s not something we do in my unit. We’re usually standing in place.”
For the duration of the exercise, Jacquet took every opportunity to learn how he could be an effective member of his squad and leaned heavily on his fellow teammates, his team leader and his squad leader for guidance.
“When I had a question I asked my squad and team leader,” explained Jacquet. “They did a lot of hands-on training, and explained [Standard Operating Procedures]. I feel really good about everything I learned, I’m ready to learn new stuff. I want to be on the same level [as the other infantrymen]. I want to be able to call myself an infantryman.”
Training soldiers like Jacquet quickly became the highlight of the exercise for many of the leaders among Charlie Company, including Sgt. Sheldon.
“It’s awesome,” said Sheldon. “It's not something you would expect them to hop in [on]. You want them to do squad situation exercises, build [Standard Operating Procedures] and whatnot, but we just got into it and ran with it.”