GREGG K. KAKESAKO / GKAKESAKO@STARBULLETIN.COM
Army Capt. Shelia Jenkins talks to the soldiers of Bravo Company, 725th Main Support Battalion, as the truck convoy moves through the Makua Valley live-fire range.
Schofield troops getting
taste of live-fire trainingThe experience will ready soldiers
for their coming Afghan duty
Sgt. Danielle Singley never thought she would have to leave the office.
But the continuing war on terrorism has changed that.
Singley, 22, a finance specialist with the 125th Finance Battalion at Schofield Barracks, recently told the Star-Bulletin: "When I joined four years ago, I thought I would be in the office all the time."
Sgt. Jeannie Brooks, who has been in for six years, said it wasn't until she got to Fort Bragg two years ago that she realized that "regardless of your MOS (military occupational skill), you need to know what to do if you're attacked."
Last month, the two were among the 500 Schofield Barracks soldiers who were part of a three-day training cycle held in Makua Valley to prepare them for a yearlong deployment to Afghanistan. They will be among the 5,700 soldiers of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 25th Infantry Division, which will replace the 10th Mountain Division in April.
For many of these support personnel, this was their first taste of convoy ambush training where live ammunition was used. During each training cycle, three truckloads of 14 soldiers were taken through the combat course. To make it more realistic, all of the seats were taken out of the bed of the five-ton trucks and sandbags were used to reinforce the floor and walls of the bed of the truck. The first and last truck also were armed with .50-caliber machine guns.
Overhead, OH-50 Kiowa Warrior helicopters buzzed through Makua Valley, now green after recent heavy rains. The helicopters maintained a vigil like they would during a real convoy operation. When called upon, they also emptied their .50-caliber machine guns on barrel targets.
Even before they were allowed to fire at pop-up targets, the soldiers were given two dress rehearsals -- one with blank ammunition, and the other with live ammo.
The emphasis for these soldiers, who are not infantry front-line fighters, was convoy operations with lessons on what is needed to stay alive when confronted by improvised explosive devices, commonly referred to as IEDs, and ambushes. Incidents involving IEDs take place almost daily in Iraq.
In Iraq, coalition forces are now constantly being fired upon by armed insurgents in moving vehicles. The favorite target of insurgents are not infantry fighters, but support and administrative forces: "soft targets."
On March 23, one of the most publicized ambushes of the Iraqi war involved 11 soldiers from the 507th Maintenance Company who were killed when their convoy was attacked as soldiers moved toward Baghdad. Among those captured was Pvt. Jessica Lynch in Nasiriyah.
During one convoy briefing session in Makua, Capt. Bobby Patterson, the finance battalion commander, told his soldiers that "the enemy is always looking for 'soft targets' to take advantage."
To Sgt. Singley, that means "don't become a target. Don't allow yourself to become a target by not being aware of your surroundings."
Brooks added: "This type of training helps to know what to expect."
Staff Sgt. Kevin White, doubling as both a squad and platoon leader with the 71st Chemical Company, told his soldiers he wanted to give them the chance of getting used to changing magazines of their M-16 rifles -- to reload and fire under pressure.
"You have to communicate," White told his squad before they entered the course. "You have to let others know: 'Hey, I'm empty.' Then they can cover for you. If we talk, we're vocal. That will keep you alive in the real scenario.
"You've got to be vocal by telling others 'I'm out of rounds.' Or 'I'm hit.' Then they can get medical aid to you."
When coming across an IED, Patterson told his soldiers that they are supposed "move backward" about 900 feet. "But when you turn around, watch where you're going," Patterson said.
Capt. Shelia Jenkins, commander of Bravo Company, 725th Support Battalion, said although the soldiers in her unit are required to qualify by firing their M-16 on the range at least twice a year, this is the first time they have done this live-fire type of training since she assumed command last summer.
"This is to prepare us for whatever happens," said Jenkins, 32. "We're a maintenance company. Our responsibility is to keep the wheels rolling and the guns firing."
Jenkins responded to questions of problems maintenance units like Lynch's unit encountered like the inability to clear their rifles when they jammed in a firefight. The nine-year Army veteran said "Practice makes perfect when it comes to any weapons system. You are going to have to practice to be good with it."
Staff Sgt. Gregory Potter, a ranking noncommissioned officer in the 125th Finance Battalion, added that although he has served in Bosnia and Saudi Arabia during the 10 years he has been in uniform, this was the first time he has participated in convoy operations training.
"This type of training will gives us the edge down range," Potter said, "when we get deployed to Afghanistan."
