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Working
under fatigue
Hawaii's citizen soldiers test
their endurance limits in
combat training that might
save their lives in Iraq
FORT POLK, La. » During their three-week stay at one of the Army's premier training facilities, Hawaii's Iraq-bound citizen soldiers are being pushed to the brink of human endurance.
On assignment
Star-Bulletin military reporter Gregg K. Kakesako is in Fort Polk, La., the last training stop for the citizen-soldiers of the Hawaii's 29th Infantry Brigade before they head to Iraq in the next few weeks.
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Working under extreme fatigue has been the rule rather than the exception here, but military leaders say this is the best way to ensure that Hawaii's soldiers will be ready to face the realities of war in Iraq.
More than 2,200 soldiers from the Hawaii Army National Guard Division and the Pacific Basin areas arrived here during the first week of January after spending three months in Texas working on individual infantry skills.
They have been joined at Fort Polk by another 1,000 soldiers from California, Oregon and Minnesota. Another group, from Michigan and Vermont, is expected to join them soon.
Collectively, they make up the 29th Infantry Brigade, which will serve in Iraq for one year. In the meantime their three-week stay at Fort Polk will cost taxpayers $10 million. Military leaders say this is the best way to replicate conditions soldiers will face in Iraq.
"One of our challenges has been to maintain relevancy," said Lt. Col. Jeff Hensley, operations officer for the Joint Readiness Training Center. "The fight in Iraq is different than a year ago."
That is why a large section of Fort Polk, about 1,000 acres, has been turned into a mini-Iraq. More than 300 wooden buildings, roads and even street signs replicate Iraqi villages and towns. And the Army has hired civilians to portray Iraqi citizens who will not speak to the soldiers in English. And there are "actors" playing nongovernmental and humanitarian relief workers, and even reporters.
Soldiers from other divisions have been playing the part of Iraqi insurgents. They will often attack the 29th Brigade in small cells of five to 10 men, and sometimes will charge in larger units with tanks and other vehicles. The goal is to replicate the urban sprawl of Iraq and the "complexity of urban warfare."
Spc. Filemoni Tanielu scanned the approach to Forward Operating Base Anvil at Fort Polk, where members of the 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry are training through month's end.
At every step of the way during training, 29th Brigade soldiers are evaluated by observers to make sure they are meeting training objectives. Observers include soldiers who have already served in Iraq.
The whole idea is to replicate the threat the soldiers will face in Iraq, said Hensley.
"One of the challenges is the obvious language barrier," he said. "Soldiers believe if they speak louder and slower, they will be understood. That's not the case."
"They are learning to pick up basic phrases to bridge the gap," Hensley said. "Some even stick them on the stock of their rifles. You can see them looking down for help."
This signpost helps soldiers at Fort Polk prepare for their year in Iraq.
Brig. Gen. Mick Bednarek, one of the members of the Joint Readiness Training Center, said the three weeks the 29th Brigade will spend here is "about right."
"It is hard," he said. "It is tough not just mentally, but physically. It will wear you out."
Sgt. 1st Class Rafael Ped, who has been in the 29th Brigade for 18 years, said he has been averaging about six hours of sleep a night.
"But I guess it's enough time," said the 1997 Baldwin High School graduate.
Army officials said that by stressing the soldiers now, combat tour in Iraq will be much easier.
Morale among Hawaii soldiers is high, said Bednarek, who added that the island soldiers are "aggressive" and possess "a strong mental attitude."
www.dod.state.hi.us/hiarng/
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