On the cover

2

photo by SPC Stephen Baack

1st Infantry Division Commander:

MG Kenneth W. Hunzeker

1st Infantry Division CSM:

CSM John D. Fourhman

1st Infantry Division PAO:

MAJ William Coppernoll

1st Infantry Division Deputy PAO:

1LT Ryan Gray

1st Infantry Division Public Affairs staff

1st Infantry Division PAO NCOIC:

MSG Cameron Porter

Editor:

SSG W. Wayne Marlow

Staff writers:

SPC Joe Alger; SPC Stephen Baack

Broadcasters:

SGT Bryant Maude; SPC Jesse Granger

A Soldier from C Troop, 1st Squadron, 4th U.S. Cavalry Regiment scans the sector for enemy activity during 

conducted four days of training, which was designed to help 1-4 Cav. transition from a heavy to a light regim

Crew chiefs from 2-1

Aviation load machine

gun ammunition inside a

UH-60 Black Hawk. See

story and more photos

on page 22-24.
In this issue In this issue In this issue In this issue In this issue In this issue

 Duty First is an unofficial publication produced under the provisions of AR 360-1, published by Soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division.

Editorial views and opinions expressed are not necessarily those

of the Department of Defense, the Army or the 1st Infantry Division.

All photos are Army photos unless otherwise noted. Circulation is

6,000 per issue, printed quarterly. Contributions are welcome and

should be sent to 1st Infantry Division, Public Affairs Office, ATTN:

Editor, Unit 26222, APO, AE 09036. Telephone numbers are DSN

350-6408 or 350-6409, commercial 0931-889-6408 or 0931-889-

6409, fax DSN 350-6591, commercial fax 0931-889-6591, or e-mail

firstid.pao@us.army.mil, or visit Duty First online at www.1id.army.mil.

3

4-3 ADA inactivates.....5

Air and Missile Defense Detachment stands up

Pre-sniper course......6-9

Soldiers get prepped for U.S. Army Sniper School

Big Red One Band.....10

Represents U.S. at International Military Music Fest

FA exercise................12

1st Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment fires away

History lesson.......14-15

1st ID leaders take staff ride to Normandy, France

D-Day vet.............16-17

Ray Lambert returns to Omaha Beach 61 years later

Cav transforms......20-21

1-4 Cavalry moving from heavy to light

Aerial gunnery......22-24

2-1 Aviation takes to the sky, knocks down targets

9th Eng trains.............25

Battalion uses system of checks to ensure success

Steel Tigers...........26-27

1-77 Armor conducts fire control system checks

photo by SPC Joe Alger

g dismounted patrol training Oct. 19 at Camp Robertson. The unit

ment.
 4

Reflecting back on 2005, looking forward

1ID to tranform, return to U.S. in ‘06

Welcome to the New Year! I hope that all

of you found some way to rest and relax

over the holidays, recharge your batteries

and enjoy the company of your loved ones.

I also hope that you have come into the

New Year energized and with a renewed

sense of purpose.

The year 2006 is going to be one of the

most exciting years in the Division’s great

history. I am not sure there has ever been a

time that so many different events have been

going on at the same

time.

This year the

Division will see a

combat deployment,

transformation and a

return of elements of

the Division to Fort

Riley. Everything that you do to contribute

makes an incredible difference in

accomplishing these complex missions.

The 2nd Brigade Combat Team will enter

into an intense training period this quarter in

preparation for their anticipated deployment.

The Dagger Brigade will conduct gunnery

densities at Grafenwoehr and a world-class

Mission Readiness Exercise at Hohenfels.

This training will expose our Soldiers to the

realities of full-spectrum operations in Iraq

and significantly improve their readiness.

While one brigade combat team is

preparing for combat, the rest of the Division

will be converting to support the 173rd

Airborne Brigade, inactivating or preparing

to return to the continental United States. I

am extremely proud of how you all have taken

on these complex missions and started to

execute them in the most professional

manner.

It is certainly a fascinating time to be in

the Army, and we should embrace these

changes, which will benefit our Army of the

future. Our focus continues to be the Soldier,

the centerpiece of our Army. Our Army will

continually work to provide our Soldiers at

all levels with great leadership, the right

equipment and the best training.

As you can see, 2006 is going to be an

incredible time in the history of the Big Red

One. I appreciate all that you and your

families do, each and every day, to make this

the greatest Division in the United States

Army.

Duty First!

MG Ken Hunzeker

As 2005 comes to a close and the New

Year begins, we should all pause to reflect

on the remarkable contributions that our

Soldiers from the 1st Infantry Division have

made to the nation and similarly, how the

ever changing world events affected the

Division and her Soldiers. The dawn of 2005

found many of our Big Red One Soldiers

ringing in the New Year far away from home

in Iraq at places like FOBs Danger,

Anaconda, Warhorse and Speicher - just

to name a few. Home was beginning to

creep into our Soldier’s thoughts, and

indeed late Winter found our formations

redeploying to Germany to rejoin our

families and loved ones.

We arrived back in Germany and

experienced a series of firsts - a first hug, a

first kiss, a first look at newborn babies who

stepped into the world while we were away.

Of course this was immediately followed

by a seven-day bombardment of briefings,

lectures and counselings on how to act now

that we were back in civilization. We were

inspected, poked, prodded and immunized

again.

A well deserved

leave period followed

that gave us a chance

to really get to know

our partners again and

enjoy each others

company.

Spring found us gathered in Victory Park

honoring our fallen with the dedication

ceremony of the 1st ID OIF II Memorial

Statue. This solemn ceremony gave us the

opportunity to reflect and remember our

comrades in arms who gave their full

measure for the cause of freedom. Following

the ceremony in Victory Park, participants

moved to the 1st ID Museum to open the

OIF II wing honoring the many

accomplishments the Division made to the

country of Iraq during our tour of duty.

 Summer brought a change in the Division

leadership as we welcomed the new

Commanding General and his wonderful

family. MG Ken Hunzeker hit the ground

running and immediately refocused the

Division on the many diverse missions that

our Army leadership assigned us to

accomplish in the coming years.

Fall brought announcements that clearly

defined the challenges that lay ahead for

the Division. The Division’s mission split

into three lines of operation - prepare 2nd

BCT to deploy to combat; transform or

inactivate many units in the Division; and

support the Global War on Terror. These

three lines of operation will guide the

Division for the foreseeable future. One of

the major changes in direction for the

Division was the announcement that the 1st

ID will redeploy back to Fort Riley, Kansas

in 2006, which will end a long, rich period of

history here in Germany.

Now as 2006 begins, our commitment to

our nation and our Army remains as strong

as ever. Big Red One Soldiers are once again

being deployed to Iraq as Special Police

Training Teams. These teams are training

the Iraqi Security Forces to become self

sufficient and assume the security mission

and law enforcement duties for their country.

This is going to be one challenging year

for the Division. As always, I know that the

great Soldiers, families and civilians of this

Division are up to the test. We are committed

to taking care of Soldiers and families during

these turbulent times and making the

transitions as smooth as possible. I ask all

of you to rely on the chain of command and

your FRGs for information that affects your

units. Value your wing man and always look

out for one another.

Please keep the Big Red One Soldiers

and the families of 2-34 Armor and the

SPTTs, who are deployed in harms way, in

your thoughts and prayers. They wake up

each day and live our Division motto.

Again, Welcome to 2006! I’m sure it will

be an exciting, challenging and rewarding

year for all. I thank each of you for your

many contributions to our Army and Nation

every day.

Duty First!

CSM John Fourhman
5

Story and photos by

SPC Joe Alger

Staff writer, 1st ID PAO

An inactivation ceremony was

held Sept. 15 at Leighton Barracks

for the 1st Infantry Division’s 4th

Battalion, 3rd Air Defense Artillery

Regiment, the oldest Air Defense

battalion in the active Army.

During the ceremony, the colors

of 4-3 ADA were sheathed for the

last time, while the colors of Air and

Missile Defense Detachment were

unsheathed. With the name change,

command also changed from MAJ

Clark R. Denman, who commanded

4-3 ADA, to MAJ John E. Labadini,

who will command AMD.

“This is a day to reflect on the

long and illustrious lineage of 4-3

ADA,” said BG James Barclay, 1st ID

assistant division commander for

maneuver. “It’s also a day to look

forward as we enter this time of

transition.”

The unit began in 1794 as the 3rd

Company, 4th Battalion Corps of

Artillerists and Engineers. The

battalion’s Soldiers have seen

action in almost every major conflict

in United States history, most

recently in Operation Iraqi Freedom

II.

“The Soldiers of 4-3 ADA have

done their nation proud up until the

very last day,” Barclay said.

AMD was created in order to

serve as the 1st ID commanding

general’s advisor on all matters

related to air and missile defense, as

well as to provide early warning and

to perform airspace management

functions for the Division.

The detachment will serve as an

interim organization until the 1st ID

converts to a modular division

structure.

Soldiers of 4-3 ADA render honors during the unit’s inactivation ceremony Sept. 15 at Leighton Barracks.

(Right) MAJ Clark R. Denman,

former 4th Battalion, 3rd Air

Defense Artillery Regiment

commander, and SFC Samuel

Addison, acting sergeant

major, case the unit colors

during an inactivation

ceremony Sept. 15 at

Leighton Barracks.

Cases colors af Cases colors af Cases colors after 211 years 1 years 1 years

Army’s oldest s oldest s oldest ADA battalion ... alion ... alion ...
A heavily camouflaged pre-sniper school student takes steady aim at Camp Robertson Sept. 28. After graduation, stude

 6
nts left for the U.S. Army Sniper School at Fort Benning, Ga.

A student in the pre-sniper course camouflages his

weapon before the stalking portion of the course at

Camp Robertson Sept. 28.

Story and photos by SPC Joe Alger

Staff writer, 1st ID PAO

Thirty Soldiers from the 1st Infantry Division were given a

head start in their quest to become snipers by attending a

three week pre-sniper course at Camp Robertson Sept. 21-

Oct. 12.

According to SFC Bradley Hardin, 1st ID training

detachment noncommissioned officer in charge, the course

focuses primarily on tasks such as range estimation, target

detection, stalking and marksmanship. Once the Soldiers

complete the pre-sniper course, they are immediately sent to

the U.S. Army Sniper School at Fort Benning, Ga., where they

will be further trained on the tasks they learned at Camp

Robertson and then tested on their knowledge and

proficiency.

 7
“We obviously know a lot more than when we started the

course,” said SGT Ryan Ferre, an A Company, 9th Engineer Battalion

combat engineer. “This school gives you a general outline of what

being a sniper is. If you can excel in each of the events here, you’ll

be a sniper.”

Hardin said the pre-sniper course sets the Soldiers up for

success at sniper school for a number of reasons.

“One thing this course does is take away the mysticism from

sniper school because they know what the course is about and

what tasks they’re going to be evaluated on. They’re not seeing it

for the first time,” Hardin said.

While snipers are traditionally infantry Soldiers, there were also

Soldiers from several other job fields who participated. Ferre, and

SGT Brandon Sims, an artillery gunner with C Battery, 1st Battalion,

7th Field Artillery Regiment, were two such Soldiers.

“To be a combat engineer and get a chance to go to sniper

school is very rare,” Ferre said. “Any opportunity we have to

attend a school like this, we try to take full advantage of.”

Sims was also grateful for the opportunity to attend the class

because he said it gave him an opportunity to represent his unit

and show that field artillery Soldiers can train side by side with

infantry Soldiers.

“It’s good the Army is changing, letting everyone be a rifleman

and teaching everyone the infantry and sniper tactics,” he said.

Hardin was pleased with the effort put forth in the class by all of

the Soldiers, regardless of their jobs.

 “They had a little difficulty in the beginning with range

estimation, but we hit them with it over and over again until they

got it,” Hardin said. “After that, I was really surprised at how much

they excelled at the other tasks in the course. The non-infantry

A student in the pre-sniper course at Camp Robertson dons his gillie suit prior to commencing the stalking portion of the 

 8
e course.

Soldiers in the course were just as proficient at completing the

tasks as their infantry counterparts, Hardin added.

 For Sims, one particularly challenging aspect of the course

was stalking.

“Low-crawling and trying to go undetected for 150-200 meters

with all your equipment on was difficult. We spent about four or

five days doing stalks in different terrain. It was hard but fun,” he

said.

While the course wasn’t restricted to infantry Soldiers, Hardin

said there are still several requirements Soldiers must meet in

order to attend the pre-sniper course and subsequently, the U.S.

Army Sniper School.

“They need to be able to consistently score expert on their

weapons qualification. They need a GT score of at least 100 and

score at least 70 percent in each (APFT event),” Hardin said.

Completing sniper school is good for career advancement and

promotion points, but it also helps Soldiers become more valuable

to their units.

“Having snipers with you is a really good combat multiplier for

any unit and commander,” Hardin said. “The Soldiers’ ability to

reduce targets from over 300 meters away without being detected

as well as their ability to report battlefield information really

enhances any commander’s ability to fight.”

Instructors in the pre-sniper course see if they can detect any movement by students

during the stalking portion of training Sept. 28 at Camp Robertson.

 9
1st ID Band represents represents represents represents represents U.S.

at International International International International International Music Fest

 10

The 1st Infantry Division Band

represented the United States at the fifth

International Military Music Festival Nov.

8 in Cologne, Germany.

The festival’s theme was the 50th

celebration of the German Army. Along

with bands from the German military, the 1st

ID Band performed with bands from

Denmark, Russia, the United Kingdom,

Poland and Spain. The two-hour show for

more than 10,000 audience members also

featured the German Police Motorcycle

team from Hamburg and the Emerald Isle

Irish Dance Team.

1st ID Band represents represents represents represents represents U.S.

at International International International International International Music Fest

The 1st Infantry Division Band represents the United States in the fifth International Military Music Festival Nov. 8 in

Cologne, Germany. The festival celebrated the 50th anniversary of the German Army.

Story by CW2 W. Scott MacDonald

1st Infantry Division Band

The 1st ID Band performed an allAmerican themed show that featured a

tribute to the Division, an honor to the

victims of hurricane Katrina and a preview

of the band’s return to Fort Riley, Kansas.

“What a great honor it is to represent the

Army and the United States at this event,”

said SPC Christopher Nichols, a clarinetist.

SSG Steven Spohn, a trombone player,

added, “We had a great time interacting

with all of the musicians. It’s kind of sad we

won’t be here next year.”

Band members said they were energized

by the audience’s reaction.

“You could feel the excitement from the

crowd, especially when we broke into New

Orleans- style Dixie land. Everyone was just

going crazy at that point,” said SPC Kevin

Tagney, a trumpet player.

The closing piece featured all the

performers in a massed band formation.

Along with the musicians, members of the

German Army marched in formation and

carried torches in a stirring finale that

featured traditional German music.

After the show, the 1st ID Band was

asked to perform for the other musicians.

Soon, the traditional after-show reception

turned into a jam session featuring 1st ID

Band members and musicians from around

the world.
 11

CSM John D. Fourhman, 1st Infantry Division command sergeant major, and BG Peter J. Palmer, 1st ID assistant

division commander for support, give SFC Iona Teriipaia his certificate of retirement before presenting him with a

Meritorious Service Medal.

Soldiers, family members and civilians

from U.S. Army Garrison Franconia

recognized seven Soldiers during the 1st

Infantry Division’s Retirement Ceremony at

Victory Park Oct 19.

After an invocation by Chaplain (MAJ)

Abdul-Rasheed Muhammad, Division

Support Command chaplain, BG Peter J.

Palmer introduced the retiring Soldiers –

MSG Terry Shepherd, SFCs Christopher

Council, Norman Dick, Rodney Figeroa,

Wilton Hobbs, Michael Shephard and Iona

Teriipaia – and talked about their

contributions to the Army.

“Several years

ago, each of these

young men took an

oath in answer to a profound calling –

arguably the most solemn oath a young adult

can make – one that changes lives forever,”

Palmer told the more than 100 people in

attendance. “They swore to support and

defend the constitution of the United States

against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

They pledged themselves to voluntarily

serve their country in ways that so many

will never understand.”

During their careers, those Soldiers

recognized served well-known units such as

the 82nd Airborne Division, 101st Airborne

Division, 1st Armored Division, 2nd Infantry

Division and 5th Infantry Division, in

addition to the Big Red One.

“You have each

epitomized the Army

Values and have lived the Warrior Ethos

each and every day that you have put on

the Army uniform,” continued Palmer.

“There is no doubt in my mind that you will

do the same for the rest of your lives.”

After his speech, Palmer presented each

Soldier with a Meritorious Service Medal, a

certificate of retirement, a coin, a cased

American flag and a rose for each spouse.

“I’m not ready,” said Shepherd with a

grin. “If I could stay, I would stay.”

Story and photo by

SPC Stephen Baack

Staff writer, 1st ID PAO
Artillery Soldiers get ... Artillery Soldiers get ... Artillery Soldiers get ...

back to back to back toBasics

 12

Story by Mark Heeter

U.S. Army Garrison Schweinfurt

Public Affairs Office

2LT Kamili Williamson, a fire support officer with the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry

Regiment, uses binoculars to get a closer view of the action during a live fire

conducted by the 1st Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment Oct. 26 in

Wildflecken.

photo by SSG W. Wayne Marlow

The minutes ticked away without the

scheduled sound of a howitzer firing, and

the commander patiently gave instructions

and asked questions of his Soldiers.

“We’re being very deliberate about this.

We’re not going to rush them to failure,”

said LTC Michael Griffith, commander of

the 1st Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment,

which spent several weeks in October and

November conducting section certifications in Wildflecken Training Area.

The unit re-familiarized itself with its

weapons systems after a pause in live firing

of more than two years for many of its

Soldiers. Two of the battalion’s three firing

batteries spent their year in Iraq essentially

as motorized infantrymen – not

artillerymen.

“If I was a private and I joined this

battalion in 2003, and now I’m a senior

specialist, I haven’t fired my howitzer. This

is their opportunity to train at their trade,”

Griffith said.

“First they were in Kosovo, which was a

no-artillery mission; then they went

straight to Iraq, which was a non-artillery

mission,” he said.

Griffith sees three essential tasks for his

battalion. The first is mastering basic

warrior skills. The second is employing its

command-and-control expertise. The third

is something only they can provide for the

2nd Brigade Combat Team.

“Only we can shoot artillery and mass

artillery for the second brigade, so that’s

the piece we have to train at, and we

haven’t done that as a battalion in a long

time,” he said.

“For this training event, we made it into

a multi-echelon training environment,” said

CPT Lee Showman, commander of the fire

supporters watching the rounds land in the

impact area.

This involved the inclusion of much

more than simply the firing guns, but also

the radar, surveyors, logistics and even a

German army unit that provided

meteorological data throughout the

exercise.

Additionally, the Soldiers had two

weeks of dry-fire training recently to ensure

they were qualified for the next step.

“Every time we make a movement,

we do a tactical road march with the

vehicles, like a combat patrol, like

down in Iraq. We assume we face the same

dangers as we did down there, with IEDs

(Improvised Explosive Devices) and

contact,” Showman said.

“It’s what Soldiers do because we’re all

warriors. Even though we are fire

supporters, we still learn the skills of

infantrymen and execute those skills,

particularly in this infantry task force,” said

MAJ Rocky Lobash, 2nd BCT fire support

officer.

“When you’re back in the garrison, you

can study how the guns fire and all the ins

and outs of the guns, but once you get out

here on the range and experience the

pressure of multiple missions coming at

you all at one time – that’s when you really

get your battlefield training,” said SPC

Aaron Devries, one of the fire supporters

on the hill.

“1-7 FA, as part of the 2nd BCT, is

preparing for combat – high-intensity

combat. That’s what we’re training to

support right now,” Griffith said.

Among the reasons the unit leadership

selected Wildflecken for the training area

was its availability, close proximity to

Schweinfurt and capability of meeting its

training objective.

“We can meet our training objective

there without having to deploy everyone

all the way to Grafenwoehr because we’re

concerned about our families. We’re

mindful of the time away from home,”

Griffith said.

“It is not a large training area. The

impact area is small, but to meet the training

objective of section certification, we can do

it,” he added.

“The Soldiers are doing a great job out

in the field, moving forward, despite

challenges in timing, equipment, despite

some limited training space. The Soldiers

are getting absolutely the most they can

out of this,” he said.

Mixing and matching its duties,

depending on the next mission they

receive, the Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 7th

Field Artillery Regiment move closer to

fully validating their artillery systems in

advance of upcoming battery and battalion

certifications.
 13

FORT RILEY, Kansas - Leaders of the 4th Infantry Brigade

Combat Team – the Dragon Brigade – personally validated some of

the brigade’s developed tactics, techniques and procedures

during Omega training Nov. 9 at Camp Forsyth.

Members of the 610th Brigade Support Battalion spearheaded

the training, teaching potentially life-saving techniques to prepare

Soldiers for what they might experience on convoys.

The training covers what Soldiers should do if their convoy was

stopped because the road ahead was blocked, what to do if

receiving hostile fire, and how to evacuate casualties and disabled

vehicles.

After demonstrating the various TTPs, Soldiers of the 610th BSB

supervised Soldiers from other Dragon Brigade units as they

practiced the various battle drills, including a blocked ambush; an

attack from the left, right, front and rear; rollover drills; and

launching a counter-attack.

Even though the war-time scenarios were simulated, Soldier

execution of the TTP actions was not. Just ask the few individuals

who were designated as casualties.

Some of the casualties were evacuated on litters while others

where literally dragged to safety.

If a vehicle was determined to be disabled, Soldiers drove the

recovery vehicle into the engagement area, even while under

simulated enemy fire.

They dismounted, as necessary, and expeditiously recovered

the vehicle and personnel.

Rather than using a traditional and time-consuming tow bar to

4th BCT validates validates validates validates validates TTPs

Story and photo by Kollin L. Taylor

4th Brigade Combat Team PAO

pull the disabled

vehicle, Soldiers

used a tow rope to

expedite the recovery process. Using

a tow rope limits

Soldiers’ exposure

to enemy fire.

However, SFC

Delwin M. Ferguson, maintenance control sergeant with D Company, 610th BSB, advised the Dragon Brigade leaders about the

risks of using a tow rope.

He stressed the importance of first ensuring the recovery

vehicle can actually tow the disabled vehicle.

For example, a 2 1⁄2-ton vehicle cannot effectively recover a fiveton vehicle. Additionally, the tow rope must have sufficient tensile

strength to bear the weight of the recovered vehicle.

Ferguson recommends a 25,000-pound weight-rated tow rope

for vehicles weighing more than five tons.

The recovery of a disabled vehicle is potentially hazardous

even when all of the Soldiers remain in the vehicle during the

recovery, Ferguson pointed out.

Soldiers must use verbal or nonverbal means to let each other

know when they complete their individual tasks, he stressed.

The Dragon Brigade’s battle drills were developed using

various references, such as Army regulations and field manuals

and lessons learned from Iraq operations.

Two chemical platoons from a newlyformed, multi-component company are set

to become the only units in Europe certified

to deploy with the new Biological

Integrated Detection System.

With the support of the 1st Infantry

Division’s 12th Chemical Company and the

455th Chemical Brigade providing

certification support, the two activecomponent platoons of the 307th Chemical

Company (Forward) executed a Final

Operational Capability Certification

exercise at the Joint Multinational

Readiness Center in Hohenfels Nov. 14-21.

The company was formed during the fall

of 2004. Since March, they have been

training on tasks ranging from skill level

one training to crew- and platoon-level

training, said 1LT David Newhouse, 3rd

Platoon leader, 307th Chem. Co.

“The training involved the Warrior

Tasks, including react to contact, react to

IEDs, react to small-arms ambush, to the

BIDS-specific training as well, what our

actual mission is – setting up and

conducting biological surveillance,” said

Newhouse.

The new BIDS system, known as the

Joint Biological Point-Detection System,

differs from its predecessors because it

combines what before were separate work

stations into one Humvee-mounted box,

said SFC John Welton, noncommissioned

officer in charge, 307th Chem. Co.

The new system takes samples of the air

and processes it to determine whether a

BIDS platoons gain certification

Story and photo by

SPC Stephen Baack

Staff writer, 1st ID PAO

biological agent is present, said Newhouse.

Once it does, an assigned processor will

process the sample, and the computer in

the BIDS will provide a positive or negative

reading. Soldiers in the unit can then take

the sample and reading, package it up and

evacuate it to a laboratory for confirmatory

analysis. And if it becomes confirmed, it

can be used as evidence in a world court.

According to the exercise scenario, two

Middle Eastern countries have decided to

support Iraqi insurgents and plan to use

“all means” necessary to gain an

advantage. EUCOM has directed the

deployment of BIDS platoons to Iraq. The

platoons will conduct tactical movement to

critical nodes for biological detection.

For the platoons, this meant conducting

combat patrols, area array surveillance,

see BIDS, page 27

CPT Scott Steele of HHB, 2nd Bn., 32nd

FA, leads a quick reaction force

during Omega training.
Story by SSG W. Wayne Marlow

Editor, 1st ID PAO

NORMANDY, France - The 1st Infantry Division’s staff ride Oct.

3-6 went beyond museum pieces and photos, and brought

participants face to face with living links to a pivotal moment in

world history.

Following an all-night bus ride from Leighton Barracks,

participants arrived at the Pegasus Bridge in northern France, in

what had been the British First Corps’ sector during World War II.

 14

1st ID leaders leaders leaders

visit N ormandy ormandy ormandy ormandy ormandy

D-Day veteran Ray Lambert (center) returns to Omaha Beach and

recounts his experiences there to 1st ID staff members Oct. 6.

Over breakfast, 1st ID leaders listened to a

narrative by Arlette Gondree-Pritchett, the café

owner who, as a young child, survived the Nazi

invasion of her hometown.

It was in 1934 that her parents bought the café

next to the Pegasus Bridge, and her earliest

memories are good ones.

“It was a happy life, but one day our life

changed,” Gondree-Pritchett said in an emotional

but composed voice. “The Germans came. They

seized our house, and they used our church

tower as a control tower.”

What had been an ideal childhood

transformed overnight into a fight for survival.

On two occasions, Germans came close to killing

her mother.

“Our life was under great pressure,” GondreePritchett recalled. “The Germans were quite

brash.”

The invasion sometimes meant GondreePritchett had to be away from her mother, which

“was very difficult. I was quite little at the time.”

Her mother knew just enough German that by

listening inconspicuously to the invaders, she

knew the Nazis were planning on blowing up the

bridge that sat adjacent to the café.

“Our home would go with it if they did,”

Gondree-Pritchett recalled. She displayed a clear

memory throughout her story, recalling the

smallest detail from decades prior.

One such memory was of being jolted awake

by a tremendous noise. With the house still

reverberating from the shake, Gondree-Pritchett

and her family hustled into their cellar, with only

straw mattresses separating them from the cold

floor.

More loud noises followed, this time closer to

the house. Men in uniform burst through the door,

and Gondree-Pritchett thought she and her family

were about to be killed. But then she noticed the

uniforms were different than those she had seen

before. The Allies had arrived.

Instead of a Nazi stomping ground, the café

became a makeshift Allied hospital, and the family

had reason to hope. Fighting became more intense, but in the end

the Nazis were driven out, and the family got to keep the café,

which Gondree-Pritchett still runs.

“It was a team effort,” she said to the staff ride participants.

“Thank you for what your country has done.”

Following Gondree-Pritchett’s powerful history lesson, MG

Kenneth W. Hunzeker, 1st Infantry Division commander, laid out the

1st ID’s D-Day accomplishments, and participants toured the area

around the Pegasus Bridge.
 15

The Pegasus Bridge cafe, owned by the same family

since 1934, was the first stop on the staff ride. Owner

Arlette Gondree-Pritchett recounted her war-time

experiences to the staff ride participants.

the beach where he believed he landed and hear him describe his

experience, especially with the weather being similar to how it was

on D-Day, gave it a feel of realism.”

British MG John Riley and military historian Sam Doss provided

in-depth narrative histories at each of the stops. They went

beyond a recitation of the facts and delved into what battle

strategies both sides had and how those strategies were adjusted

as necessary once the fighting began.

One example of adjusting on the fly occurred near St. MereEglise, one of the stops. There, paratroopers from the 82nd and 101st

Airborne divisions inadvertently got intermingled. “But they knew

the commander’s intent, so no further guidance was needed,” Riley

said.

The Soldiers meshed into small groups and began ambushing

Germans and cutting their communications lines.

 Besides detailing the Allied strategies, Riley also discussed

Germany’s defensive measures on a site where German World War

II fortifications still stand.

The one German on the staff ride, LTC Sascha Blankenburg, said

he felt comfortable

going along.

“I was asked if

Germans going on

this ride today would

feel offended. Not at

all,” said Blankenburg, a 13th Panzer

Grenadier Division

communications

officer. “This is a

totally different time.

You should never

forget.”

LTC Benjamin Everson takes a

closer look at a battlefield stop.

The staff ride afforded 1st ID

leaders the chance to walk the

ground on which their Big Red

One predecessors had helped the

United States win World War II.

Stops on the four-day trip

included many battle sites such as

Omaha, Utah, Gold and Juno

Beaches, plus sites of airborne

drops and thick hedgerows.

 For many, the third day proved

the most moving. After Hunzeker

laid a wreath at the 1st ID memorial

at Omaha Beach, participants got

to hear a first-hand account of DDay from Ray Lambert. Lambert

served as a staff sergeant medic

with the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry

Regiment during the invasion.

Following Lambert’s emotional talk, participants toured the

adjacent U.S. cemetery.

The memorials and battlefields made for a memorable trip,

according to CSM Jerry Taylor of 1st Infantry Division Artillery.

“The knowledge and information we’ve received at every site

brings it to life,” Taylor said. “And having Mr. Lambert stand on

The 1st Infantry Division’s staff ride to France Oct. 3-6 brought participants face to

face with living links to a pivotal moment in world history.
Story by SSG W. Wayne Marlow

Editor, 1st ID PAO

NORMANDY, France - The terrain at Omaha

Beach remains as imposing today as it was on June 6,

1944, when the D-Day invasion gave the Allies the

momentum necessary to march to victory.

More than 61 years later, under dark gray skies and

into a sweeping wind that mimicked D-Day

conditions, a veteran of the battle tackles the beach

and wins once again.

At 85, Ray Lambert trots quickly up the steep,

rocky hills as if he were still a 24-year-old staff

sergeant medic serving with the 2nd Battalion, 16th

Infantry Regiment. Neither the Nazis nor time have

been able to vanquish him.

Lambert credits his remarkable health to an active

lifestyle that includes golf, wood chopping and

building fences.

“Every day 1,100 World War II veterans die,” he

said. “Every time I look in the mirror, I say, ‘You made

it to another day.’”

With his excellent physical and mental health,

Lambert was able to lucidly recall the day he was part

of the largest military offensive in history. For most

participants in the 1st Infantry Division’s staff ride to

Normandy Oct.

3-6, Lambert’s

first-hand account was the

trip’s highlight.

 16

Omaha Beach

More than 60 years after fighting in D-Day, Ray Lambert comes back to

where it all happened - Omaha Beach. Lambert, a staff sergeant medic

with the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment during the invasion, provided

a first-hand account of D-Day to 1st Infantry Division leadership during a

staff ride to Normandy, France, Oct. 3-6.

Return to
h

o

 17

Proudly wearing a “D-Day Survivor” hat, Lambert gave a living

history lesson to an attentive audience of Big Red One leaders.

He recalled training for the invasion, but he and his men were

unaware when or even where it would take place.

When the time finally came, his ship pulled up about 10 miles

from the coast, under cover of darkness at 3 a.m. They next

dropped into their Higgins boats, which would carry them the rest

of the way. This would seem a mundane task, but nothing came

easy on D-Day.

“We dropped anchor into very, very rough seas,” Lambert said.

“You had to go into the boats just so or your leg would break. The

waves were that rough. You had to time it just right. The men

already in the boat would tell you when to jump, and you had to be

very careful.”

The boats reeked of diesel fuel, and if the waves didn’t make

you nauseous, your fellow Soldiers would.

“If you were not sick, some guy would throw up on you, and

you would become sick,” Lambert recalled.

The enormity of the invasion meant that Lambert went into the

battle with more men than he normally had around him.

“We had beefed up so when we got to the beach we would be

able to have as many men as possible,” he recalled. “But plans

don’t always go the way you think they will.”

In fact, only seven of the 31 Soldiers in his boat survived the

day. The others were killed even before reaching shore.

“We hit the land about 6:30. I can’t tell you the exact place or

time. Water was over your head and there was barbed wire and

mines,” Lambert said.

Lambert’s voice occasionally faltered from emotion. But after a

few breaths and some sips of water from 1st Infantry Division

Commander MG Kenneth W. Hunzeker, Lambert was ready to

continue.

“We learned to have the best chance to live and reach the shore

was to go as far under water as you could,” he said.

Lambert was the first of seven men from his boat to reach shore,

where he was quickly wounded in the right elbow. But he kept

going, helping bring fellow Soldiers in from the waves. He saw

horrors such as men in flames jumping overboard and stationary

rocks being turned into lethal projectiles by exploding mortars.

And forget body armor - these Soldiers lacked even hearing

protection, even though they were subjected to noise 10 times

louder than what was portrayed in the movie Saving Private Ryan.

Lambert said the Soldiers remained brave despite the brutality,

but losses were heavy.

“I never heard one word out there, never,” he said. “I didn’t hear

any men crying. They were very good men, and they had

experience, but we had lost a lot. Many of them were floating in the

water.”

Although he was able to rattle off many specifics of the day, at

the time of the invasion it was all a blur.

“Time was meaningless,” Lambert said. “And people ask,

‘What did you see that day?’ Well, it wasn’t a place where you

stood up and looked around.”

Lambert was wounded a second time, and he knew if he

continued he would bleed to death. He was giving instructions to

his replacement when the replacement was gunned down. So he

picked another Soldier to take over, only to see that one killed a

short while later.

Lambert was eventually sent to an Army hospital where he ran

into a Soldier he knew well - his brother.

After the war, Lambert earned a degree from the Massachusetts

Institute of Technology and started two successful software

businesses. He lived in the Boston area for many years before

retiring to Fayetteville, N.C.

In the days before CNN and the Internet, Lambert said even

wounded Soldiers had very little knowledge of how the war was

progressing. But the eventual Allied victory is what he expected.

“Good always wins,” Lambert said. “I still believe that.”
The 1st Infantry Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team is headed to

Iraq next year, and that sits well with one of its newer Soldiers.

“I feel that I’m ready,” said PV2 Joshua Hupp. “I joined to go to

war.”

To help Hupp and his fellow Soldiers in the 1st Battalion, 18th

Infantry Regiment prepare for combat, the unit held a situational

training exercise Nov. 15-18. Each platoon rotated through and

trained on scenarios likely to be seen in Iraq, such as reacting to

improvised explosive devices, cordon and search, and dismounted

patrols.

On Nov. 15, the focus shifted to troop leading procedures. The

scenario required Soldiers with A Company, 1st Bn., 18th Inf. Regt. to

conduct a dismounted patrol from a Bradley Fighting Vehicle and

watch for enemy activity.

Laying in the prone unsupported position and hunkered next to

a tree, Hupp scanned his position.

“Roads are an avenue of approach for the enemy,” he said. “But

you don’t want to leave any room open so you pull 360-degree

security. And you have the Bradley back there as a big part of the

security. And you don’t let any movement go unnoticed.”

Prior to the STX, similar exercises were held at the team and

squad levels, and company-level training is scheduled to follow.

“The training doesn’t stop here,” Hupp said. “It’s good. You

learn a lot.”

Hupp said he considers infantryman to be the best job in the

Army.

“I like getting out here and doing my job and doing what I’ve

got to do to serve my country downrange,” he said.

While Hupp’s deployment to Iraq will be his first, many

others will be making a return trip, which is an

advantage, according to SSG Kim Hiner, a platoon

sergeant with A Co., 1st Bn., 18th Inf. Regt.

“Having been downrange, we know what works and

what doesn’t work,” Hiner said. “This exercise is building

from the ground up, and we incorporate our experiences from

downrange, such as using the box method to react to an IED.”

Whether downrange or preparing for deployment, the

methods are the same.

“Downrange, you just adapt and use what works, and it’s the

same thing here,” Hiner said. “You apply what you know to a

particular situation.”

For those who haven’t been to Iraq, Hiner and other leaders in

the company are helping them along.

“Being out here helps build confidence and camaraderie,” Hiner

said. “It helps us get familiar with each other.”

It will also pay off later, according to SSG William Hannon, a

squad leader with A Co., 1st Bn., 18th Inf. Regt.

“We try to train for stuff that doesn’t always happen,” Hannon

said. “We try to be prepared for anything that comes.”

With the nation at war, Hannon said Soldiers “take the training a

lot more seriously than they would have before 9-11.”

Story and photos by SSG W. Wayne Marlow

Editor, 1st ID PAO

Soldiers with A Company, 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry

Regiment take up position during a dismounted patrol as

part of a situational training exercise Nov. 15.

 18
 19

New weapons tested at Grafenwoehr

Soldiers with the 1st Infantry Division

got a sneak peek at the Army’s future Sept.

24 when they fired three experimental

weapons at Grafenwoehr Training Area.

The new weapons systems are

upgraded versions of a grenade launcher, a

machine gun, and a semi-automatic rifle and

are produced at Picatinny Arsenal, N.J.

LTC Kevin Stoddard, project manager

for crew-served weapons at Picatinny, said

Soldiers were getting a chance to fire “the

next generation of Soldier weapons.” He

said the weapons were built from the

ground up with feedback from Soldiers

after each step. The final result was the

weapons, which were fired Sept. 24.

With optical and thermal sights and little

kickback, the weapons proved easy to fire,

and most Soldiers hit the targets on their

first attempts.

“These weapons allow Soldiers to get

their first round on target, quickly engage

the enemy and move to the next target,”

Stoddard said.

SPC Jason Enriquez, an infantryman

with B Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry

Regiment, was the first Soldier in the area to

fire the XM25, a semiautomatic weapon. He had

glowing reports on its

capabilities.

“It was totally smooth

and light. It shot fantastic,”

he said. “It moves your head

and snaps you back. I never

felt a kick like that before,

but it was smooth. It wasn’t

rough.”

The XM25 is equipped

with a ballistic computer,

thermal sights and zoom

capabilities.

Like Enriquez, SPC

Matthew Krupa also found

the weapon easy to use.

“The accuracy was

amazing,” said Krupa, a

tanker with Headquarters

and Headquarters Troop, 1st

Squadron, 4th U.S. Cavalry

Regiment. “The site was perfect, very

advanced.”

Having the XM25 in Iraq would have

proven beneficial, Krupa added.

“It would be good for getting people

behind walls or ducking behind cars. It

would have helped a lot,” he said.

Also tested was the XM312, which

shoots, handles and maintains like a light

machine gun. SPC Jay Teller and other firers

were amazed at both the accuracy and

steadiness of the XM312.

“It has a site, and it doesn’t move much

because there isn’t much kick, so you can

keep your eye right on the crosshairs,” said

Teller, who serves as a scout with C Troop,

1-4Cav. Regt. “It’s a very easy weapon to

shoot.”

The ability to lay the first round

on target impressed Teller.

“It would have been very

beneficial downrange. There’s zero

time for the bad guy to see what’s

going on,” he said.

That also means a more optimal

use of ammunition, noted SPC

Jonathan Calvin, a fueler with

Headquarters and Headquarters

Company, 121st Signal Battalion.

“It conserves a lot of rounds

because of the accuracy. You can hit

your target every time,” Calvin said.

Also tested was the SM320, a

low-velocity grenade launcher that

either attaches to a host rifle or is

fired as a stand-alone weapon.

Although none of the Soldiers had

used it before, most scored hits on

their first try.

Stoddard said he expects the

fielding of these advanced weapons

to begin in 2008.

Story and photos by

SSG W. Wayne Marlow

Editor, 1st ID PAO

SPC Jason Enriquez of B Company, 2nd Battalion,

2nd Infantry Regiment, fires the experimental XM25

semi-automatic weapon Sept. 24 at Grafenwoehr

Training Area.

SPC Jonathan Calvin, a fueler with Headquarters and Headquarters Company,

121st Signal Battalion, fires the experimental XM312 machine gun Sept. 24 at

Grafenwoehr Training Area.
 20

1-4 Cav moving from h eavy to light

In this time of transition for the Army, many units are

changing the way they train in order to change the way they

fight. Nowhere is this better demonstrated than with the

Soldiers of the 1st Squadron, 4th U.S. Cavalry Regiment, who

are in the process of turning in their tanks and Bradley fighting

vehicles and converting to a lighter, more agile fighting force.

To ease their transition from heavy to light, 1-4 Cav. conducted

“Cav Stakes” training at Camp Robertson Oct. 17-20.

Story and photos by SPC Joe Alger

Staff writer, 1st ID PAO

“With our transition that’s taking place, we have to

focus more on dismounted patrols than the mounted

operations in Bradleys and tanks we’re used to,” said

CPT Justin Chezem, C Troop, 1-4 Cav. troop

commander. “It will take some work. Some of the senior

scouts and tankers in our unit have been working with

heavy tanks and equipment their whole career so we’ll

have to change, not only our tactics, but also our

mindset.”

During the training, 1-4 Cav. Soldiers were tested

on their ability to conduct dismounted patrols and react

A Soldier from C Troop, 1st Squadron, 4th U.S. Cavalry Regiment searches a suspected insurgent while an
 21

to a number of different situations, which can arise

during dismounted patrols.

“We had four checkpoints we had to clear,”

said SPC Oran Carroll, a C Troop, 1-4 Cav. radio

telephone operator. “We hit an obstacle at point

three and had security set up on the near and far

side and had our breach team breach the obstacle.

Once we cleared that obstacle, we were engaged

by the enemy. We lost contact with them and

continued on to our next checkpoint where we set

up an observation post, observed an enemy

vehicle, called for indirect mortar fire and destroyed

the vehicle. From there we secured the site and

captured one enemy POW.”

The 1-4 Cav. Soldiers were trained on how to

conduct these operations on one day and were

evaluated and tested on the training they received

the next day. Following the training, they

conducted a 12-mile foot march back to Conn

Barracks.

According to Chezem, the training was a

yardstick to see how well the Soldiers have

progressed, and it gave them an idea of what they

still need to work on and refine.

“I truly believe we don’t get out to the range

and the field enough so when we do get the

opportunity to get out, we need to maximize it,”

Chezem said. “All the Soldiers in the Army,

especially combat arms, need to know their craft.

The training needs to happen to keep their skills

fresh in their minds because we never know when

we’ll have to deploy and put those skills to use.”

Chezem said his main training objective was

that his Soldiers learn the teamwork and cohesion

that’s required at squad- and section-level

operations.

Another major goal of the training was to help

the Soldiers get used to “a different way of

scouting,” said SSG John Finn, C Troop, a 1-4 Cav.

squad leader.

“Scouting in vehicles is quick and precise. It’s

a lot slower and stealthier

when you’re dismounted

because all you have is

what you’re wearing to

protect you and what

you’re carrying to fight

with instead of having a

Bradley filled up with

ammunition,” Finn said.

“It’s important because

it teaches the guys that we

have to rely on each other

and not just the equipment.”

nother Soldier pulls security during dismounted patrol training.

A 1-4 Cav. Soldier takes

up a fighting position

during “Cav Stakes”

training at Camp

Robertson Oct. 17-20.
 22

SPC James E. Lambus, a crew chief from 2nd Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, fires the M-60 machine gun from a grounde
 23

Story and photos by

SPC Stephen Baack

Staff writer, 1st ID PAO

ed UH-60 Black Hawk Oct. 19 at Wildflecken.

Staying in garrison is far from what the

crew chiefs of A Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st

Aviation Regiment signed up for upon joining

the Army, and their recent training only

reinforces that point.

During the unit’s two week semi-annual

gunnery, its Soldiers executed individual and

crew-served weapons training at various

ranges across the Wildflecken Training Area.

Additionally, four new UH-60 Black Hawk

crew chiefs from A Co. familiarized themselves

with and qualified on the M-60 machine gun.

This training is important because on a

fundamental level Soldiers need to be experts

with their assigned weapons, whether they’re

part of an air crew or whether they’re firing

their crew-served or individual weapons in

combat operations, said LTC Guy M. Zero, 2-

1 Avn. Regt. commander.

With the close supervision and coaching

of a flight instructor, four new crew chiefs

learned how to properly mount the M-60

machine gun to the aircraft, how to load the

mount can and brass bag, and learned how

to load the weapon and fire from a grounded

Black Hawk.

Next was the aerial gunnery component –

with a twist – as crew chiefs donned their M40 protective masks before firing. The Black

Hawk steadily made its way across the rear

range line as each crew chief fired at targets

more than 800 meters away.

“Shooting from the air and on the move is

much, much different than sitting on the

ground and trying to hit one single target,”

said SPC Aaron M. Ferguson, Black Hawk

crew chief and flight instructor from A Co., 2-

1 Avn. Regt. “So what we’re doing is moving

around, back and forth, left and right trying

to hit different targets, and these are very,

very far away targets – 800, 900 meters. It

presents more of a challenge than just sitting

on the ground.”

Ferguson had been doing his job for about

four years when he became a crew chief during

his tour in Iraq. His unit was short two flight
instructors, so he volunteered for one of

the slots.

“If we don’t have a gunnery, and we

don’t do this all the time, people will lose

their skills,” said Ferguson. “It’s just like

any other small arms range. This is just

done from the air.”

“This is the smallest range that I’ve

seen just because the way the range is

set up,” Ferguson added. “It’s set up

like a valley. We didn’t have a lot of

maneuverability

room. Comparing

it back to Iraq,

there we were

flying around 130,

140 miles an hour.

Here, we’re doing

walking speed –

maybe running.

It’s apples and

 24

SPC Aaron M. Ferguson, crew chief and

flight instructor from A Co., 2-1 Avn. Regt.,

shows fellow Soldiers how to load the M60 machine gun.

oranges here – can’t really compare. So

what we really need to do is go to the

range more often. We need more realistic

ranges.”

But new crew chief SPC James E.

Lambus is confident.

“We’ve got good flight instructors ...

They’re able to steer the guys in the right

direction and make sure we get the job

done, get some good hits – just

familiarization.”
 25

The 1st Infantry Division’s 9th Engineer

Battalion is training to adapt and overcome

any situation it encounters. Whether it is a

broken down vehicle or power outage,

simulated enemy fire or building cordon and

search, the engineers are proving they are

fit to fight.

Camp Robertson was the engineers’

training ground Dec. 4-10, and the mission

was clear — to certify each engineer

platoon in its Warrior Task — combat

engineer support to combat, combat

support and combat service support units

in 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st ID.

“We’re working in and around local

training Area Mike along with (the 1st

Battalion, 77th Armor Regiment). (This

provides) us the opportunity to do crossunit coordination. As they move in the

central portion of the local training area

where they can maneuver tanks, we’re

operating primarily on the external areas in

Story and photo by Debra Gosinski

U.S. Army Garrison Schweinfurt

Public Affairs Office

9th Engineers use system of prechecksto ensure mission success

the more heavily wooded regions with

smaller vehicles because of the multitude of

missions that engineer forces do” said MAJ

David Ray, the 9th Eng. Bn. operations officer.

The December training at Camp

Robertson is thorough and intense.

“Each platoon goes through a 36-hour

battle run during which they conduct three

distinct engineer-type missions that are

somewhat unique to the field environment,”

said Ray.

During that time period Soldiers from the

battalion conducted an area reconnaissance

and clearing mission, and a route

reconnaissance with the additional task of

setting up traffic control points, Ray said.

Additionally, the engineers were required to

report all hazards, such

as suspected explosive

devices and IEDs.

When a hazard was

encountered, the

engineers were required to call in a

situational report to

higher as well as move

and mark the lane through that

hazard in order to enable

freedom of movement along the

route, Ray added.

To ensure each mission is

executed properly, the Soldiers

of the 9th Eng. Bn. use a system

called “The Dagger Big Nine.”

The steps of the Dagger Big

Nine include developing a solid

operations order; taking full

advantage of all available

terrain maps, models and

graphics; carrying out precombat checks and inspections;

conducting rehearsals; maintaining security and implementing force protection requirements according to current

threat levels; conducting

thorough reconnaissance and

surveillance missions; practicing good time management;

following proper risk

management procedures; and

developing a good resupply and medical

evacuation plan.

“The Dagger Big Nine is a series of steps

leaders go through to ensure that they cover

all the bases before they execute a mission,”

said LTC Glen Masset, the 9th Eng. Bn.

commander. “It’s not necessarily the

scenario in the lane where we learn the big

lessons, it’s the forgetting to do something

before you left — or how you reacted in an

unplanned event — where the lessons are

learned.”

“We stress safety. If we do it out here,

and we say this is what right looks like, then

that’s the way we’re always going to do

business. We won’t accept what right looks

like until it’s right,” Masset added.

Soldiers from 1st Platoon, C Company, 9th Engineer Battalion follow behind an M113

Armored Personnel Carrier as they move to clear an insurgent hideout during training.

‘Each platoon goes through a 36-hour

battle run during which they conduct three

distinct engineer-type missions ...’

- MAJ David Ray, 9th Eng. Bn. S-3
 26

Story and photos by SPC Joe Alger

Staff writer, 1st ID PAO

SFC Curis E. Woolsey, a platoon sergeant with C Company, 1st Battalion, 77th Armor Regiment, talks through his

headset prior to a live fire accuracy screening test for an M1A1 Abrams tank at Grafenwoehr Training Area Nov. 4.

One important aspect of Soldiering is making sure your

equipment is running smoothly so when it comes time to use it,

there’s nothing to worry about. But when your equipment includes

more than 40 M1A1 Abrams tanks, like it does for the Soldiers of 1st

Battalion, 77th Armor Regiment, making sure your equipment runs

smoothly involves more than a simple service check. So instead, 1-

77 Armor Soldiers conducted a gunnery at Grafenwoehr Training

Area Oct. 31-Nov. 10.

The Soldiers first conducted three days of tests on their tanks to

identify deficiencies and also to brush up on their tanker skills.

The battalion hasn’t conducted a gunnery since April 2003, and

since the battalion will be conducting a level one gunnery next

February, the command team wanted to identify any deficiencies

with the tanks now, said MAJ Kevin Jacobi, 1-77 Armor operations

officer.

“We have three different kinds of tanks in our battalion right

now,” Jacobi said. “Tanks that went to Iraq with us, tanks that

stayed here in Germany while we were in Iraq and tanks we

acquired from other places since we returned from Iraq.” The goal

of the gunnery was to make sure all three categories of tanks were

operating on the same level, Jacobi said.

“You can do all sorts of checks on your tank, but the only way to

know for sure if it’s working right is to shoot a big bullet through

it,” he said.

Day one of the gunnery was a live fire accuracy screening test

for the tanks, which is a step-by-step process that ensures

the systems are working properly and the tanks are

firing correctly, according to CPT Derrick

Daniels, 1-77 Armor personnel

officer. The Soldiers

attempted to

correct any deficiencies in their tanks, and if they found a problem

the maintenance team can’t fix, new parts were ordered.

“Some of these tanks haven’t been fired in almost two years so

we’ve got a couple tanks in the maintenance bay,” said SFC Curtis

E. Wooley, C Co., 1-77 Armor first platoon sergeant . “Hopefully it’s

a simple component swap and not a major fix.”

But even if the tanks do have problems, Jacobi said he’d rather

they were identified and fixed now.

“We’ve had a few fire control system problems, but we’re able

to fix them and place parts on order now and get them in time,”

Jacobi said. “If the Army wants to commit tank battalions to go to

Iraq, they have to put in the time, training and resources to do it.”

Once the fire control systems were operational, the second day

featured a live fire test of the tanks’ machine guns and main guns.

On day three Soldiers moved the tanks into an open field and

conducted maneuvers and tank formations. This part of the

gunnery helps Soldiers brush up on their basic tanker skills, which

many of them hadn’t practiced recently.

Many of the 1-77 Soldiers conducted infantry tasks and tactics

during their deployment to Iraq, Jacobi said, so some of them

hadn’t been in a tank for a long time and in some cases hadn’t been

in a tank at all.

“The war on terrorism has caused us to be a lot more diversified

in our skills. In some cases we have some young sergeants who

have never gunned on a tank before because we haven’t given

them the opportunity to tank, so a lot of them have to re-learn the

basics,” Jacobi said.

Following the maneuver exercise, Soldiers had a recovery day to

clean the tanks and equipment and ship them back to Schweinfurt.

Following the exercise, Jacobi said he’s confident all the hard

work to ensure the battalion’s tanks are fully operational and the

valuable training each Soldier received would

make for an “awesome” gunnery in February.
 27

military operations on urbanized terrain and executing the Warrior

Tasks within the rules of engagement against opposition forces –

all while performing detection procedures.

“The certification is the most important (part of the FOCC)

because we are the only two platoons here in Europe and because

we are a (European Command) asset,” said Newhouse. “It is vital

we become certified as quickly as possible so we are available for

EUCOM and (U.S. Army Europe) for use for

future combat operations.

“Overall (the Soldiers) performed

awesome,” said Newhouse. “I couldn’t ask

for a better group of Soldiers. Despite the

weather conditions, the morale is high and

they’ve performed extremely well.”

“It’s basically a brand new unit,” said

LTC George Frank, commander, 479th

Chemical Battalion, a Reserve unit based in

New York. “They’ve come together from

scratch. They’ve come a long way in a little

over 12 months to get to this point, and this

is their big confidence builder. They’ve

been mostly training on squad-level tasks

and this, I believe, is their first collective,

platoon-level training exercise that they’ve

had. They’ve been doing great so far. The

key thing here is that they’re learning along

the way. We’ve got resident (observer/

controllers) here from Hohenfels and

experts from back in the states from the

school house who have been certified at

the school house.

BIDS B ,, from f page 13

1LT David Newhouse, 3rd Platoon leader, 307th Chemical Company (Forward),

briefs his squad leaders during an operations order at a Biological Integrated

Detection System certification exercise in Hohenfels Nov. 14-21.

“They’ve come over here, come together,” said Frank. “They’re

teaching, coaching, mentoring the Soldiers, conducting hot

washes, AARs, and Soldiers are learning a lot. They’re taking

those lessons and applying them to each sequential mission as

they go forward and improve over time. And that’s what we’re

looking for. They’re improving. And they’re gaining confidence in

that. And they’re going to be ready to do whatever Big Army has

them doing in the future.”

Soldiers from 1-77 Armor conducted three days of tests on their M1A1 Abrams tanks prior to conducting a gunnery

at Grafenwoehr Training Area Oct. 31-Nov. 10.
1st ID Medal of Honor recipient

CPL Henry F. Warner

Serving as a 57-mm antitank gunner with the 2nd Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, CPL Henry F. Warner

made major contributions to stopping the enemy tanks during heavy attacks near Dom Butgenbach,

Belgium, Dec. 20-21, 1944. Ignoring the cannon, machine gun and tank fire bearing down on him, he

destroyed two of the tanks. He then took out the commander of a third tank with small arms fire. Early the

next day, Warner took out a fourth tank and was reloading when he was killed by machine guns.