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Tropic Lightning -- 14 November 2000
 Photo(s) by Staff Sgt. Michael C. Westerfield Soldiers from Co. A, 1st Bn., 27th Inf., lift and move a tent to a new location as the finishing touches are added to Camp Millett, Japan.  Sgt. 1st Class William M. Johnson, an operations sergeant with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry, moves his personal gear to his sleeping quarters as the Wolfhounds settle in for Operation Keen Sword. | Wolfhounds ready to swing into action at Keen Sword By Michael C. Westerfield AIBANO TRAINING AREA, Japan - Bus after bus full of Soldiers rolled into Aibano Training Area, Japan, as 502 Wolfhounds from 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry, arrived Nov. 2 and Friday for Operation Keen Sword 2001, a three-week, joint training exercise. The annual exercise is designed to refine and improve bilateral operations between the U.S. Army and the Japanese Ground Self Defense Force at the regimental, battalion and company levels. It also provides an opportunity for U.S. and Japanese servicemembers to serve as goodwill ambassadors. "I think the Japanese feel reassured by exercises like this," said Pfc. Nicholas J. Maas, of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Bn., 27th Inf. Medical Platoon. "Japan knows we’re allies and are willing to come to their aid if we’re needed. I’m looking forward to seeing how they do things differently so we can learn from each other." Along with the 1st Bn., 27th Inf. Soldiers, nearly 100 additional U.S. Army, Japan, troops including active duty, Reserve and National Guard Soldiers are attached to the task force for the exercise. The combined exercise in-cludes 595 personnel from the 15th Regiment, 2nd Combined Brigade, Middle Army, Japanese Ground Self Defense Force. The training includes squad maneuver live-fire training, anti-tank firing, military operations, medical evacuation training, field training exercises, convoy operations, containerized delivery system airdrops, and combat search and rescue missions. Renamed Camp Millett for the exercise, Aibano Training Area lies in the rolling hills northeast of Osaka on the main island of Honshu, close to the Sea of Japan. The camp is named after retired Col. Lewis J. Millett, honorary regimental commander who earned the Medal of Honor while serving in the 1st Bn., 27th Inf. during the Korean War. The camp has been upgraded to include; a dining facility that converts into a theater and recreation center at night; a complete gym in a tent with weights, exercise machines and aerobic equipment; a shower facility big enough to take care of more than 600 Soldiers; and enough billeting and support facilities to take care of just about any need the Soldiers may have during the deployment. Most of the facilities were up and running when the Soldiers arrived. About five days before the unit deployed, Soldiers from the 17th Intermediate Staging Base started preparing for the exercise. "When we got here, this place was just a shell," said Spc. Theresa E. Coleman, an administrative specialist, with 17th ISB. "This is good training for us too. It’s exactly what we do in our wartime mission. The payoff for deployed Soldiers is all they have to focus on is their scheduled training. We take care of everything else." During the first few days at Camp Millett, the infantrymen and their Japanese counterparts will iron out the last few details to prepare for the training. Soldiers will work side by side in all aspects of battalion-level training. Besides the training, Operation Keen Sword includes cultural tours, visits to Japanese family homes and a visit to the Holy Family Orphanage. This will allow Soldiers to experience Japanese culture and share some U.S. culture with them, said Command Sgt. Maj. Franklin G. Ashe, 1st Bn., 27th Inf. command sergeant major. |
