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Tropic Lightning -- 1 February 2001
 Photo(s) by Sgt. Travis C. Butler Soldiers from 1st Bn., 27th Inf. load rounds for a live fire Jan. 24.  Staff Sgt. Ernest Edgerly, squad leader teaches Pvt. Autry Long, rifleman, how to shoot an AT-4 weapon. | Wolfhounds prepare for JRTC with "Operation Pitts 96" live-fire exercise By Sgt. Travis C. Butler "Operation Pitts 96" a 96-hour field training exercise at Schofield Barracks, kicked off Jan. 21 for Company A, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry. Training started with three days of search-and-attack missions. Soldiers then received air-movement briefs to prepare them for an air assault that led them to the rehearsals of Military Operations in Urban Terrain. On the last day of the exercise Soldiers executed and tested their skills over three ranges during various live-fires. Soldiers executed tasks such as secure a village, set up a support-by-fire position and enter and clear a trench. Company first sergeant, 1st Sgt. Dennis Zavodsky said this type of training exercise is good preparation for the Joint Readiness Training Center. "This mission is part of our company's mission essential task list and it is a mission that we would be expected to do in combat. This is realistic as you can get without having people shoot back at you," said Zavodsky. The requirements of moving across three ranges gave Soldiers a realistic environment by letting them experience terrain changes and different combat situations."There are a lot of Soldiers moving around with live ammunition and it helps them do their job without being scared," said 1st Lt. Claude Drevet, platoon leader. "I have a lot of new guys, and they need to gain confidence in firing live rounds," Drevet said. Soldiers of all ranks agreed that this exercise taught them the confidence and capabilities of their weapon systems and teamwork among their comrades. Pfc. Brad McDougall, M240 machine gunner said, "When we are doing a live fire we get a chance to test our marksmanship. Every-thing that we do today is what we will be doing in real life." Staff Sgt. Harris Dickerson, squad leader, said that the training was real, and it was a good experience for the younger Soldiers. "If your Soldiers execute well here, they will execute well in combat," he said. |
