Members of the 203rd Engineer Battalion are at Fort McCoy, Wis., preparing for a deployment to support Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF).
Since their arrival at Fort McCoy in September, Soldiers from the 203rd, an Army National Guard unit with its home station in Joplin, Mo. have participated in extensive training on equipment and procedures to learn skills they will need to be successful in their mission overseas.
Battalion commander, Lt. Col. Anthony Adrian, said his unit is fortunate to be at a training facility such as Fort McCoy. “The training we have received has been good for our companies and staff.”
Adrian was referring to the 203rd Headquarters and Forward Support companies and 1141st Engineer Company of Missouri, 810th Engineer Company of Georgia and 211th Engineer Company of South Dakota, the latter two attached to the 203rd, and all training at Fort McCoy at the same time and deploying to OEF at the same time.
“Although two companies coming under the command of the 203rd are from Georgia and South Dakota,” Adrian said, “there is a tangible sense of camaraderie between them. They are united by the difficult mission they will be required to do. Every Soldier can relate to one another in that way.”
“Fortunately,” Adrian said, “much of the tactical combat equipment we are training on at Fort McCoy is the same equipment we will operate in theater. This has not always been the case during pre-mobilization phases in the past.”
“The Wisconsin environment is also very similar to Afghanistan,” Adrian said, “so our Soldiers are becoming accustomed to it. Our entire battalion has shown a tremendous amount of enthusiasm for this mission and will continue to train hard in the weeks ahead.”
While at Fort McCoy, the unit planned and executed training to provide them with specific combat, survival and warrior skills.
This training is the cornerstone for priming Soldiers for deployment. Soldiers train in an environment and in situations that replicate, as realistically as possible, those they will experience overseas. Soldiers lived in tents in a field location for a portion of the time they were training at Fort McCoy. The training area was surrounded by concertina wire, entry control points and guard towers. Soldiers traveled in convoys. They encountered role players posing as civilians on the battlefield or opposing forces. The training is repetitive, and its intensity increases with each iteration. The ultimate goal is to have Soldiers respond intuitively to threats and situations they encounter.
The list of required training is extensive. The 203rd participated in training related to weapons qualification, Army warrior training, physical fitness, leadership, combat life saving, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), mounted combat patrol operations, urban operations, entry control point operations, motor vehicle operations and maintenance, protective mask familiarity and confidence, detainee operations, hand-to-hand combat, reflexive fire, grenades, culture/customs/language, land navigation, and much more.
The 203rd’s training culminated in an Army Training and Evaluation Program, which incorporated and tested all aspects of the individual and collective training they had received.
Prior to deployment, the unit will receive additional military occupation specialty training and will be validated.
Battalion Command Sgt. Maj. Steve Stuenkel said, “The training provided at Fort McCoy has been outstanding. The real world nature of Fort McCoy’s training has enabled our Soldiers to hone their skills and increase their capabilities.”
“I am proud of the job each member of the 203rd has done while constantly adapting to changing circumstances,” Stuenkel said. “We are well-prepared and highly motivated. I am extremely confident we will achieve success in Afghanistan.”
Since Sept. 11, 2001, Fort McCoy, has supported the mobilization/demobilization of more than 102,000 Soldiers from nearly 1,900 units located throughout 49 states and territories.
FORT McCOY, Wis. —
