Good evening Dragoon friends and families—we find ourselves yet again at the beginning of another exciting week here at Fort Leonard Wood. For our Alpha Company families this is our daily update where I publish a brief summary of the training conducted by each company so that folks back home get an idea of what their loved ones are doing here throughout the length of this course. Once again the weather here has been unusually pleasant with temperatures still in the 70’s with plenty of sunshine and no rain. With all the ranges and field training this week, I’m sure the break from the summer heat will be much appreciated by all. And now for the update: Alpha Company (Week 1): Alpha Rock officially started their training today. They are not yet acclimated to the weather here so most of their instruction is being conducted indoors for now. So for the better part of this week they will be getting a series of lectures in a classroom environment. By Friday however that will change and we will have them out at their first obstacle course. Bravo Company (Week 9): The Bulldogs got up early today and loaded their rucksacks and other gear on the trucks and then headed out to the woods to begin their 96-hour Field Training Exercise (FTX III). This is the culminating event in Basic Combat Training and the company will endure the rigors of simulated combat, fighting against an Opposing Force. They will operate out of patrol bases and engage in a series of small scale engagements all this week. Charlie Company (Week 2): The Comanches spent the day learning about how to survive in a Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear environment. After the morning session the company went to the “Gas Chamber” where they learned to build confidence in their protective masks. While there, the chamber was filled with a form of “tear gas” and the trainees did a series of drills with their “gas masks” on in order to show how effectively they function when worn properly. Delta Company (Graduation Week): The Command Sergeant Major and I did a formal inspection of the Soldiers today up in the barracks. They were in their dress uniforms with their equipment and wall lockers opened up and displayed for us to go through. The Dawgs looked good today and they passed their inspection—and I know they will look very sharp walking across the stage later this week. Echo Company (Week 9): The Eagles put on heavy packs and marched 16 kilometers out to their field site this morning in order to begin FTX III. Just like Bravo Company, the Eagles will operate in an austere environment engaged in war games throughout the week. Just to make things interesting we asked for volunteers from the Marine Corps detachment here on Fort Leonard Wood to operate as the “Opposing Force,” so the Marines and the Eagles will match wits out in the woods conducting raids and ambushes on one another day and night. It’s going to be a very exciting couple of weeks here in the battalion with us graduating Delta Company this week, then Bravo and Echo companies the week after. That being said there are many events happening concurrently and the staff here is working diligently to synchronize all of them. Everyone is doing a great job and I am still amazed at how motivated the trainees and Soldiers are here. It’s a testament to their dedication to duty and their tremendous spirit. Everyone have a wonderful evening. “By Force and Valor!” Lieutenant Colonel Gries Dragoon 6
Posted on: Mon, 28 Jul 2014 22:29:35 +0000
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