Carson soldiers tune up for Iraq return

[unhappycamper]

Carson soldiers tune up for Iraq return
By Peter Roper - The Pueblo (Colo.) Chieftain
Posted : Monday Sep 24, 2007 7:58:58 EDT

~snip~

While the patrol commander is talking with a local village official through an interpreter, gunfire begins popping from an open window on a nearby building. The soldiers take cover behind vehicles and building corners, yelling, “Sniper fire!” One trooper grabs the uniformed interpreter and hides him quickly away inside a Humvee.

“Second floor, second window!”

As soldiers in the street open fire, a Humvee roars up, with its gunner blasting away with the turret machine gun, spent brass casings rattling down onto the sand-colored vehicle. The shots in this drill sound real, but they are blanks. All the soldiers, and the villagers, are armed with “laser” gear on their weapons that lets them shoot and record hits on targets, while still hearing the real din of battle.

“He’s down, he’s down,” shouts one of the trainers after a moment and the gunfire fades away. The patrol in the street recovers, taking stock of what has happened. As one villager tries to approach the interpreter in the Humvee, the soldier guarding him quickly blocks his approach.

“No, no, go back to your house,” the soldier warns as a nearby sergeant calls over forcefully. “Stay focused. Don’t get caught up in a conversation with these people.”

Staying focused is a lot of the job in Iraq, Gonzalez said. It’s the best way to get home alive.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/09/ap_carsontraining_070924/

[NYVet]

1. If you forget, the army is supposed to be training to react to these type of actions

They are called Immediate Action drills and have been going on since time began and armies were formed in one way or the other.





On a side note, these types of posts are an example of why we need a forum for Veterans issues and a seperate forum for Military.