FORT POLK, La. -- Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (LI), attended an Air to Ground Operations class March 15 here.
The Patriot Soldiers had to learn quickly, because although the class wasn't long, it was packed full of information.
"The goal of this class is to inform ground personal of not only what our capabilities are, but also what kind of information that they can give us to help them on the battlefield," said Capt. Brian T. Edwards, senior captain for 3rd Aviation Division, Joint Readiness Training Center, Operations Group.
Patriot Soldiers were happy to learn about assets that can help them on the ground during possible future missions.
"Having talked to my platoon sergeant, this is definitely one of the most informative classes that we have taken," said 1st Lt. Ben Adams, leader of 3rd Platoon, B Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team. "It opened both of our eyes to things that we weren't fully aware of that we have at our disposal."
Patriot Soldiers learned some new and surprising ways air operation could help them.
"As a team leader, it's good to know that the Apache can provide support by fire from six clicks (kilometers) out, which is obviously awesome to have," said Spc. Matthew Hokett, B Company, 2-4 Infantry Regiment. "Given the fact that we are light infantry, during a patrol, there are areas that we can't see. Air support can fly in and give us a heads up if anything is on the ground that we need to know about. If we happen to go into one of the cities, air support can help guide us around or away from high-traffic areas."
As more Soldiers from this light infantry brigade learn about the capabilities of other combat arms disciplines, the Patriot Brigade will become stronger with that knowledge and more capable to handle what the future holds.
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