1/24IN conducts shoot house exercise

By 1st Lt. Jordan Zaradich, Charlie Company, 1-24 IN Platoon LeaderAugust 13, 2013

Soldiers participate in shoot house exercise
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Soldiers from C Company 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, participate in a shoot house exercise Aug. 6-9 on Fort Wainwright, Alaska. The exercise combined previous weeks of training design... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Soldiers participate in shoot house exercise
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Soldiers from C Company 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, participate in a shoot house exercise Aug. 6-9 on Fort Wainwright, Alaska. The exercise combined previous weeks of training design... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

The shoot house training began by certifying individual fire teams' ability to enter, effectively engage and clear targets within a single room. Teams were required to conduct a ballistic breach of a locked door by utilizing a shotgun to gain entry into a room prior to clearing the room.

Once Capt. Colin Corrigan, C Co. commander, deemed that fire team was proficient in the task, they rejoined their squad.

During the squad live-fire exercise, squad leaders trained their teams on entering a building and clearing multiple rooms. Squads had to use an explosive charge to destroy a locked and barricaded door to enter the building.

"I thought the demo part was really cool. It definitely gave everything a more realistic sense to it," said Spc. Yancy Fields, C Co., team leader, Salisbury, N.C. native.

Once inside, communication became pivotal as fire-teams moved different directions to clear and secure multiple rooms inside the hostile building. The squad leader streamlined communications between the teams and learned how to best maneuver them into positions that secured their movement and the rooms within.

From the end of July to the beginning of August, C 1-24 IN performed multiple training events that helped them build skills and trust as a team before conducting the shoot house training exercise. Soldiers became proficient in close-quarters marksmanship, tactical site entry and fire-team tactics, and squad maneuvers in close quarters.

"The platoon's performance at the shoot house was exemplary. Their dedication to training was made clear during every phase of the exercise," said Staff Sgt. Christopher Haley, a platoon sergeant with C 1-24 IN, native of Hobart, Ind. "The continuity was a reflection of the hard work and attention to detail put forth by every Soldier within the Legion."