L Troop conducts platoon attack

By Staff Sgt. Michael BehlinMarch 21, 2016

L Troop conducts platoon attack
1 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Soldiers from L Troop, 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, move to their fighting position during training March 15, 2015, at Pabrade Training Area, Lithuania. The Soldiers trained on the battle drill of entering/clearing a trench and were certified ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
L Troop conducts platoon attack
2 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – 1st Lt. Daniel Gaines, the platoon leader for 2nd Platoon, L Troop, 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, and Sgt. Nicholas Sohn, fire support noncommissioned officer for 2nd platoon, L Troop, point out their next firing position during battle drill tr... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
L Troop conducts platoon attack
3 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Cpt. Seth Pearson, the commander for L Troop, 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, helps to identify targets for one of his Soldiers during battle drill training on entering/clearing a trench March 15, 2015, at Pabrade Training Area, Lithuania. (U.S. ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
L Troop conducts platoon attack
4 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Pfc. Chase Anderson, an infantryman with L Troop, 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, engages enemy targets with his M240B machine gun during battle drill training on entering/clearing a trench March 15, 2015, at Pabrade Training Area, Lithuania. Dur... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

PABRADE TRAINING AREA, Lithuania - Soldiers of L Troop, 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment conducted battle drill training on entering/clearing a trench March 14-18 at Pabrade Training Area, Lithuania.

The training allowed L Troop platoons the opportunity to be certified on this battle drill by their squadron commander, while remaining proficient in their tasks and duties.

Leading the way for 2nd platoon, L Troop, was its platoon leader 1st Lt. Daniel Gaines, who stressed the importance of the training.

"This training was a way for our squadron commander to evaluate leadership on how well we're able to control our units and operation as a platoon," said Gaines.

Throughout the training, the participating platoons were able to conduct walkthrough, blank and live-fire iterations.

According to Gaines, this allowed Soldiers to become familiar with exactly what was expected of them during live-fire iteration, in which they were graded. He said the multiple iterations allowed his Soldiers to make corrections as they went along.

"Every iteration we recognized something that we can improve on and grow," said Gaines.

Gaines and his platoon sergeant, Staff Sgt. James Lawson, agreed that their platoon performed well, despite the stressors of the training.

Lawson in particular, was impressed by the performance of his Soldiers.

One scenario of the training required him to medically evacuate an injured Soldier. While assisting the injured Soldier, he placed one of his junior noncommissioned officers in charge. Despite not being there directly to oversee this Soldier's performance, Lawson was impressed with how he performed.

According to Lawson, this action directly supported U.S. Army Europe's pillar of empowering junior leaders.

"This NCO was the most senior of those in our weapons squad," said Lawson.

"He knows that in my absence, he takes over the squad and controls the rates of fire. He needs to know the job of an NCO two pay grades above him, not just what I'm doing but the platoon as a whole."

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