FORT DRUM, N.Y. -- On a cool fall morning, amidst the changing leaves fluttering from the trees, more than 20 teams of Soldiers from across 10th Mountain Division (LI) and Fort Drum met at Sexton Field to compete in this year's Mountain Autumn Challenge.
Mountain Autumn Challenge is the fourth in a series of seasonal events the division conducts to promote tactical excellence, esprit de corps and a competitive spirit in units throughout the year.
The two-day event began on Oct. 25 and challenged two-Soldier teams -- a platoon leader and a platoon sergeant -- over a course of seven lanes that tested their military skills, physical fitness and mental fortitude.
"This is real-world stuff that we'll be doing in country," said 1st Lt. Matt Song, A Company, 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team. "We're doing long movements, calling for fire, performing combat lifesaving skills and calling for medical evacuation using nine-line format."
The wind picked up as the rotors of the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter rotated and five teams loaded the helicopter en route to Panther drop zone, which was located in the training area north of Route 26, an area with approximately 70,000 acres of training space to keep division Soldiers ready to deploy, fight and win anytime, anywhere.
Upon arriving at the drop zone, teams received an operation order briefing that they translated into a platoon operation order, while ob- server-controllers graded them on troop-leading procedures and their ability to brief a platoon on an upcoming mission.
After plotting the grid coordinates to their next lane on their map, the first team headed south approximately 2.3 kilometers to their new challenge. The Soldiers traveled under the cover of night through ankle-deep water. At lane two, the team met with a local national interpreter where they were required to set up an observation post on a village of unknown allegiance.
The team crept to the village and set up their observation post. In the village, role players dressed in Afghan attire acted out various scenarios while the team reported their observations through radio to their higher headquarters.
Meanwhile, the observer-controllers graded Soldiers on team movements and reporting abilities. After 30 minutes of observation, the team received orders to locate and destroy a weapons cache located in lane four, 4.2 kilometers from their position.
The sun peeked over the horizon as the team reached the weapons cache where they coordinated a fire-for-effect call for fire to destroy the target before moving to lane five.
Sweaty and tired, the team reached their next objective, where they encountered a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear environment that tested their knowledge, skills and ability to coordinate a close-combat attack to destroy the site.
After completing this event, the team headed to lane six, where they performed combat lifesaving procedures on a Soldier with a simulated traumatic injury. After treating the patient, the team called for a medical evacuation and moved the injured Soldier to an extraction point.
The last challenge was a live-fire, buddy-team range event.
Teams were graded and scores tallied before one team was named the winner of the Mountain Autumn Challenge. First Lt. Steven R. Gilbert and Sgt. 1st Class Joey A. Mendez, 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, received the Commander's Cup and first place bragging rights.
"Soon the temperatures will drop and snow will cover the area," said Maj. Gen. Mark A. Milley, Fort Drum and 10th Mountain Division (LI) commander, who also presented each of the winners with an Army Achievement Medal and division coin. "Our warriors will be getting ready to conquer the mountain by competing in next year's Mountain Winter Challenge."
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