Photo Credit: Sgt. 1st Class Raymond Drumsta, Army National Guard
Spc. Josiah Johnson, of A Company, 4th Battalion, 118th Infantry Regiment, poses after he and other battalion Soldiers completed a platoon live-fire exercise at the Udairi Range Complex in northern Kuwait, July 31, 2012. The Soldiers assaulted and cleared buildings and a trench system during the exercise. Attached to Johnson's equipment is the highly-visible, flag-like device known as a progress pole. As the name implies, a progress pole shows the assault element's progress and location as they clear a trench, so troops providing fire support know where to shoot safely and effectively. In addition to undertaking camp and security-force operations, the South Carolina Army National Guard Soldiers have kept up the pace of their training since deploying to Kuwait in April. Johnson is from Cross, S.C.