FORT DRUM, N.Y. (June 16, 2016) -- Some 35 logistical warriors assigned to A Company, 210th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, established, operated and notionally defended a tactical service support area during training June 6-9 on Fort Drum.
During this training iteration, they skillfully dispersed and concealed supply containers, built individual fighting positions, and set up and tore down a satellite communications system used to process military supply parts.
First Lt. Robert Newsome, supply platoon leader, described the event as an exercise in getting back to the basics of being a logistical Soldier and an essential part of training to support the brigade during combat operations.
"As logisticians, we don't conduct this type of field training that often," Newsome explained. "Being in the light infantry, when the brigade picks up and moves, we need to pick up and move with them."
Newsome said that the possibility of fighting a near-peer threat during future conflicts is high and that their involvement in such a conflict would require his Soldiers to mobilize and relocate rapidly to match the speed of battle. While many might not associate logistical specialists with high-intensity combat, Sgt. Brian Menard, ammunition specialist and former infantryman, explained that while deployed, everyone is susceptible to enemy attacks.
"I've seen cooks out on convoys get hit (during small-arms or improvised explosive device attacks)," Menard said. "Every Soldier is a rifleman. In basic training, they teach you how to be a basic riflemen, and as Soldiers get further in their careers they tend to pull away from that. For them to be able to do this, it's definitely going to make them better Soldiers for when they are called on and have to set up a defensive perimeter."
Advancing his Soldiers' preparedness, Menard shared his knowledge of infantry tactics.
"I was able to teach them more in-depth battle drills: how to react to contact and sniper fire, how to suppress the enemy, how to operate different weapons systems, and how to get them back up and running when they had malfunctions," he said.
For one of Menard's Soldiers, the take away from training was immense.
"I learned to work (with others) as a team, move with a purpose and to always rely on the person next to you," said Spc. Darius Muse, automated logistical specialist with A Company. "No matter what the rank is, you can always learn from the person lower or higher than you."
Newsome reported that the training event will further prepare his Soldiers for their annual two-week training cycle later in the fall on Fort Drum.
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