1st Lt. Darrell Sheppeard, from the 297th Inland Cargo Transportation Company, 4th Brigade Troops Battalion, highlights the details of his Soldiers performance at the Jack Mountain training range on Fort Hood, Texas Apr. 21. Cameras attached to the r...

A convoy of Soldiers, from the 4th Brigade Troops Battalion, 4th Sustainment Brigade, drove through the training range at Jack Mountain on Fort Hood, Texas Apr. 29. The logistics battalion put each one of its companies through the convoy live fire ex...

Master Sgt. Eric Moree, from the 4th Brigade Troops Battalion, 4th Sustainment Brigade, ensures his M-249 Squad Automatic Weapon is clear of ammunition as 2nd Lt. Miley Massed, an observer controller, watches the process at Jack Mountain on Fort Hood...

Minus the grass, the landscape is similar to Iraq - a convoy of Soldiers, from the 4th Brigade Troops Battalion, 4th Sustainment Brigade, drive through the training range at Jack Mountain on Fort Hood, Texas Apr. 29. The logistics battalion put each ...

Staff Sgt. Shannon Johnson, from the 4th Brigade Troops Battalion, 4th Sustainment Brigade, stood up to signal the Soldiers of the 297th Inland Cargo Transportation Company to engage their targets during the units convoy live fire exercise at the Jac...

A convoy gunner, from the 4th Brigade Troops Battalion, 4th Sustainment Brigade, mans an M-249 Squad Automatic Weapon engages targets during his units convoy live fire exercise at the Jack Mountain training range on Fort Hood, Texas Apr. 29. (U.S. Ar...

As seen from the inside of a vehicle - a convoy of Soldiers, from the 4th Brigade Troops Battalion, 4th Sustainment Brigade, drive through the training range at Jack Mountain on Fort Hood, Texas Apr. 29. The logistics battalion put each one of its co...

FORT HOOD, Texas - The Soldiers of the 4th Brigade Troops Battalion, 4th Sustainment Brigade immersed themselves in convoy live fire training last month. The primary focus for the Wolfpack Battalion was battle drills, convoy operations, and teamwork.

The training began weeks ago and culminated on Apr. 29 as each company within the battalion formed teams of gunners and drivers to navigate the Jack Mountain range.

"The first day they got here they went to training area 306 and conducted battle drills all day," said 2nd Lt. Miley Massed, a platoon leader for the 418th Transportation Company, 553rd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion. Massed also served as an observer controller throughout that training period.

Wolfpack Soldiers saddled up in their vehicles and pushed through the course on multiple runs on the second day of the training. Each unit was assessed on how well they reacted to enemy targets, both stationary and moving.

"What I was looking for was that the gunners were traversing to where they were being told to go and not flagging each other," said Massed.

The gunners continued to engage targets as the convoys moved deeper into the range. Soldiers inside the vehicles were also tested on how well they reacted to enemy contact when the convoys stopped.

The troops inside were armed with M-16s as they dismounted the vehicles and fired at targets alongside the road. The convoys were also hit with simulated improvised explosive devices and had to react accordingly.

"Everyone goes through this, especially prior to a deployment. They need this to make sure as they travel from one forward operating base to another that they can get there successfully and know what to do in case of an emergency," said Sgt. 1st Class James Williams, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th BTB, and an observer controller alongside Massed.

Between iterations, units would move to an indoor facility to view their progress via video from cameras that were attached to the rear of their vehicles providing live footage to the control tower. That gave Soldiers and leaders the opportunity to learn from their experiences.

"This training brings a lot to the plate. Some of the scenarios were based on people's personal experiences," said Williams. "Anything can go wrong at any given time and it's important to train these Soldiers to react to that now before they face the real thing."

"We try to make it as tough and realistic as possible, so if they do encounter something, on deployment, they'll be able to react," he said.

Capt. Daniel Robinson, the commander of the 297th Inland Cargo Transportation Company, 4th BTB, watched his Soldiers from a trail vehicle during the training.

"I hope they got something out of it. It's better to learn and train hard here in Texas than in theater," said Robinson. "It's all about teamwork and having a unified front."