FORT HOOD, Texas - Soldiers from 3rd Battalion "Cobras", 67th Armor Regiment's headquarters recently conducted an up-armored High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles gunnery live fire exercise from Jan. 28 to Feb. 1.

Approximately 90 Soldiers, who make up the headquarters, fire support team, scouts, medic, and mortar platoons, participated in the live fire exercise.

During the gunnery portion of the live fire, crews successfully identified targets and executed proper fire commands during engagements from both the offense and the defense. The offensive engagements allowed the uparmored HMMWV crews to close the distance between themselves and the enemy to eventually destroy that enemy.

"It was a good thing we were able to shoot and get some hands-on experience with the weapon systems we are going to fight with in Iraq," said Pvt. Arnold Cobi, a mortar platoon, Soldier in the battalion headquarters.

The last three days of the exercise, were dedicated to a convoy live fire exercise. Platoons moved out in a standard convoy formation, and then went through multiple engagements with multiple targets, which allowed for dismounted operations.

Platoons were engaged by simulated sniper fire from a two-story building. Later the Soldiers were engaged in a simultaneous attack from troops and trucks in the open.

As one section suppressed the enemy, another unit dismounted and engaged the enemy in the two-story building.

The training is preparing the 3-67 Armor Regiment's Soldiers for the real life combat they may see when they deploy to Iraq this summer.