1-38IN winter reconnaissance

FORT CARSON, Colo. - Four Soldiers dismount from the warmth of a Stryker into the winter cold to trudge uphill through snow to a concealed observation point in the Fort Carson training area during a team live-fire exercise Jan. 22.

The training was part of a four-day exercise, where Soldiers of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, honed their skills as an infantry reconnaissance element.

Sgt. Richard Clements, infantry reconnaissance team leader, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, said that infantry reconnaissance can act as an early warning system for command, call for fire against distant targets, take out targets with a sniper team and even commit to direct action if needed.

"We gather information that the battalion commander or higher needs to know so they can make a timely decision to move their troops," said Clements, a native of Titusville, Florida.

During their training mission, four-member teams stalked to an observation point, emplaced a live claymore, called for artillery and mortar fire at a distant target, blew the claymore and retreated to an awaiting Stryker where they received a simulated casualty.

Living and training in the field during winter added an additional challenge for the Soldiers.

"Training in the cold weather shows you that you're a lot more capable than you realize," said Capt. Nathaniel Turner, physician assistant, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. "At the base of it all is intestinal fortitude. It shows that you as a human being can take more than what is comfortable."

Pfc. Travis George, infantryman, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, acted as the radio telephone operator for his team and said that he didn't mind the snow.

"We have to be ready for everything and that's what this battalion is doing. This battalion is preparing us for war in any type of terrain," said George, a native of Temple, Georgia. "Training out here can be rough, but it builds the camaraderie that you need in order to survive deployments."

Battalion medics were also onsite for the duration of the event to limit the risk of cold weather injuries and receive the simulated casualties for treatment at the end of each mission.