How a handful of enemy fighters thought they could hold up Wednesday morning's basic-training graduation with a truck and mortar was anyone's guess. From the start, they were outmanned and outgunned.
The moment four UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters swooped over the tree line at the edge of Hilton Field, the enemy's plans fell apart. Within seconds of landing, the helicopters disgorged more than a dozen troops, and a violent firefight erupted.
In a classic military movement -- what one participant called a "demonstration of the experiences you will see in the military" -- one squad poured a base of small-arms fire on the enemy mortar team as another rolled up the enemy's flank.
BOOM!
With an explosion, a grenade destroyed the enemy vehicle, and the simulated battle for Hilton Field ended.
Moments after the assault, the crowd cheered wildly as drill sergeants and trainees emerged from the green, yellow and white billowing smoke lingering from the attack. There might have been a little more fanfare than usual, but Wednesday's event still had graduation at its core.
Fire and movement techniques like those used during the air assault are some of the basic military maneuvers new Soldiers learn during basic training at Fort Jackson, said Maj. Paul Sheppard, executive officer of the 1st Battalion, 34th Infantry Regiment, which defended Hilton Field.
Sheppard said the assault not only demonstrated conventional combat techniques but "also shows the different sides to what the Army has to offer."
Graduation guest speaker retired Col. William Collier Jr. related how his basic training had helped him during two combat tours in Vietnam.
When his position suffered an attacked in 1971 by a thousand North Vietnamese soldiers, he said, he "relied heavily on my basic combat training" and survived as a result.
The air assault simultaneously signaled the start of the unit's basic-training graduation ceremony and the beginning of Fort Jackson's Victory Week.
An expanded open house, Victory Week is a four-day celebration of the post's history that includes sports and tactical competitions, a retiree- appreciation health expo, a classic car show and a Saturday night concert and fireworks display.
The central portion of the celebration will be the welcoming home of Vietnam veterans. Events include a reading of the 58,228 names on the Moving Wall -- a half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. -- and a replica fire base.
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