CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea -- The fog was low and covered the sides of the mountains. The air was wet and sticky with an occasional breeze. Helicopter blades began to spin kicking up the air along with grass and dirt. One by one each helicopter took to the sky in sequence. Rockets were fired, the area was secured, ground forces advanced and Soldiers assaulted the objective in a harmonious training operation.
The Soldiers from the 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade completed the exercise, 'Furious Talon', on August 21 at the Rodriguez Live Fire Complex in South Korea. The event saw all four rotary-winged aircraft belonging to the 2nd CAB in use along with ground forces from the 2-1 CAV.
Sgt. Yesenia L. Martinez, an aviation operations specialist for the 2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd CAB, played a key role in completion of the exercise.
"This mission was all about recon, security, attack and the air assault," Martinez said. "It was great to be able to intertwine all of these components by working with all of the different units inside of the 2nd CAB."
Martinez was in charge of making sure there was a correct flow of information throughout the exercise while maintaining awareness to ensure everything was running smoothly.
"Out here we aren't just doing our jobs," Martinez said. "There is an added pressure which instills a reality into the Soldiers and makes us ready to fight tonight."
She said each aircraft does something different and specific which they need to know. They also need to know and learn about the ground forces because both the air and ground forces work together and protect one another.
Martinez said she believes that she and her Soldiers have learned a great deal throughout the exercise.
"The amount of training and the scale forces our Soldiers to develop quicker here in Korea," Martinez said.
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Kristopher Bassett, the squadron master gunner for the 2-6th Cav. Regt., was part of the planning and operations before and during the exercise.
Bassett said he likes seeing how the timing and planning has come together for the exercise. The planning was very long and strenuous. He said he is really looking forward to seeing the attack portion of the event.
"We don't normally get to do exercises like this," Bassett said. "Not in other places and not to this scale."
He went on to say the exercise is bittersweet due to it being his unit's last one here in Korea and with the OH-58 Kiowa's.
Though it may be 2-6th Avn. Regt.'s last exercise in Korea, the unit ended on a strong note and the integration of air and ground forces worked seamlessly to complete the mission.
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