FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. - The 3rd Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment, 18th Field Artillery Brigade, held a field training exercise from Aug. 4 to Aug. 14 on Fort Bragg, N.C.
The 3-27 FAR, a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System battalion, provides long range precision fire capabilities to the XVIII Airborne Corps and the Global Response Force.
"The purpose of the exercise was not only to train and qualify lethal platoons, but also improve the overall readiness of the battalion through weapons ranges and CBRN lanes," said Lt. Col. Brandon G. Meno, the 3-27 FAR commander. "The accomplishment of these key tasks allows the battalion to maintain readiness to fulfill our Prepare To Deploy Order and GRF requirements."
"The training exercise went really well," said Meno. "We got off to a slow start, but picked it up as the platoons went through their STX [Situational Training Exercises] lanes. These longer duration field training exercises are the best type of resiliency training."
The training also provided valuable opportunities for the new, younger Soldiers as well as the three new battery commanders in 3-27 FAR.
"The new Soldiers learned to have faith in their equipment, training and leadership. A lot of the young Soldiers stepped up and did well and developed their confidence," said Meno. "The new commanders got a chance to see the good, the bad and the ugly in their batteries. It provided a starting off point in how to train their Soldiers."
Capt. Gene F. Uhler, commander of Bravo Battery, 3-27 FAR, served as a mentor and observer for the platoon leaders in his battery.
"The Soldiers were assessed on their ability to communicate, shoot and move," said Uhler. "At first we had issues with communications and movement, but lessons were learned and the second time around the Soldiers performed well."
Uhler particularly paid attention to his platoon leaders and their abilities and performance during the training exercise.
"The training and learning at all levels was great," said Uhler. "The Soldiers learned to react to contact, recover downed vehicles, improved their communications and movements, and learned to keep vigilant to their tasks and maintain a tactical mindset while focusing on the primary mission."
Second Lt. Stephanie N. Shivley, a platoon leader in Alpha Battery, 3-27 FAR, led her Soldiers in operating and eventually certifying with their HIMARS launchers through live-fire exercises.
"We have a lot of new crews and we learned to work with that together," said Shivley. "We ironed out our weaknesses and focused on our strengths."
"As a battery, I think we did well," said Shivley. "We certified with all the launchers in the battery and it was a good training event. Even with the hiccups, we learned from it and Alpha Battery has moved forward in preparation for a deployed role."
Spc. Tetsing Kengne, a Bravo Battery HIMARS crewmember, served as his platoon leader's driver and was responsible for providing reconnaissance for his platoon's fire direction control elements during the training exercise.
"The platoon learned many lessons, including the importance of safety and communication, attention to detail and equipment accountability," said Kengne. "It is important to learn from our mistakes and move on."
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