16th STB field exercise ends 'with a bang'

By 1st Lt. Hannah MorganOctober 20, 2016

16th STB field exercise ends 'with a bang'
1 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – BAUMHOLDER, Germany -- Soldiers from the 16th Special Troops Battalion medical section provide care to a casualty suffering from notional injuries and shock during the battalion field training exercise conducted here Sept. 26 -- 30. (U.S. Army photo ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
16th STB field exercise ends 'with a bang'
2 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – BAUMHOLDER, Germany -- Soldiers from the 16th Special Troops Battalion medical section provide care during a notional mass casualty event during the battalion field training exercise conducted here Sept. 26 - 30. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Daniel... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
16th STB field exercise ends 'with a bang'
3 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – BAUMHOLDER, Germany -- Soldiers from the 16th Special Troops Battalion medical section provide care during a notional mass casualty event during the battalion field training exercise conducted here Sept. 26 - 30. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Daniel... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
16th STB field exercise ends 'with a bang'
4 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – BAUMHOLDER, Germany -- Soldiers from the 16th Special Troops Battalion security section provide care during the battalion field training exercise conducted here Sept. 26 - 30. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Daniel Wyatt, 16th Sustainment Brigade Publ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

BAUMHOLDER, Germany -- As autumn blew in over the last week of September, Headquarters Company, 16th Special Troops Battalion, part of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command's 16th Sustainment Brigade, seized the Baumholder Army Air Field to secure the area and set up a tactical headquarters as part of a battalion field training exercise conducted Sept. 26-30.

The HHC convoy escort team, made up of gun trucks and crews, cleared the area before set up could get underway. The convoy itself proved a valuable educational experience for participants.

"I learned a lot starting that first day and continued to learn throughout the exercise," said Pfc. Jamie Fresquez, a human resources specialist with the STB. "I know it wasn't the last time I'll be out there, but I look forward to getting better and becoming more comfortable with my role and my crewmembers."

The HHC gun truck crews will continue to train together weekly in anticipation of an upcoming convoy live fire exercise in Slovenia, scheduled for the spring of 2017.

As STB personnel began establishing the tactical operations center, leaders focused mainly on physical structure -- the large tent and several smaller ones that comprise the TOC.

Teams from the 504th Brigade Signal Company hit the ground and immediately began setting up the computer network that would later provide connectivity to the TOC during the week. Personnel from the 106th Financial Management Support Unit and the 569th Human Resources Company, scheduled to activate in October 2016, trained alongside 504th BSC and HHC troops.

The exercise incorporated a variety of realistic and notional scenarios. A team from the Baumholder Military Community's counter-improvised explosive device coordination cell observed and evaluated STB personnel during the scenarios, which ranged from civilian media engagement to local national protests.

Students from the Nelly-Sachs-IGS High School in Worms even brought an international dimension to the event. The STB welcomed the host national students warmly notwithstanding the hectic training schedule. Students received a briefing from Lt. Col. Brian Ketz, the STB commander, as well as a tour of the training site.

The culminating event for the FTX was a vehicle-born improvised explosive device attack breaching the entrance followed by a dismounted force infiltrating the base and detonating a suicide vest on responders to the initial event. The headquarters personnel responded gamely to the explosive finale, and learned from the experience.

Feedback provided by the observer-evaluators offered leaders a chance to learn about the strengths and weaknesses exhibited during the training exercise.

"Our goal is to get the TOC and area set up within 24 hours of hitting the ground," said Capt. Christopher Jackson, the HHC commander. "During the past week we may have been a few hours shy of that, but the proficiency of the team grew immensely. We were able to identify the weak spots, and really work on smoothing out those areas."