MCGREGOR BASE, NM - The unwavering temperatures of the New Mexico desert did not phase the Soldiers of the Ghost Battalion while they provided opposing force support to their National Guard partner, the 155th Brigade Combat Team during Multi Echelon Integrated Brigade Training, May 8.
For Company B, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, this training gave the newer Soldiers an opportunity to gain perspective in an environment they possibly had never experienced before.
"We have a lot of newer guys that aren't accustomed to this training yet," said Sgt. Ryan Graham, squad leader, B Co., 2-7 CAV. "It's nice getting out here and being on the defensive, it gives them a new perspective on things like where to set up in the defense, possible positions for enemy to approach and anticipation of an attack."
While this is only a training environment, it is to prepare the 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team, Mississippi National Guard, for their upcoming deployment to Kuwait, as they take over the mission the Greywolf Brigade just finished in November.
"It's very important for 2-7 to participate in these types of scenarios because, on one hand, it does give the National Guard the ability to train against a unit that just deployed to a location they are about to deploy to," explained 1st Lt. William Beckham, platoon leader, Company C. "And on the other, it provides us more opportunity to sustain our combat readiness."
For the sake of the exercise, the three maneuver companies from 2-7 CAV are broken up into company teams of Bradley and tank platoons. This allows the different platoons to cooperatively train with one another in a configuration they would most likely see in a decisive action fight.
"What 2-7 gains out of this training are the repetitions of doing this tactical maneuver training over and over again so that way we can get the experience we need," Beckham said. "When we get evaluated later this year a lot of our new Soldiers will have had that experience maneuvering in an environment, and they will be ready for their own evaluation."
While 2-7 will continue to work with the 155th for the next few weeks, it allows Soldiers the opportunity to show resiliency in a fast paced environment.
"I am really proud of the guys for the way they have handled things," Beckham said. "There have been some tough days and long nights and I am proud of the way they have persevered through the days, I am really impressed with them."
The battalion has been supporting their Army Total Force Partners since April. The Army Total Force Partnership Program is an ongoing effort by the service to transition its component forces, both Army Reserve and National Guard, into an operational force. The intent is to create a seamless and holistic "total force" governed by the same interchangeable policies and procedures.
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