Signal Soldiers support Grecian Firebolt 2021 during CSTX at Fort McCoy

Dozens of signal Soldiers were part of the 78th Training Division’s Combat Support Training Exercise (CSTX) 78-21-04 held at Fort McCoy in August 2021.

And like the hundreds of others service members who were a part of CSTX, the signal Soldiers also supported a smaller sub-exercise tied into CSTX. For them, that exercise was Grecian Firebolt 2021.

Army Reserve Soldiers with the 335th Signal Command (Theater) participated by providing network infrastructure for Grecian Firebolt, said Maj. Christopher Byrd with the 335th.

Grecian Firebolt is an annual training exercise that allows signal units to keep pace with communication transformations, and link communication support to identified U. S. Army Reserve Command-sponsored exercises, according to the 335th.

Tactical communications trailers, often towed by Humvees, were interspersed in areas all around the 200 block on the cantonment area of Fort McCoy to set up communications throughout the training time for Grecian Firebolt.

Also, equipment also included numerous radio antennas as well as computerized connection equipment.

In a previous 2015 article about Grecian Firebolt, the article states that “in a combat environment, warfighters must have a way to communicate at all times, whether providing critical real-time communications or sending sensitive files from the field back to the command.

“Without signal, communications break down and the mission fails,” the article states. “Therefore the primary mission ... is to provide that tactical communications network.”

The exercise also featured participants from both active- and reserve-component forces, Byrd said.

Learn more about the 335th by visiting https://www.usar.army.mil/335thSC.

Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” and on Twitter by searching “usagmccoy.” Also try downloading the Digital Garrison app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base.

(Article prepared by the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office and the 335th Signal Command [Theater].)