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Ivy Soldiers assigned to the 4th Infantry Division carry equipment down the side of a hill during the Utah Beach division physical training event, at Fort Carson, Colorado, June 14, 2024. This event was held to honor Soldiers who fought through the challenging obstacles along Utah Beach on D-Day. (U.S. Army Photo by Spc. Joshua Zayas)
(Photo Credit: Spc. Mark Bowman)VIEW ORIGINAL2 / 7Show Caption +Hide Caption –
Soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division and Fort Carson make their way through a smoke-covered field during the Utah Beach division physical training event, as an AH-64 Apache flies overhead, June 14, 2024, at Fort Carson, Colorado. This event was held to honor the Ivy Soldiers who helped liberate France during the D-Day invasion of Normandy. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. William Rogers)
(Photo Credit: Spc. Mark Bowman)VIEW ORIGINAL3 / 7Show Caption +Hide Caption –
4th Infantry Division Soldiers make their way up from the hedgehog anti-tank obstacle at the Utah Beach division physical training event, on June 14, 2024, at Fort Carson, Colorado. The Division PT event honors the valiant Soldiers who stormed Utah Beach on D-Day, paying tribute to their bravery and sacrifice in securing freedom during World War II. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Cecilia Ochoa)
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A 4th Infantry Division Soldier makes her way through the hedgehog obstacle at the Utah Beach division physical training event, on June 14, 2024, at Fort Carson, Colorado. This year’s division PT event honored the battle at Utah Beach on June 6, 1944, where the division played a central role that aimed to secure a beachhead and advance inland to unite with airborne troops dropped behind enemy lines. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Cecilia Ochoa)
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Maj. Gen. David S. Doyle, commanding general of the 4th Infantry Division and Fort Carson, and Command Sgt. Maj. Alex Kupratty, the division command sergeant. major, fast rope from a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter June 14, 2024, at Fort Carson, Colorado. Doyle and Kupratty made a grand entrance to kick off the physical training event. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Jonathan Reyes)
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Soldiers assigned to the 4th Infantry Division climb over ship containers during the Utah Beach division physical training event, at Fort Carson, Colorado, June 14, 2024. The Ivy Division honored the courageous Soldiers who participated in the momentous D-Day invasion of Normandy, France on June 6, 1944. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Woodlyne Escarne)
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4th Infantry Division Soldiers participated in the Utah Beach division physical training event, designed to recreate the experience of landing on Utah Beach during a division physical training event on Fort Carson, Colorado, June 14, 2024. This event pays tribute to the heritage and bravery of the Soldiers that helped liberate France and secured the Allies victory over the Axis Powers in World War 2. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Matthew S. Connor)
(Photo Credit: Spc. Mark Bowman)VIEW ORIGINAL
FORT CARSON, Colo. — The 4th Infantry Division held its themed physical training event involving over 12,000 Ivy Soldiers from across the division and Fort Carson, June 14, 2024.
The theme of this event was the 4th Infantry Division’s participation in Operation Overlord. On June 6, 1944, better known as D-Day, Soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division stormed Utah Beach which began the U.S. participation in liberating occupied France from the Axis Powers.
“This event commemorates those heroes,” said Maj. Gen. David S. Doyle, commanding general of the 4th Infantry Division and Fort Carson. “Those individuals who stormed Utah Beach went through artillery, went through machine gun fire, went through obstacles, and liberated towns like Saint Mère-Église, Saint Marie-du-Mont, Picauville, Quinéville, and Montebourg.”
Ivy Soldiers scrimmaged through obstacles that simulated D-Day’s environmental conditions including rocky terrain, barbed wire, makeshift anti-tank barriers, a steep trench, and a container wall to climb over.
“The course was phenomenal,” said Lt. Col. Nathan Platz, commander of the 704th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. “It was a great way to commemorate the great history of this division.”
The anti-tank barriers were the most prominent obstacle that the Ivy Soldiers, who stormed Utah Beach, encountered before climbing the bulkhead to suppress the enemy.
Though the event recognizes a historical moment from the 4th Infantry Division history, participation at the event wasn’t just limited to the division’s Soldiers. Tenant units included the 4th Engineer Battalion, the 71st Ordnance Group, the 627th Hospital Center, and the 759th Military Police Battalion.
This year’s winner of the event was the 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, winning the 4th Infantry Division’s Champions Belt.
“Those Soldiers who took Utah Beach inspire us to do things like this,” said Doyle. “We have to be strong. We have to be ready. We have to be fit. This is what's happening today. This is about making lethal teams. It's about understanding what your body can do and how you can work together — how we're going to function on a modern battlefield.”
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