FORT CAMPBELL, Ky-Soldiers from 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, conducted combined arms live-fire exercises, Oct. 4 to Oct. 10, 2012 as part of the brigade's Eagle Flight III field exercise at Fort Campbell, Ky.
"We executed a combined arms live-fire exercise at the company level," said 1st Lt. George Kane, the executive officer with Company C, 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th BCT, 101st Abn. Div. "We started with a cold hit with blank ammunition, air assaulting in to a [helicopter landing zone] which was secured by one of our platoons which in-filled mounted. From there we maneuvered on two objectives and destroyed the [simulated] enemy."
A combine arms live-fire exercise is designed to prepare and develop company/troop level leadership and Soldiers in planning and executing air assault operations, integrating indirect fires/combined combat aircraft and utilizing mounted and dismounted tactical movement in support of a company ground tactical plan to attack a company size objective.
"The mounted element took the objective and was going through the process of establishing a defensive perimeter and establishing engagement areas," said 2nd Lt. Gabriel Weiss with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Bn., 506th Inf. Regt., 4th BCT, 101st Abn. Div.
"That involves dividing the battle space into sectors of fire and each weapon system will handle different sectors of fire this way it all will be a defensive perimeter and hopefully destroy any enemy elements as they approach this objective."
Much like the walk-and-shoots that were conducted early last week, this was an additional opportunity for the Soldiers to put into practice their training from the past six to eight months.
"It was the first time we had been on the ground as an entire company, together, where we were integrating several echelons of combat power at one time, at one place," said Kane.
"We had mortars, we had fires working [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance] and we had battalion mortars and field artillery in support as well."
Though the unit has no orders to deploy, the Soldiers participating understood the importance of this type of training exercise on continuous readiness for any future rendezvous with destiny.
"You never know what you are going to come across when you deploy overseas," said Pfc. Michael Smith, a saw gunner with Co. C, 1st Bn., 506th Inf. Regt., 4th BCT, 101st Abn. Div., "You are trained to fight, that is what we do as grunts, we train to fight."
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