1st Battalion 22nd Infantry Regulars Hone Infantry Skills

1st Battalion 22nd Infantry

February 2012

A team of four Soldiers walked through a muddy, wooded area, using the lush foliage as concealment for its movements.
Reaching an open field, the Soldiers lowered into the prone position, hurtling in three-to-five second rushes,
using two-man intervals to engage the enemy.

Soldiers from Company A, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division,
used the wooded training area of Fort Carson Range 155 to conduct live-fire exercises and battle drills Feb. 13-16.

"The main point of this exercise is to build teamwork and confidence within the Soldiers' teams," said Company A
1st Sgt. Chris Simmons. "Teamwork is the basis of everything we do, so we conduct battle drills to instill the Soldiers
with confidence in their battle tactics."

Each team member participating in the exercise relied on his individual skills and his comrades to successfully navigate the lane.
"A live-fire exercise is important because Soldiers have to learn to work in cohesion and communicate with each other,"
said Sgt. John Meeks, Company A team leader.

Working together as a unit, the infantrymen covered each other s movements, while keeping an eye on their surroundings.
"While conducting these exercises, the Soldiers learn the ins-and-outs of each other,"

Meeks said. "They work on their movements, help each other and critique their battle drills until they get it right."
This training improved the way Soldiers operate in a combat environment, said infantry team leader Spc. Isaiah Beckham.
Soldiers learned how to use their senses and adapt to new situations. "This training showed how well teams could react
and break contact with an enemy," said Beckham.

Conducting three phases of training, "Regular" Soldiers performed a blank and dry-fire exercise, a live-fire exercise
and squad movement exercises, honing their collective skills in basic infantry tasks.

This exercise served as a good refresher for the Soldiers who haven't been to the field in a while, said Meeks.
The teams practice battle drills until the movements become second nature.

Returning to the field, Soldiers developed skills they learned in basic training, as well as new skills they learned in their unit,
said Simmons.

Crawling through the mud and sand during field exercises is exactly the kind of realistic training Soldiers need, said Meeks.
It's the hard work of being in the field, sweating from a hard day's work, which makes their experiences worthwhile.

"The Soldiers love being out in the field; it's what they signed up to do," said Simmons. "Every Soldier that signs up to be infantry,
did it for the field training — to get in the mud and train as hard as they can."

Story and photo from the Fort Carson Mountaineer Vol. 70 No. 8 February 24, 2012

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