1st Battalion 22nd Infantry

December 2007

Raider Bde. Soldiers qualify on systems

Bradley Gunnery makes for long hours and hard work

Staff Sgt. Brent Williams

1st BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div.

December 22, 2007

The report of a 25mm round exiting the auto-cannon of an M2A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle in the “o’dark” hours of the morning
resembles the knock of a company first sergeant on a Soldier’s barracks door. Not even the Bradley Advanced Training System,
a Bradley Fighting Vehicle gunnery simulator, can replicate the sound of live rounds zipping downrange,
striking their targets and earning the crew of Soldiers a well-deserved “T.”

The units of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, were afforded another opportunity
to conduct gunnery qualification tables and provide mission-essential training to new Soldiers and crews
during December gunnery training at the Fort Hood ’s Henson Mountain Range Complex.

FORT HOOD, Texas – 1st Sgt. Eric Cameron, Company B, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment,
observes Bradley qualification tables through his binoculars
while Staff Sgt. Timothy Mosteller, battalion Bradley master gunner, Headquarters and Headquarters Company,
and Staff Sgt. Travis Parker, company master gunner, Company E, 1-22 Inf. Regt.,
tally gunnery results from the range tower Dec. 11 during the Bradley qualification gunnery
at the Fort Hood Henson Mountain Range Complex. 1-22 Inf. Regt. conducted the qualification range
to provide new crews and Soldiers of the Raider Brigade Combat Team
one more opportunity to qualify before deploying in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in early 2008.
(U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Brent Williams, 1st BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div.)

It doesn’t matter that the brigade’s deployment date has been postponed, said Staff Sgt. Scott Feld, Bradley section leader,
Company B, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment.   Gunnery is a perishable task, and Soldiers still have to be prepared,
crews have to be qualified and the unit must be ready to fight, explained Feld, a 13-year veteran from Louisville, Ky.,
who is responsible for two Bradleys and supervises the day-to-day activities of two drivers and two gunners.  
“Soldiers can do BATS all day long, but until they actually get a driver and gunner in a Bradley and maneuver it properly,
they can’t say the job is done,” said Feld.

The new Bradley crews must complete the advanced training levels on the simulators before they are allowed to participate
in the live-fire qualification tables, he said.   Feld said he wants to ensure his Soldiers are straight on the new training before the deployment.
To achieve his goal, he trains his Soldiers to accomplish the mission and maintain their Warrior Ethos at all times.

“It’s good to have them here and have a little bit of time to train them up before we have to put them in that environment (in Iraq),” he explained.

Feld, who deployed with the Ivy Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team to Iraq in 2005, volunteered to serve with the Raider Brigade
during its upcoming deployment, which is slated for early 2008. He said his motivation is his Family and his service to the nation.
  “It doesn’t matter what brigade we’re in right now,” he explained. “Honestly, within the division, everybody’s tempo is high.
We just have to be prepared to go.”

Spc. Bernhardt Rupprecht, Bradley gunner and scout, Troop A, 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment ,
makes sure all pre-fire checks are done on the gun, all ammunition is loaded correctly, the turret is working properly
and communications are up and running. It sounds like a lot of work and is, said Rupprecht, who hails from Frankenmuth, Mich.,
but the Soldiers of the Raider Brigade are ready to deploy.   “They’ve been giving us a sufficient amount of down time out here
to ensure that the vehicles are operated properly and no one is hurt,” he said.

Rupprecht, who wants to succeed in his mission in Iraq , enjoyed the range time but said he wants more variety in his choice of targets,
in particular, moving targets to develop his proficiency as a gunner. “The range is well-maintained,” he said.
“Targets are easy to see – if you know what to look for, you can find them – but it offers enough of a challenge.
If you don’t know what you are doing, you are going to fail.”

Rupprecht will serve in Iraq as a dismount and a gunner on an M1114 High Mobility Multi-Wheeled Vehicle
when not operating his Bradley Fighting Vehicle.

When Pfc. Philip Farris, combat engineer and driver, Company E., 1-22 Inf. Regt. deploys to Iraq next year,
he will be using his M2A2 ODS “Brad” to provide security during route-clearance missions and combat patrols.
When he is not manning the infantry fighting vehicle, he will be driving his platoon sergeant in a humvee on the battlefield.
  Farris has been with the unit for ten months and completed his basic combat training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., in February.

Since arriving at the Raider Brigade, he has participated in platoon and company lanes training, conducted gunnery,
deployed to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif. , and prepared for the upcoming deployment to Iraq.
“It’s not overkill,” said Farris, who hails from Pinckneyville, Ill. “It has to be done. I’ve never been to Iraq ,
so for me, all this training is pretty important. When I got here, I didn’t know what to do
or what to expect so whatever training I can get will help me out.”

Farris said the training, combined with the experience of the Soldiers and his leaders, has helped to prepare him for his role
and he hopes to progress in his section from a driver to a gunner and eventually to a noncommissioned officer and a Bradley commander.

FORT HOOD, Texas – In the crew compartment of an M2A2 ODS Bradley Fighting Vehicle,
Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Sutton, a platoon sergeant assigned to Company E, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment,
discusses details of what needs to be accomplished upon returning to the unit motorpool with Pfc. Philip Farris,
combat engineer and Sutton's driver during the Table VIII Bradley Qualification Gunnery Dec. 11
at the Fort Hood Henson Mountain Range Complex. Once the crews from Co. E return from the training exercise,
they will be responsible for the proper cleaning and servicing of their fighting vehicles.
(U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Brent Williams, 1st BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div.)

For new crews it is harder. The Soldiers will have to take it step-by-step, day-by-day to improve the time for reactions,
movements and rates of fire. They need to build upon unit cohesion until they get it down,
said Spc. Jason Ahrens, cavalry scout and dismount assigned to Troop A, 7-10 Cav. Regt.

For Ahrens, who hails from Noonan, Ga. , the training is all about being a scout, being an infantrymen and building camaraderie.
  “Half of these guys who have been deployed wouldn’t be here now if it weren’t for the guys to the left and right of them,” Ahrens said.

For an established team, crew drills come naturally, said Staff Sgt. Michael Blake, Bradley section leader,
Troop A, 7-10 Cav. Regt. It is something his new team is learning.    “Everyone is doing well out here – no maintenance issues, no major foul-ups –
everything is running smoothly,” he said. “The Soldiers are hitting targets. It doesn’t get any better than this.”

The Bradley crews will conduct Table X and XII section and platoon live-fire exercises after the upcoming holidays and one-half day schedules.

FORT HOOD, Texas – An M2A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle assigned to the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment,
fires on "hot" targets Dec. 11 during a Table VIII qualification gunnery at the Fort Hood Henson Mountain Range Complex.
(U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Brent Williams, 1st BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div.)

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