Fort Bliss Monitor

1-1 ADA Battalion shows readiness during EDRE

1st lt. Sabrina Smith
1-1 ADA Bn.

Spc. Edward Shaulis, A Btry., 1-1 ADA, winces as he receives one of several immunizations at the battalion SRP. Soldiers from 1-1 ADA had their shots updated as part of the battalion EDRE.

The sound of the phone ringing at 4 a.m. Feb. 8 in homes and apartments across El Paso began the first Emergency Deployment Readiness Exercise for the Soldiers of 1-1 ADA Battalion in 2005. The Soldiers of Fort Bliss participate in EDRE’s in order to ensure that they and their equipment are ready for deployment at a moment’s notice, and the Soldiers of 1-1 are no exception to this policy. Within two hours of the battalion-wide recall being initiated, the Soldiers had arrived and were ready to begin the exercise.

The first day of the two-day EDRE consisted of a medical and administrative Soldier Readiness Processing program, where the Soldiers had their immunizations brought up-to-date and also had various administrative issues such as their current promotion points and Family Care Plans – looked over and updated if needed. The battalion also began motorpool assembly operations, where the vehicles belonging to the battalion underwent intensive inspections to ensure that they were in top working condition prior to being deployed to the area of operations.

“Vehicles start off by getting their load plans checked before heading over to ensure they are at operational readiness. We will check for leaks, missing parts, the charge on the battery, etc. to make sure that the vehicle is in good operating condition,” said Sgt. 1st Class Terry Rhodes, platoon sergeant for the ISE Platoon of 518th Maintenance Company. “If we discover any problems, we try to fix them then; otherwise, the vehicle is certified as ready to be deployed.”

Despite a few hiccups in the process, including finding quite a few deadlined vehicles, 1-1’s Soldiers answered the call and ensured that the vehicles were ready to go by the time they were to be rail or airloaded.

Vehicles were prepped for loading on the rail cars and the aircraft mockups located at the departure/arrival aircraft control group on the first day, and on the second day were convoyed to the railhead and the DAACG to practice actually loading them onto the rail cars and aircraft mockups. Teams of Soldiers from every battery had the chance to hone their skills on rail and airload operations in preparation for any future deployments.
“It’s a good learning opportunity. Before, I didn’t know how to do this; now I feel confident to either rail- or airload our equipment if we get deployed,” said Pfc. Bryant Palmer, a tactical control assistant for B Btry.

On the second day, Maj. Gen. Michael Vane, Fort Bliss commanding general, joined Lt. Col. Brian Disinger, 1-1 ADA’s battalion commander, in observing the training and skills of the Soldiers performing airload operations. “It’s all about training during peacetime. Using the DUST facility and other training areas really allows the units to get their Soldiers trained properly. While it might be preferable to put the entire unit at the NTC and with a maneuver unit, we can get a lot out of being in the field here at MacGregor and linked virtually through simulations such as the Drive-Up System Training, to train on many of the tasks a Patriot unit requires. We can replicate the scenarios, the threats, the environment and the O/Cs can also exchange information between Patriot at Bliss and maneuver at the NTC. Getting this training right and replicated many times during peacetime so that less blood is shed during wartime is what this training is all about,” Vane said.

“This exercise completes our nine-month training plan leading to our battalion EXEVAL in April. Based on my combat assessment and receiving the brigade commander’s training guidance, we prioritized our METL, planning individual and collective events that focused on AMD crew proficiency, C4I, protect, sustainment, and deployment tasks, Disinger said. “I’m amazed at the dedication and the devotion the Soldiers have displayed in meeting challenge after challenge. They’ve earned the title of being called warriors. We have come a long way in a short period due to the support of our brigade, the battalion staff, junior leaders and above all, the Soldiers.”



www.bliss.army.mil	Published for the Fort Bliss/El Paso, Texas Community	February 24, 2005

<map name="boxmap-b4"> <area shape="rect" coords="0, 589, 120, 600" href="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" > <area coords="0,0,10000,10000" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=&creative=92501&camp=8117&link_code=dl1&path=subst/misc/amazon-cobrand-cc/v3/marketing-from-associates-step1.html/ref%3Db1_assoc_29" > </map>	1-1 ADA Battalion shows readiness during EDRE 1st lt. Sabrina Smith 1-1 ADA Bn. Spc. Edward Shaulis, A Btry., 1-1 ADA, winces as he receives one of several immunizations at the battalion SRP. Soldiers from 1-1 ADA had their shots updated as part of the battalion EDRE. The sound of the phone ringing at 4 a.m. Feb. 8 in homes and apartments across El Paso began the first Emergency Deployment Readiness Exercise for the Soldiers of 1-1 ADA Battalion in 2005. The Soldiers of Fort Bliss participate in EDRE’s in order to ensure that they and their equipment are ready for deployment at a moment’s notice, and the Soldiers of 1-1 are no exception to this policy. Within two hours of the battalion-wide recall being initiated, the Soldiers had arrived and were ready to begin the exercise. The first day of the two-day EDRE consisted of a medical and administrative Soldier Readiness Processing program, where the Soldiers had their immunizations brought up-to-date and also had various administrative issues such as their current promotion points and Family Care Plans – looked over and updated if needed. The battalion also began motorpool assembly operations, where the vehicles belonging to the battalion underwent intensive inspections to ensure that they were in top working condition prior to being deployed to the area of operations. “Vehicles start off by getting their load plans checked before heading over to ensure they are at operational readiness. We will check for leaks, missing parts, the charge on the battery, etc. to make sure that the vehicle is in good operating condition,” said Sgt. 1st Class Terry Rhodes, platoon sergeant for the ISE Platoon of 518th Maintenance Company. “If we discover any problems, we try to fix them then; otherwise, the vehicle is certified as ready to be deployed.” Despite a few hiccups in the process, including finding quite a few deadlined vehicles, 1-1’s Soldiers answered the call and ensured that the vehicles were ready to go by the time they were to be rail or airloaded. Vehicles were prepped for loading on the rail cars and the aircraft mockups located at the departure/arrival aircraft control group on the first day, and on the second day were convoyed to the railhead and the DAACG to practice actually loading them onto the rail cars and aircraft mockups. Teams of Soldiers from every battery had the chance to hone their skills on rail and airload operations in preparation for any future deployments. “It’s a good learning opportunity. Before, I didn’t know how to do this; now I feel confident to either rail- or airload our equipment if we get deployed,” said Pfc. Bryant Palmer, a tactical control assistant for B Btry. On the second day, Maj. Gen. Michael Vane, Fort Bliss commanding general, joined Lt. Col. Brian Disinger, 1-1 ADA’s battalion commander, in observing the training and skills of the Soldiers performing airload operations. “It’s all about training during peacetime. Using the DUST facility and other training areas really allows the units to get their Soldiers trained properly. While it might be preferable to put the entire unit at the NTC and with a maneuver unit, we can get a lot out of being in the field here at MacGregor and linked virtually through simulations such as the Drive-Up System Training, to train on many of the tasks a Patriot unit requires. We can replicate the scenarios, the threats, the environment and the O/Cs can also exchange information between Patriot at Bliss and maneuver at the NTC. Getting this training right and replicated many times during peacetime so that less blood is shed during wartime is what this training is all about,” Vane said. “This exercise completes our nine-month training plan leading to our battalion EXEVAL in April. Based on my combat assessment and receiving the brigade commander’s training guidance, we prioritized our METL, planning individual and collective events that focused on AMD crew proficiency, C4I, protect, sustainment, and deployment tasks, Disinger said. “I’m amazed at the dedication and the devotion the Soldiers have displayed in meeting challenge after challenge. They’ve earned the title of being called warriors. We have come a long way in a short period due to the support of our brigade, the battalion staff, junior leaders and above all, the Soldiers.”