Fort Bliss Monitor

Delta Battery dominates MOUT training

2nd Lt. Stephen Legarski
1st Bn., 1st ADA Bde.

Photos by 2nd Lt. Kassandra Gonzalez

Spc. Alex Antonelli and his teammate provide security while another team clears the building.

D Battery, 1st Battalion, 1st Air Defense Artillery Brigade, recently conducted Military Operations in Urban Terrain training Oct. 17 through 21 in order to meet Mission Essential Task List requirements.

The training was completed in a two-phase operation throughout the week. One portion allowed the Soldiers to understand the fundamental steps necessary to clear rooms. Another integrated paintball guns into live scenarios so Soldiers would have more of a real life training environment.

“This was a great experience for a Patriot unit to do this type of training,” said Spc. Gavin Lowry. “It gave us the feel of real combat in that we kept good security for one another and moved cautious and fast for fear of being hit with the live paintball rounds.”

Oct. 17 and 18, D Btry. Soldiers learned the basic skills necessary for clearing various types of buildings with the help of 6th ADA trainers at Bldg. 645, which is the post MOUT site used for training AIT Soldiers. The basic skills learned at this location included four-man team movement procedures and “glass house” drills where Soldiers learned how to clear hallways, stairs and various types of rooms.

Once they completed the train-up outside, they moved indoors and watched their comrades clear the building with the help of video feedback from live cameras in the rooms throughout the building. The teams made their way through the building, clearing rooms of hostile insurgents on pop-up targets while keeping a watchful eye for IED’s and hostages.

“It was good to have us train with blanks and fake targets first so we could gain some knowledge of the basics before we used paintball rounds against a live opposing force,” said Spc. Matthew Smarsh. “I had a lot of fun and I hope we do this again sometime.”

For the second phase of the operation, the battery conducted a four-mile dismounted foot march to a MOUT site at Biggs Army Airfield. The Soldiers used M16 and M9 paintball guns to clear the fictional town of Ahmid in order to draw on the MOUT skills they learned earlier in the week.

In each scenario, two squads moved tactically through the town clearing pre-determined buildings under their own security. At the end of each scenario, the squads converged on and surrounded a large building, which was believed to be a major insurgent stronghold, in the center of town.

Medical support, provided by 1-1 ADA medics, was an important addition to the training scenarios. The medics provided instruction as to the proper procedures for medical evacuations during combat situations. In the last mission, Soldiers had to treat and evacuate their own wounded under the support of a quick reaction force security team.

“This type of realistic training is what our Soldiers need to do to keep our competitive edge on today’s diverse and continually changing battlefields,” said 1st Sgt. Craig Rommelmeyer. “The Soldiers are looking forward to additional training events in the upcoming months, so they can continue to sharpen their skills in the joint urban operations warrior tasks.”



www.bliss.army.mil	Published for the Fort Bliss/El Paso, Texas Community	November 10, 2005

Spc. Alex Antonelli and his teammate provide security while another team clears the building. <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>	Delta Battery dominates MOUT training 2nd Lt. Stephen Legarski 1st Bn., 1st ADA Bde. Photos by 2nd Lt. Kassandra Gonzalez Spc. Alex Antonelli and his teammate provide security while another team clears the building. D Battery, 1st Battalion, 1st Air Defense Artillery Brigade, recently conducted Military Operations in Urban Terrain training Oct. 17 through 21 in order to meet Mission Essential Task List requirements. The training was completed in a two-phase operation throughout the week. One portion allowed the Soldiers to understand the fundamental steps necessary to clear rooms. Another integrated paintball guns into live scenarios so Soldiers would have more of a real life training environment. “This was a great experience for a Patriot unit to do this type of training,” said Spc. Gavin Lowry. “It gave us the feel of real combat in that we kept good security for one another and moved cautious and fast for fear of being hit with the live paintball rounds.” Oct. 17 and 18, D Btry. Soldiers learned the basic skills necessary for clearing various types of buildings with the help of 6th ADA trainers at Bldg. 645, which is the post MOUT site used for training AIT Soldiers. The basic skills learned at this location included four-man team movement procedures and “glass house” drills where Soldiers learned how to clear hallways, stairs and various types of rooms. Once they completed the train-up outside, they moved indoors and watched their comrades clear the building with the help of video feedback from live cameras in the rooms throughout the building. The teams made their way through the building, clearing rooms of hostile insurgents on pop-up targets while keeping a watchful eye for IED’s and hostages. “It was good to have us train with blanks and fake targets first so we could gain some knowledge of the basics before we used paintball rounds against a live opposing force,” said Spc. Matthew Smarsh. “I had a lot of fun and I hope we do this again sometime.” For the second phase of the operation, the battery conducted a four-mile dismounted foot march to a MOUT site at Biggs Army Airfield. The Soldiers used M16 and M9 paintball guns to clear the fictional town of Ahmid in order to draw on the MOUT skills they learned earlier in the week. In each scenario, two squads moved tactically through the town clearing pre-determined buildings under their own security. At the end of each scenario, the squads converged on and surrounded a large building, which was believed to be a major insurgent stronghold, in the center of town. Medical support, provided by 1-1 ADA medics, was an important addition to the training scenarios. The medics provided instruction as to the proper procedures for medical evacuations during combat situations. In the last mission, Soldiers had to treat and evacuate their own wounded under the support of a quick reaction force security team. “This type of realistic training is what our Soldiers need to do to keep our competitive edge on today’s diverse and continually changing battlefields,” said 1st Sgt. Craig Rommelmeyer. “The Soldiers are looking forward to additional training events in the upcoming months, so they can continue to sharpen their skills in the joint urban operations warrior tasks.”