CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea -- Rockets hit a mountainside like a train
crashing into a wall at full speed on one late September afternoon. The sound
was deafening and the dust clouds could be seen from a mile away. The rockets
were fired from two AH-64 Apache's providing a deep attack to support a ground
force during a combined exercise.
The 2nd Battalion, 2nd Aviation Regiment,
2nd Combat Aviation Brigade with augmentations from the 4th Attack Battalion,
2nd Aviation Regiment and the 3rd General Support Aviation Battalion was the
mission command during the combined exercise with the 1-8 CAV on September 21 at
the Rodriguez Live Fire Complex in South Korea.
Capt. Kenneth Wolfe, the
2-2nd Avn. Regt. assistant operations officer, played a key role during the
entirety of the exercise. "As mission command for this exercise we provided a
lot of the logistical support," Wolfe said. "We were supporting the 1-8 CAV on
the table gunnery with attack and medevac assets as part of a task
force." During the exercise the helicopters simulated providing time and
space for the ground forces to operate. A deep attack from an Apache can disrupt
the tempo of the enemy which allows the ground leaders time to recover a vehicle
or any casualties, he said. "Ground forces don't often get a chance to
interact with aviation," Wolfe said. "This gave them an opportunity to see how
we train and our capabilities."
The task force included a UH-60 Blackhawk
which provided medevac capabilities and Apaches which provide an attack
capability. "This gave us a chance to function with the different elements of
Aviation that we don't always get to work with," Wolfe said. "This was a great
learning experience to innovate and integrate a ground and air tactical
plan." He said the exercise was going smoothly and the Soldiers were
receiving great training to help further their readiness as a battalion.