An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : Media : News : News Article View
NEWS | July 30, 2021

Alaska Army National Guard Infantry Battalion Conducts Annual Training

By Edward Eagerton Alaska National Guard Public Affairs

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- Approximately 280 Alaska Army National Guardsmen from 1st Battalion, 297th Infantry Regiment, conducted their two-week annual training July 10-25, primarily at Donnelly Training Area, located 107 miles southeast of Fairbanks, and west of Fort Greely.

This year’s annual training was the first consolidated training event for the unit since 2019, due to last year’s COVID-19 pandemic requiring the cancellation of training events to prevent the possible spread of the virus.

Capt. Vance Johnson, operations officer for the battalion, said his Soldiers were glad to be back in the field honing their skills, and that the training helped develop the battalion as a whole.

“They were highly motivated to get back to training,” he said. “[We] further developed as a team after not accomplishing a consolidation in the prior 12 months. [Our] collective proficiencies were significantly increased.”

Johnson explained that personnel from all five companies conducted their first two days of annual training at home station, here and in Fairbanks.

“We conducted individual weapons and crew-served weapons qualifications in preparation for our collective exercises at DTA,” he said. “We had five companies involved; alpha and bravo rifle companies, delta heavy weapons company, our headquarters company, and our forward support company.”

On the third day of training, all Soldiers deployed to Donnelly Training Area. Sgt. Michael Perez, a fire team leader, said that most Soldiers convoyed to the training location, while some were flown there on two Alaska Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopters from 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment. The early arrivers set up bivouac sites before the convoy arrived.

“Most people convoyed up,” he said, “but [my platoon] took the Chinook up there. It was a two-and-a-half-hour flight, versus an eight to 10-hour convoy. There are buildings at Donnelly, but we’re infantry, and we sleep outside. When we got there, we set ourselves up to live in the field.”

At the training site, the Army Guard companies began training on their specific skillsets.

“When we reached DTA, our units moved to their specific training events,” said Johnson. “Our mortars moved to the firing point and conducted 60, 80, and 120 mm mortar live fire training; our snipers did their weapon zero and known distance ranges, and also did some stalking lanes; both alpha and bravo companies conducted their live fires and platoon situational training exercises; the forward support company did field support and a defensive live fire; and our delta company completed section gunnery, which is two vehicles moving and shooting live rounds.”

Spc. Chantelle Ngiralmau, a wheeled vehicle mechanic from the Forward Support Company, explained that it was great getting hands-on training again after COVID shut events like this down.

“With the whole COVID thing, it stopped a lot of opportunities like this,” she said. “A lot of people didn’t have access to the systems they need to do their jobs, so being out in the field with the system set up and actually going through the motions, I think this was by far the best AT for everyone in their sections to learn.”

Ngiralmau said that her maintenance section set up a repair tent, learned to extract damaged vehicles from combat zones, and even had to replace the transmission of a Humvee after one of the trucks broke down. She explained that it was a good opportunity to train on a real-world problem.

“We had to use a crane on a wrecker that I had never used before,” explained Ngiralmau. “We pulled a Humvee into the maintenance tent, lifted it up, put the jacks under it, and we learned how to change the transmission using the transmission jack. It’s good practice.”

For the two rifle companies, Perez said that a lot of the training included careful rehearsals before conducting live-fire events. This would include training with their weapons empty while rehearsing team movement and communication. Afterwards, they would use blanks in their weapons before finally moving to live ammunition.

“We initially started with a lot of classes,” elaborated Perez, “because we were initiating team bounding and squad bounding techniques. So you go through a dry iteration, and you say, ‘hey, let’s knock out this rust; do you guys remember how to bound as a team without getting shot?’”

Bounding is a tactical movement where team members provide cover fire for their battle buddies as they advance on an enemy position. As they worked through the motions in a controlled environment, they also worked on smaller details to make critical steps more like muscle memory.

“While we were doing that,” he said, “we’re working on a lot of tactical and emergency reloads, reloading before you start bounding so you can protect your team members as they’re moving. You want to make sure that when you’re bounding, you’re communicating effectively. It’s called shoot, move, and communicate. I think we were rehearsing those before we even got to the dry, blank, and live iterations.”

Johnson said that this year’s annual training was designed to train the battalion at the squad level in preparation for future training events.

“This AT sets the conditions for our follow-on collective training in 2022 and 2023,” said Johnson. “This year, we did squad level training, and next year we’re training to do platoon live fires and company situational training exercises.”
CONNECT WITH USINDOPACOM
Facebook

Like Us
X
362,943
Follow Us

ENGAGE & CONNECT MORE WITH PACOM

                                                 

IN THE USINDOPACOM NEWS
USINDOPACOM Statement on DPRK Missile Launches
Graphic intended for use as a placeholder for Statements and Press Releases without accompanying imagery.
March 18, 2024 - We are aware of the DPRK’s March 17 ballistic missile launches and are consulting closely with our allies and partners. We have assessed these events did not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory. The United...

US Space Forces Indo-Pacific executes Cobra Gold 2024
March 15, 2024 - U.S. Space Forces Indo-Pacific is taking a giant leap forward in multi-domain integration, leading U.S. space participation in Joint Exercise Cobra Gold 24 in Thailand, Feb. 27 – Mar. 8...

2nd Infantry/ROK-U.S. Combined Division Joins with ROK Forces for Air Assault Training Mission
A Republic of Korea Army CH-47F Chinook helicopter, 2nd Division/ROK-U.S. Combined Division, performs a sling load of a 12,000-pound High Mobility Multi-Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) while conducting combined air assault and ground training exercises during Freedom Shield 24, March 13, 2024, at the Korea Combined Training Center, South Korea. FS24, a holistic military training program, integrates ground, air, and naval elements, enhancing readiness through realistic combat simulations, interoperability, and live exercises refining troops’ combat skills. (U.S. Army photo by KPfc. Lee, Hyun Bin)
March 15, 2024 - The 2nd Infantry/ROK-U.S. Combined Division completes a large-scale joint air assault training operation in conjunction with the ROK 2nd Rapid Response Division, Army Aviation Command, Air Force's 5th Air Mobility Wing during...

2ID/RUCD Completes Combined Live Fire with ROK Army During Freedom Shield
A U.S. Army Assault Breaching Vehicle from the 55th Combat Engineer Company, 11th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade, executes an obstacle breaching operation in coordination with the ROK Army during Freedom Shield, South Korea, March 14, 2024. In support of the Armistice Agreement, Freedom Shield 24 underscores the enduring military partnership between the ROK and the U.S. It reinforces the role of the Alliance as the linchpin for regional peace and security, reaffirming the unwavering commitment of the United States to defend the Republic of Korea. (U.S. Army photo by Kim, Ji Hun)
March 14, 2024 - As part of Freedom Shield 2024, the U.S. Army 2nd Infantry Division/ROK-U.S. Combined Division (2ID/RUCD) and the Capital Mechanized Infantry Division (CMID) of the Republic of Korea army, demonstrated combined combat...

U.S.-Japan soar through heavy winds for Airborne 24
U.S. Air Force C-130J Super Hercules assigned to the 36th Airlift Squadron transport Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) paratroopers to a drop zone for static-line jump training during Airborne 24, March 7, 2024, near the Ryukyu Islands, Japan. The ongoing partnership between U.S. and Japan forces continues to demonstrate both countries’ commitment to maintaining stability and security throughout the Indo-Pacific region. The total fleet of six C-130Js assigned to Yokota Air Base were used for a bilateral airlift to deliver approximately 300 JGSDF paratroopers to drop zones at Kikaijima, Japan, during the static-line personnel jump portion of the training. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Tristan Truesdell)
March 14, 2024 - As dawn approached on the brisk morning of March 7, relentless winds echoed over the flightline of Yokota Air Base, Japan. The stage was set for Airborne 24, as nearly half of the 374th Airlift Wing’s C-130J Super Hercules...