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.