It was dark and the air was thick in the Republic of Korea. The grass had grown as tall as the Soldiers standing in it as they pushed forward through the trees and wildlife. "Contact, contact!" one of the Soldiers said. Immediately the squad dropped down and began suppressing fire. Directions were yelled by the squad leader, and the Soldiers reacted without hesitation. They bounded forward on line and in sync. Shots were fired and the enemy was put to rest.

The Soldiers were from the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Aviation Regiment, 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade participated in a squad exercise evaluation June 4-5 at TTA TOM, a training area, in the ROK. The evaluation included events such as personnel recovery, weapons assembly, combat life-saver training, reacting to contact, and radio familiarization to name a few.

Staff Sgt. Jonathan Brungerwood, the career counselor for the HHC, 2-2 Avn. Regt., was the trainer for the react to contact portion of the exercise. Brungerwood said the Soldiers had trained for the past four weeks culminating with this final evaluation. The Soldiers participating ranged from privates to senior non-commissioned officers and each one took something different away from the training. "I have been in the Army for 15 years and training has changed a lot since I got in," he said. "This is a good way for senior leaders to brush up on the new tactics and techniques."

Sgt. Jonathan Gaddy, the communications team chief for the HHC, 2-2nd Avn. Regt., was another trainer during the exercise. He helped familiarized the Soldiers with certain radio functions. "These Soldiers will be evaluated on their ability to work the radios," Gaddy said. "They might need to use them to call up a medevac or send in reports."

Radio communications are an integral part of the 2nd CAB's capabilities, Gaddy said. They want these skills to become second nature to the Soldiers on the battlefield. "These guys need to be able to shoot, move and communicate at a moment's notice," Gaddy said.

On the first day of the exercise, the Soldiers completed several warrior tasks and drills in preparation for the following day of combat scenario lanes. The Soldiers were to be evaluated at the squad level on their ability to work as a team.

Spc. Justin K. Smith, an aviation operations clerk for the HHC, 2-2nd Avn. Regt., was a Soldier who completed the squad exercise evaluation. "Our team stuck together through it all," Smith said. "We showed that we know the drills and we can perform them as squad. Being here in Korea, our team has to be ready to fight tonight at a moment's notice."

At the end of the second day, the teams were loaded into UH-60 Blackhawks and taken back to their unit. The evaluation was over, but the Soldiers will continue to train and always improve.