FORT IRWIN, CALIF. (WTOC) - Third ID soldiers are arriving in Iraq. They've been assigned a new and specific mission.
They're providing village security - in unprecedented close concert with green berets – the U.S. Special Forces.
Last month, WTOC's Sonny Dixon joined the commanding general of Third ID as he watched and encouraged the soldiers of 130 Infantry who trained at Fort Irwin in California.
Deep inside the box - as it is known is the massive U.S. National Training Center - Maj. Gen. Robert "Abe" Abrams makes his way into an amazingly detailed "Afghan" village. He said there's even a real AND fully equipped "Afghan" Inn in the training compound.
Far more serious was his talk with Delta Force soldiers with whom his 3rd ID Battle Boars will serve. Trainers are getting the Marne solders fully ready because each situation is different.
"There's going to be bad guys in town; there'll be some insurgents and then they'll be [able to] react to contact," Abrams said. "Again, it's about small unit leaders and soldiers having to deal with the unexpected - and unpredictable in a very complex environment."
The key here is the small unit - the squad - and a staff sergeant squad leader are strategizing, reacting, leading - in tough situations. This is not typical.
"A platoon or a company would have this challenge," Abrams said. "So in this case - scale it down for a squad to support village stability operations."
He said they'll ramp down the number of townspeople, the number of insurgents and the number of challenges, but still it's incredibly complex terrain.
The training involves a simulated attack out of nowhere. An Afghan soldier is cut down and the squad has to get him out of there for treatment.
The next stop is miles away through a mountain pass and harsh desert where live fire exercises were being conducted. Squad leader Staff Sgt. David Chadburn, of Maine, is in charge.
"We've done some dismounted lanes through the mountains, which, obviously, there aren't many of those at Fort Stewart. So definitely [were] getting some guys working their legs and their lungs out. So the op4 - the role players, all the scenarios, the pyrotechnics and everything we've got going on - has made it extremely realistic," Chadburn said.
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Training at Fort Irwin, Calif.
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