101st Special Troops Battalion Conducts Convoy Escort Live Fire Training

101st Sustainment Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (AA) Public Affairs

Fort Campbell, KY – Soldiers of the 101st Special Troops Battalion, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Sustainment Brigade, 101st Abn. Div., executed a day and night convoy escort team live fire exercise October 26th, here.

First Lt. Walter Dezir, the executive officer for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 101st STB, was the officer in charge for the CET LFX operation.

According to Dezir, the training falls directly into the brigade commander’s guidance to ensure units maintain a state of readiness at all times.

“It’s important [for HHC] to be able to provide [the] capability of having an actual convoy escort team that is organic within the battalion and brigade headquarters,” said Dezir. “We need to provide the Special Troops Battalion [with] some sort of protective detail.”

According to Dezir, a lot of preparation was conducted for the CET LFX to ensure the Soldiers were confident in their ability to accomplish the mission.

“[We trained with simulations such as], virtual convoy and virtual gunnery, [by using] reconfigurable vehicle tactical training,” said Dezir. “Which essentially allows Soldiers to get a physical idea of how it feels to conduct a CET LFX before the actual mission.”

During the CET LFX, the battalion used five vehicles, each equipped with a M2 browning mounted machine gun or M249 light machine gun, to engage simulated enemy targets.

According to Spc. Jalon Veasey, a unit supply specialist with HHC, 101st STB, he conducted the CET LFX as an M2 browning machine gunner for the first time.

“Getting more familiarized with the [M2 Browning machine gun] makes me feel more comfortable as a Soldier to accomplish the mission,” said Veasey. “I think this training will help us for future mission to get us physically and mental prepared.”

Veasey added that everyone worked really well as team.

“The driver and truck commander [were] communicating well,” said Veasey. “If any [information] needed to be relayed to me, [the gunner], the truck commander would make sure I got the message loud and clear.”

Dezir said he hopes Soldiers are able to utilize the skills and knowledge they learned during the exercise to stay mission ready.

“It’s all about readiness,” said Dezir. “The big expectation from the exercise was that [the battalion] operated in a safe manner and to standard.”

According to Dezir, the battalion will be conducting another CET LFX in the spring of next year.