MCCONNELSVILLE, Ohio—Soldiers train hard for the opportunity to employ their skills on real-world missions. For members of the 2nd Battalion, 174th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, the opportunity comes in the form of a unique mission, both because of its important contribution to national security and because it remains the sole ongoing air defense mission for the unit's Avenger missile system.
Although the unit's Soldiers drill far from the limelight of Washington D.C., in the small Midwestern town of McConnelsville, Ohio, they will soon be propelled onto the national stage when they mobilize in support of Operation Clear Skies later this year. Soldiers of the 2-174th are veterans of this homeland defense mission, having mobilized in 2006 for the same mission.
The troops will drill extensively between now and their mobilization to ensure they are primed for defending the nation's capital from air threats, a mission that was put into place after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
"Not everyone gets this kind of opportunity to translate their training into a real-world mission with this type of importance," said Sgt. 1st Class Jeffery Wise, an operations sergeant with the battalion's Headquarters Battery and veteran of the National Capital Region mission.
When on mission, the air defenders focus on protecting the skies over the District of Columbia by monitoring the Avenger missile system and remaining on alert for potential threats. In preparation, they carefully rehearse each step of their alert system again and again through a variety of classroom scenarios, hands-on training activities and table-top simulators.
"The talking piece is the most important," Wise said, referencing the table top simulator training. The troops use the simulators to rehearse their roles within the Avenger system as gunners, team leaders and noncommissioned officers-in-charge. "The communication has to be precise. God forbid, but if the time comes, all the training up to that point comes into play and muscle memory kicks in."
"The training is excellent," said Pfc. Andrew Kim, a gunner with the battalion's Battery B and student at Otterbein College in Westerville. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience to help defend the nation's capital."
Kim studies political science and international studies at Otterbein and was scheduled to graduate soon. "The nice thing is I don't have to worry about getting a job when I graduate," Kim said, adding he hopes to make the best of his time in the district.
The Soldiers are thrilled to be back on the system, Wise said.
"It's a very versatile system," said Sgt. Andrew Woldbold, a team leader with Battery B. "The Avenger can fire in place or on the move."
Woldbold enlisted with the battalion in 2007 when it was mobilized to the National Capital Region for the first time. As a member of the rear detachment he heard a lot about the mission and thought it would be a great opportunity. Now the battalion has come full circle.
"I'm looking forward to going on the mission this time," Woldbold said, adding he will enjoy the opportunity to see many of the national monuments and landmarks he will be guarding. |
