Ft. Huachuca gets good use of new live fire range

Sierra Vista Herald ^ | Alexis Ramanjulu

[SandRat]

FORT HUACHUCA — Sounds of gunfire, explosives and soldiers yelling filled the brisk morning air Saturday as Company C of the 40th Expeditionary Signal Battalion held defensive live firing training.

The training was held on range 1B — a fairly new addition to Fort Huachuca. This exercise was only the second live firing done on the range. Before it opened, the option the teams had for a similar experience involved traveling to Fort Bliss in Texas.

“We don’t do live fire on other ranges (on the fort),” Tanja Linton, a spokeswoman for Fort Huachuca, said.

First Lieutenant and 40th Expeditionary Signal Battalion Platoon leader Renae Capers said the 36 soldiers “engaging in battle” Saturday morning were responding to different scenarios and aiming at targets with a wide range of weapons.

“All the things we would see (in combat) we try to portray,” Capers said.

Colored smoke was used to simulate different forms of attack — whether chemical or incoming fire.

Captain Calvin Johnson said the soldiers have been training for three months in their respective teams before taking what they have learned and studied to the range.

Linton said the 40th Expeditionary Signal Battalion is the only “forces command on Fort Huachuca,” meaning they are the only deployable units on the fort.

The soldiers in the battalion need to be prepared for deployment at anytime, which is why live fire training is important. It is also beneficial that the soldiers can do the training close to where they are stationed.

“(The) units have to be prepared all over the world,” she said.

Johnson said the teams of four to six will not be broken up even if the larger group is separated because of how they have learned to work with one another and the skillsets that they have.

Company C was the second group to train on the range as Company A trained on it in September. The constant shots of ammunition caused a few large fires in September despite a prescribed burn done before. To prevent multiple fires and a potential wildfire, the fort had at least two prescribed burns performed before this round.

There were a couple of fires that started Saturday morning, but for the most part they burned themselves out. One of the fires started too close to the fox hole, where there was live ammunition, but that was extinguished by a waiting Fort Huachuca Fire Department.

“There was no risk to the fort or the community,” Linton said.

According to a press release by Linton, the 40th Signal Battalion is a combat ready, theater tactical signal battalion capable of worldwide deployment in response to Joint Chiefs of Staff, Department of the Army, Forces Command and Army Signal Command mission directives across the spectrum of conflict.

[wbarmy]

It never ceases to amaze me how many times I see Ft Huachuca or Sierra Vista pop up in the Free Republic articles.

While posted there and working there as an instructor, I had no idea how many of the people I knew were probably Freepers.

[mazda77]

USAEPG vet (74-76) here in Florida. The Huachuca valley is my adoptive home. Wish I could go back.

[wbarmy]

During that time, did you ever go to the POW camp out in Garden Canyon? or the intriguing set of tunnels near there?

[SandRat]

Come back for a visit, to see how the Fort has changed.

[eartick]

Tons of illegal grass crawling invaders and drugs come across in this area. Maybe there is a message being sent or preparing to defend our borders.

Hopefully the later since the border needs defending NOW.

[SandRat]

They pretty MUCH stay West of Patagonia and East of Douglas.

[DoughtyOne]

Thanks so much for your support to this point... I personally apprecaite it...
FReepers, it's far beyond time to wrap up this FReep-a-thon.  Lets do it today.  Please chip in.

President Donald J. Trump and the Free Republic of the United States of America
President Donald J. Trump's address to the United Nations on 09/19/2017.

Ramirez political cartoon:  the Roy Moore Compass LARGE VERSION 12/11/2017: LINK  LINK to regular sized versions of his political cartoons (archive).
Garrison political cartoon:  Moore or Less LARGE VERSION 12/11/2017: LINK  LINK (scroll down) to regular sized versions of his political cartoons (archive).

Please join the monthlies, an automated and the best way to help support Free Republic.  If you opt not to join the automated monthly support program, please consider joining the One One Done project.  LINK

Click above and pencil in your donation now.Please folks, lets end this FReepathon.  Thank you!
...this is a general all-purpose message, and should not be seen as targeting any individual I am responding to...

[OrioleFan]

Went there a couple of times as a contractor. Sierra Vista is a wonderful city in a beautiful setting. Would like to go back one day.

[Hoosier-Daddy]

And visit Karchner Caverns!

[SandRat]

DID YOU SEE THE SOUTHWEST ARIZONA VETERAN’S MEMORIAL CEMETERY?

[mazda77]

Nope. Spent most of the time traveling on the crypto projects. When ‘home’ would just go out into the desert and mountains. Lake Patagonia, Tombstone, Bisbee and wherever I could just bask in the silence and watch the stars.

[mazda77]

I have seen it. I used to live at 168 Stedman St. in a little block NCO family quarters. Washer out on the carport storage and hanging clothes to dry on a line behind the house.

Google Earth shows that whole area has totally changed with the old quarters torn down and new rather trendy homes to replace them. Much the same as the new quarters at Rucker. The old Intel School area has changed from what I can see but from Greely Hall down to the airfield is pretty much the same.

[wbarmy]

The family truly did like Lake Patagonia, we could walk around it in an afternoon, have a nice lunch and let the kids splash a little. There were usually very few people or they were very considerate.

[wbarmy]

The old Intel School area has definitely changed. Went there in 1983, came back in the 90’s and just did some teaching out there a few years ago.

What a massive difference.

But the mountain hikes and garden canyon still are as beautiful as ever.

[mazda77]

I miss it a lot. But, as my mother and sister live in Overton, Nevada, it has the flavor that I can glean from when visiting them.

[OrioleFan]

Nah. I wanted to see the buffalo soldiers museum, and didn’t get a chance to. It was a working trip, and the only sightseeing I did was a quick trip down to the border and a ride out around the prairie when the most beautiful rainbow I ever saw appeared. Interesting the balloons up. I was told occasionally an illegal would wander over the mountains on to base.