Exercise gives civilians glimpse of soldiers' training
Leigh Guidry
FORT POLK – Two men walk up to a small marketplace in what could be a Middle Eastern town. After a few minutes, they walk away, but without a backpack one had carried. It's under a cart and turns out to be an IED.
The improvised explosive devise goes off as most of the villagers are out of range, but a few are injured. The explosion quickly is followed by another, this time a vehicle driven to the market and abandoned.
The scene is one that many in today's military could find on deployment. On Saturday members of the 1st Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment experienced it in the woods near Fort Polk.
They responded to the scene, maintaining security while engaging the "bad guys" in a nearby building. Ultimately the battalion was victorious, but sustained two casualties.
The training scenario was part of a Box tour, which the Joint Readiness Training Center tries to offer to civilians, military families and media monthly.
It served as a full flanking exercise for the deployable unit stationed at Fort Polk and as an eye-opener for visitors. The crowd was close enough to hear loud gunfire and feel heat from the explosions.
"We design it so their worst day is here," said Capt. Reinaldo Gonzalez Jr., Headquarters & Headquarters Company commander. "We can spend all day fighting in Shugart Gordon."
Shugart Gordon, also known as Shagari, is one of several training "cities" in the Box. The Military Operations on Urban Terrain center was built in the mid-1990s and is modeled after some West European and South American cities, said James Evins, MOUT site facility manager.
Saturday's exercise was a first for Spc. Andrew Kelley, giving him an idea of what to expect on possible deployments.
"It was a good glimpse at what we do," Kelley said.
After the "main event," two busloads of civilians had a chance to tour the town and speak with soldiers and role-players, like Pam Orme of Anacoco. She played a villager in the marketplace and has participated in Fort Polk training assignments for 11 years.
"We want our fellow Americans to come back over here alive," she said.
Civilians of all ages walked through buildings at Shugart Gordon, sat in tanks and tried out a few weapons. With a little help from the soldiers, Tyler, 8, and Emily Blalock, 7, tried their hands at shooting an M50 submachine gun and an M249 squad automatic weapon.
"Their dad works out here," their mother Maria Blalock said. "They wanted to see what their dad does and the cool stuff out here."