1st BCD Soldiers ensure Warrior Tasks and Battlefield Drills proficiency

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Melissa Copeland
  • 355th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  It's 7:48 a.m. and already the stifling Arizona heat induces beads of sweat on the forehead of a Soldier wearing an Army Combat Uniform, an additional 50 pounds of protective equipment and a helmet.

His eyes are strikingly alert as he anxiously awaits further instructions from the team leader of his squad.

For more than 20 soldiers from the 1st Battlefield Coordination Detachment this was the way their Tuesday morning began at Freedom Court here.

D-M is one of five Air Force installations with a BCD. The 1st BCD, embedded with the 612th Air Operations Group here, provides Army support in the Falconer Combined Air Operations Center.

The Soldiers participated in their quarterly evaluation of the Army Warrior Tasks and Battle Drills at D-M.

"Every Thursday we train in certain tasks or drills as part of this requirement, which leads to the quarterly evaluation in which all of this training comes together and is evaluated," said Army Sgt. 1st Class Hector Heredia, 1st BCD administration noncommissioned officer and one of the organizers for the training.

"This quarter's training has been focused on urban operations, as this is the environment we are fighting in the most," he added.

WTBD certification is not just required of Infantry troops, but of every Soldier, from private to general.

"This training ensures we can work as a team and are knowledgeable in the tasks required to accomplish our mission as we in the Army deploy as cohesive units and not individuals," Sergeant Heredia said.

The four teams of Soldiers were evaluated individually on their ability to successfully complete five major tasks: react under indirect and direct fire, move under direct fire, perform movement techniques and enter a building during an urban operation.

Within each category are subcategories each Soldier is required to perform correctly, such as, the high crawl, low crawl, the three-second rush, clearing corners, moving in an open area, crossing obstacles and using a grappling hook with rope to simulate entering a second-story window.

"This training is about being proficient and doing our job correctly," said Army Col. James Miller, 612th AOG, 1st BCD commander and participant in the training.

Securing a location was one major obstacle the Soldiers were able to overcome with the help of a few base organizations.

"We are very grateful for the Soaring Heights Communities and housing for allowing us to come in and practice in actual dwellings," said Army Sgt. Maj. Thomas Reitmeier, 1st BCD sergeant major and the senior enlisted advisor to the commander.

The mission of the BCD plays an integral role in the success of the war on terror as Soldiers and also, liaisons to the Air Force.

"While we do provide our expertise as liaisons in the Army to the Air Force as part of the CAOC team, we also maintain our basic soldiering skills to be able to perform our Army mission at a moment's notice." Sergeant Heredia said.