When they head for Afghanistan next year, soldiers from Fort Carson’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team will be thinking on their feet.
With a special emphasis on feet.
The unit, once armed with 72-ton tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles, will walk its way through war in Afghanistan when it arrives there, likely in late spring or early summer.
Now, the 3,800 soldiers in the brigade are honing their skills and learning to live without the luxury of an armored ride.
“For the new guys coming in, it’s no difference,” said 1st Sgt. Chris Barksdale as he watched his soldiers on a training range last week. “For the others, it’s sometimes a challenge.”
Since the Cold War days of the 1980s, the Army as been centered on its heavily armored tank force to bear the brunt of combat. That served the Army well during two wars in Iraq.
But Afghanistan is so steep, roadless and rugged that tanks and other heavy rigs must make way for the foot soldier.
That has meant big changes for the 2nd Brigade and other heavy units headed to the mountainous war zone.
Commanders are teaching soldiers the tactics and toughness required for life as light infantry.
In a simulated Afghan village on the south side of Fort Carson last week, soldiers learned that in this war, their gift of gab may be as useful as their rifles.
“We’re trying to gain rapport with these people so we can get some intelligence from them,” explained Sgt. 1st Class Pilo Avila as he led a platoon through a mock engagement in the village.
The purpose of the training, which included a mock firefight, was to teach soldiers that making friends is as potent as killing enemies.
“You don’t come in looking for a fight, but you come in expecting a fight,” Barksdale said.
The brigade has some advantages in getting ready for another wartime tour.
With months to go before the unit departs, it has almost reached full strength — so lessons from training won’t need to be retaught to large contingents of replacements who show up right before the deployment.
The soldiers are also relatively well-rested, with a solid 18 months at home between their last deployment to southern Iraq and their new task in Afghanistan. While the time spent at home isn’t up to the Army’s goal of two years between war tours, it’s six months more than other Fort Carson brigades have seen.
Much of that time at home lately, though, has been spent in grueling training. Soldiers for the past month have made long treks through Fort Carson’s gnarled landscape to ready their bodies for the harsh terrain ahead.
They’ve fought a string of mock battles to hone their marksmanship skills and are learning how to relate to the Afghan people.
“You’ve got to ramp it up before you go,” said Spec. Matthew Burton.
At the same time, commanders have scheduled training time around the holidays. Troops will start taking leave next week for Christmas and training won’t resume until after the new year.
