Video

Video by Staff Sgt. Felicia Jagdatt

1st Battalion, 37th Armored Regiment conducts Gunnery Table XII

2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division

Feb. 22, 2019 | 1:30

Company C, 1st Battalion, 37th Armored Regiment, conducts platoon level Table XII at the Fort Bliss Training Area, New Mexico, Feb. 22. A platoon consists of four Bradley fighting vehicles, the crewmembers who maneuver the vehicles, and multiple infantrymen in the rear of the vehicle who will eventually dismount and foot march to their objective. During this iteration of training, Company C is going through a dry round meaning there are no live or blank ammunitions. It is considered the crawl phase of the exercise. Once close enough to the objective, the Bradley fighting vehicles let down their ramp to allow the Soldiers to dismount and obtain a tactical position. The Bradley fighting vehicle will stay in their position to maintain an outer border of security. The dismounted Soldiers bound in formations towards their objective, which in this case is a fake village, making sure to stay out of enemy view. The term bounding means allowing a group of Soldiers to move forward while security is maintained by the other group; this motion continues until the objective is met. Upon arrival to their objective, Soldiers find concealment behind mounds, and leaders ensure to communicate the next move with everyone on the team. While leaders communicate to figure out the next move in the execution, there are Soldiers who hold security ensuring everyone remains safe. Soldiers continue to bound through the village. They clear each house room by room making sure there are no enemies hiding. Because of the level of this training, there was no simulated opposition force. Then they pull security in the cleared houses to allow their leaders to communicate, yet again. Note that every action requires positive communication with everyone on the mission, as well as the higher echelon leaders in the rear who need a constant update on the mission status due to tracking the overall fight. Once rooms have been cleared, Soldiers leave the area and head past the objective, making sure the area before, in, and after the objective is safe. They lay in concealment and wait for their Bradley to pick them back up. Once it arrives, one Soldier runs up to the vehicle, then everyone else follows when it is deemed safe. They pack into the back of the Bradley, and the mission is complete. (U.S. Army video by Staff Sgt. Felicia Jagdatt)