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Winter was in full swing at Forward Operating Base Speicher, but the sky was clear. I could still see the sun and feel a sense of warmth; however, once reality kicked in, the air was chilly even at mid-day. My unit was on the last leg of a yearlong deployment, and the overall morale of my fellow Soldiers was high.
Cold temperatures can greatly affect the maintenance, functioning and employment of infantry weapons. To properly handle and care for your weapon under a variety of adverse conditions, you must take temperature into consideration. Your weapon is only as good as its maintenance. This is especially true when the mercury falls below freezing.
When winter arrives, the days get shorter, the nights get longer and they both get much colder. However, this does not keep the Army from training. Field training exercises are a reality for every unit, no matter how cold it is.
Dehydration is a leading cause of injury for Soldiers. To keep them in the fight, it’s essential they remain properly hydrated — even during the winter.
The unit was tasked to refuel two Army tactical vehicles and provide a Soldier with driver training. To accomplish the mission, the Soldiers would travel on local roadways. They were given orders to clear the snow from their vehicles and conduct preventive maintenance checks and services (PMCS). They were also briefed on the proper speeds for the winter road conditions.
It was a good training day. We were conducting a command-sponsored train-the-trainer event for M-249/M-240B machine gun qualification tables to show subordinate unit leaders what right looks like. So far, we had executed the qualification tables well and “right” looked pretty good.