Army
GallerySoldiers put their suits, skills to the test in ‘ghillie wash’ training event
Stars and Stripes
July 1, 2026
U.S. Army Soldiers with the Recon Section of the Multi-Purpose Company, 1st Battalion, 112th Infantry Regiment, 56th Mobile Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division conduct a ghillie wash training event June 25, 2026, at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pa. (Jonathan Campbell/U.S. Army National Guard)
Soldiers participated in a ghillie wash last week at a mire pit training site in Fort Indiantown Gap, Pa.
The training prepared soldiers from the Recon Section of the Multi-Purpose Company, 1st Battalion, 112th Infantry Regiment, 56th Mobile Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division with the skills to improve their concealment and effectiveness during operations through intense physical training in their ghillie suits.
“That event was a smoker,” Spc. Collin Hoch said in a service news release. “You need to put a lot of thought and preparation into the suit you make so you can trust it — my pants ripped during the event. Preparation and planning are really important.”
Hoch, who has served in the Recon Section for about three years, tested his newly constructed ghillie suit during the event and said the ghillie wash highlighted the physical demands of the job. Soldiers crawled through water, sand, mud, rocks and grass.
Ghillie suits are camouflage garments worn by snipers to help them blend into dense foliage, grass and surrounding terrain. The event also serves as an initiation process for soldiers seeking to become snipers.
“It weathers their ghillie suits from being shiny and new, testing the durability of the suit and the mental fortitude of the soldier in the suit,” said Sgt. 1st Class Kyle Benich, acting first sergeant for the company. “I’m very proud of the work these soldiers have put into their suits and learning the craft during this training period.”
U.S. Army soldiers with the Recon Section of the Multi-Purpose Company, 1st Battalion, 112th Infantry Regiment, 56th Mobile Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division conduct a ghillie wash training event June 25, 2026, at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pa. (Jonathan Campbell/U.S. Army National Guard)
U.S. Army soldiers with the Recon Section of the Multi-Purpose Company, 1st Battalion, 112th Infantry Regiment, 56th Mobile Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division conduct a ghillie wash training event June 25, 2026, at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pa. (Jonathan Campbell/U.S. Army National Guard)
U.S. Army soldiers with the Recon Section of the Multi-Purpose Company, 1st Battalion, 112th Infantry Regiment, 56th Mobile Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division conduct a ghillie wash training event June 25, 2026, at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pa. (Jonathan Campbell/U.S. Army National Guard)
U.S. Army soldiers with the Recon Section of the Multi-Purpose Company, 1st Battalion, 112th Infantry Regiment, 56th Mobile Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division conduct a ghillie wash training event June 25, 2026, at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pa. (Jonathan Campbell/U.S. Army National Guard)
U.S. Army soldiers with the Recon Section of the Multi-Purpose Company, 1st Battalion, 112th Infantry Regiment, 56th Mobile Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division conduct a ghillie wash training event June 25, 2026, at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pa. (Jonathan Campbell/U.S. Army National Guard)
U.S. Army soldiers with the Recon Section of the Multi-Purpose Company, 1st Battalion, 112th Infantry Regiment, 56th Mobile Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division conduct a ghillie wash training event June 25, 2026, at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pa. (Jonathan Campbell/U.S. Army National Guard)
U.S. Army soldiers with the Recon Section of the Multi-Purpose Company, 1st Battalion, 112th Infantry Regiment, 56th Mobile Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division conduct a ghillie wash training event June 25, 2026, at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pa. (Jonathan Campbell/U.S. Army National Guard)
U.S. Army soldiers with the Recon Section of the Multi-Purpose Company, 1st Battalion, 112th Infantry Regiment, 56th Mobile Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division conduct a ghillie wash training event June 25, 2026, at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pa. (Jonathan Campbell/U.S. Army National Guard)