Army Sgt. Jesse Keller, 25, of the 14th Maintenance Company returns to safety after helping load a wounded soldier onto the helicopter. Keller and more than a dozen soldiers from the 14th Maintenance Company were participating in a simulated combat training Thursday at Camp Hansen’s Combat Town. (Natasha Lee / Stars and Stripes)
CAMP HANSEN, Okinawa — The soldiers had to act fast. Their four-truck convoy had been ambushed and two men were hurt.
In a matter of minutes and mishaps, Thursday’s scenario for the Army’s 14th Maintenance Company battle drill had changed.
Road construction detoured their initial route to a nearby landing zone. And with insurgents on their trail, getting the wounded to a helicopter would be tough.
Focus and smart reaction would be key to their survival, said Capt. Duane Foote, officer in charge of the company.
"Adaptability is what it’s all about," he said. "Overcoming those challenges and keeping a cool head."
Insurgents shot simulated gunfire from across the landing zone’s grassy field. Shielded by his comrades, Sgt. Scott MacKay lay on a stretcher with artificial chest wounds, waiting to be medically evacuated.
Within moments of exchanging simulated fire, the soldiers had secured the landing area. A helicopter from the Air Force’s 33rd Rescue Squadron landed that would evacuate MacKay to Kadena Air Base.
"The actual firefight and seeing the bird come down, it was an adrenaline rush," said Sgt. Leroy Coe, 32, of the 14th Maintenance Company’s supply division.
For the maintenance crew of 18, the battlefield was a welcome contrast from the daily grind of tinkering with computers and supplying battalions with electronic parts.
"We did really good," said Staff Sgt. Ryan Tonnon, 30. "We don’t do this stuff at all. We fix computers, not people."
The soldiers received about 40 hours of classroom training before temporarily relocating from Torii Station to Camp Hansen’s Combat Town last week to test their knowledge, said Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Wright, the company’s maintenance noncommissioned officer in charge.
Wright said it was the first time the company had conducted the "Renegade Storm" training and he was impressed with the progress made.
"The first time is always confusing. It’s never in real life what you look at on paper," Wright said. "But the morale overall has been quite high and they’ve responded very well."
At Combat Town, a replicated urban district of concrete buildings, soldiers practiced entering and clearing buildings, radio communications, convoy operations and weapons clearing procedures.
Although the company is not a combat-related unit, its soldiers still need to be prepared and proficient should they deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan, Wright said.
About 80 percent of the company has not deployed downrange, Foote said.
"There’s a chance that any one of us can do this out there," Wright said. "The better we’re trained to concepts, when the situation arises we know what to do."
Army Sgt. Jesse Keller, 25, of the 14th Maintenance Company returns to safety after helping load a wounded soldier onto the helicopter. Keller and more than a dozen soldiers from the 14th Maintenance Company were participating in a simulated combat training Thursday at Camp Hansen’s Combat Town. (Natasha Lee / Stars and Stripes)
Airmen from the 33rd Rescue Squadron and soldiers from the 14th Maintenance Company help strap Army Sgt. Scott MacKay onto a stretcher. During a simulated combat training Thursday at Camp Hansen’s Combat Town, MacKay suffered artificial chest wounds. He was later medically evacuated to Kadena Air Base. (Natasha Lee / Stars and Stripes)
