101st Gets Live Fire Training
Fort Campbell, KY – Soldiers with the 101st Airborne Division are undergoing live fire training in anticipation of a deployment to Iraq.
The exercises come just two months after 19 year old PFC Gregory Wertz was killed while training with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team on how to clear buildings of enemy insurgents.
Troop leaders say realistic live fire training is necessary because soldiers must train as they fight. But every vehicle during a live fire exercise carries a soldier whose sole task is to ensure safety is a priority.
The live fire training involves avoiding roadside bombs, known as Improvised Explosive Devices or IED's, which are the number one killer of troops in Iraq.