One of the many organizations that took part in the Readiness Training Exercise. Mr. Erwin and Mr. Albanese with the North Carolina Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve conducted a small briefing along with setting up a resource table at the National Guard Training Center.
FORT FISHER, NC — Over the course of five days in May, 28 Soldiers from the 4-413th (SROTC) Battalion gathered at Fort Fisher, NC to conduct a regional Readiness Training Exercise. During the event, Soldiers completed annual training requirements in addition to extracurricular activities only afforded at historic sites such as Fort Fisher.
The 4-413th (SROTC) Battalion falls under the 1st Brigade, 104th Division (LT), and has Soldiers spread across the several states, the majority of them east of the Mississippi River. That diversity makes opportunities for the members of the team to meet face to face few and far in between but Fort Fisher was one of those rare occasions.
Members of the 4-413th (SROTC) Battalion take a moment to stage a photo during the Civil War Staff Ride at Fort Fisher.
Arriving on ground on May 21, Soldiers met at the Fort Fisher National Guard Training Center, near Kure Beach, NC. Over the course of the next two days, they conducted what Soldiers commonly refer to as ‘annual training requirements’: a physical fitness test, personnel records review, and exercise weapon familiarization while utilizing the Engagement Skills Trainer, or EST 2000.
On Wednesday afternoon, everyone was able to take a break from Army tasks and explore the local 82nd Airborne Division Museum, Airborne & Special Operations Museum, and the battleship U.S.S. North Carolina.
On Thursday, the men and women of the battalion took part in a unit Staff Ride, or an in depth historical study, at Fort Fisher. A guided tour from Fort staff and provided a demonstration of musket drills and firing as well as time studying the former Civil War stronghold that had been a major contributor to the Southern ability to supply troops in battle.
With Soldiers of the 4-413th (SROTC) Battalion only get the chance to meet and interact face-to-face a handful of times every year, the trip to Fort Smith was a perfect time to take advantage of training and recreation time and spend quality time with one another in and out of the Army green.