Week in Review (April 26-30)

It was a good, hard, long week for the Swampdogs.

1st Platoon worked through their Individual Training in preparation for Team
Certifications. They trained on convoy skills; voice communications; entry control point (ECP) practice; searching vehicle and individuals for weapons, explosives, and contraband items; first aid; mounted and dismounted land navigation - and they didn't lose anyone (for long)! Next week will be another long, challenging week of Team Training where they will build and grow their teams to be the best. IED training and a mini-FTX (overnight) to train on 24-hour ops will test their endurance, survival skills, and ability to spot IEDs and their reaction to them.

2nd Platoon worked late into the nights to get through their SWITCHEX tasks and
completed everything ahead of schedule. This was one of the first opportunities the
Soldiers had to get their hands on their signal equipment since they came back for Iraq - and they made the most of it. They overcame some obstacles and learned some new troubleshooting techniques along with learning some lessons about logistics. Next week, they will be looking forward to Individual Training with land navigation and Army Warrior Tasks (AWT).

HQ held down the fort and kept everyone's administrative needs met. Often the HQ
section is forgotten in the hard work of the line platoons, but they work hard to keep Soldier pay issues down, to get Soldiers promoted, and to get awards complete. The motorpool has kept all of our vehicles and generators running smoothly.

The Company performed admirably during the Maintenance Terrain Walk in which the
Battalion hosted Brigadier General Brown on a tour of the facilities. Because the
Swampdogs are the only company deploying soon, they were the focus of BG Brown's
tour. SGT Sweeney explained in detail the operations and functions of the Phoenix
satellite vehicle and SPC Sadler received a coin from BG Brown for his hard work and
outstanding performance.

It was a great week to be a Swampdog!