172nd Infantry Brigade trains up for another rotation

[unhappycamper]

172nd Infantry Brigade trains up for another rotation
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Saturday, August 2, 2008

GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — Less than a year after their unit returned from Iraq, thousands of 172nd Infantry Brigade soldiers are hitting the ranges here to prepare for another mission to the desert.

Artillery, tank and small-arms rounds are booming across the Grafenwöhr Training Area as the soldiers hone gunnery skills and work on the tactics they expect to employ downrange.

Maj. John Byrom, operations officer for one of the 172nd’s maneuver units — 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment — said the brigade hasn’t received its deployment order yet but is planning to go later this year.

Lt. Col. Steve Miska, the 1-2 commander, said a big difference between this deployment and the last one is the fact that soldiers have armored Humvees to train on in Europe.

"With previous rotations, the first time we saw that equipment was when we got to Kuwait," he said.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=56503