As the troops from the 73rd Engineering Company climb another steep portion of road in the Birch Hill area of post toward the end of the two-hour march, they get little respite.
Though they will no longer have to lug around the 45-pound rucksacks, it's time to don either skis or snowshoes and go one more kilometer to their ultimate goal -- the weapons range.
The 73rd Engineering Company, and some 4,000 other soldiers in Fort Wainwright's Stryker Brigade Combat Team, returned to Alaska six months ago after a one-year deployment to Iraq. While there has been no official word about another deployment, the brigade's former commander said soldiers could be deployed again as soon as next year. Afghanistan and Iraq are the likeliest destinations.
The purpose of biathlon training, or skiing followed by shooting, is to get soldiers excited.
Capt. Scott Katalenich, commander of the 73rd, explained that he wants the troops under his command to get a taste of a realistic combat experience. "We want to let soldiers see what it's like to engage targets with that elevated heart rate," he said.
Once soldiers make their way toward the shooting range, they aim their M4 carbines at targets some 20 yards away.
A commander watches them from the top story of a two-level observation deck.
While his voice doesn't quite come in clearly through the speaker system, the standing soldiers understand his commands perfectly.
"Acquire your targets," he says. "Change fire from safety to semi, and fire when ready."
A flurry of bullets hits the paper targets as the air fills with the pops and crackles of firearms. The troops do this two more times, kneeling and finally lying on the ground.
"Here in the Arctic is a great place to train," Katalenich said. "And we need to have that element of toughness to complete the mission."
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