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Raider Battalion provides urban focus to Puerto Rico National Guard unit

May 26, 2010

By Capt. Kurt Van Slooten

CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. - Capt. Carlos J. Gonzalez watched approvingly as his Soldiers were put through their paces during several complex urban operations scenarios, at Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center.

Gonzalez commands A Company, 1-296th Infantry Battalion, 92nd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade of the Puerto Rico National Guard, which is completing its final mobilization tasks stateside prior to deploying to Kosovo in support of the ongoing Kosovo Force mission. NATO-led KFOR has remained deployed in Kosovo since 1999, to help maintain a safe and secure environment for all citizens, regardless of their ethnic origin.

The 1-347th Combat Service Support "Raider" Battalion, 188th Infantry Brigade, made up of Active Duty and mobilized Reserve Soldiers, many who are or have been law enforcement officers, supply urban operations training to deploying units as one of its primary missions.

"As 1-296th will be utilized to a great extent in an urban setting while deployed to Kosovo, we want to make sure we afford them the best possible urban ops training here at CAJMTC prior to leaving country," said Lt. Col. Michael A. Plattenburg, 1-347th CSSB commander.

Gonzalez appreciated the time and attention given to each group of his Soldiers to ensure they were comfortable with the objectives of the training scenarios and their actions on each station prior to moving to the next scenario.

"The trainers and unit mentors we worked with from 1-347th are 100 percent dedicated to training my troops," said Gonzalez. Gonzalez also said that Camp Atterbury provided the best site training his unit had received during its mobilization.

This deployment will not be the first for the majority of the 1-296th. Many have deployed in support of campaigns in Iraq, as well as other locations worldwide. For Sgt. Carlos A. Rivera, one of Gonzalez's hand-picked medics, this will be his first trip to Kosovo but his fifth deployment in the last nine years.

After sharpening his skills on a reflexive fire range, Rivera explained that his family has a proud military tradition extending back to both of his grandfathers serving during the Korean War. Rivera continues that tradition through his service and plans to attend the Army's physician assistant school in San Antonio, Texas, after returning from Kosovo.

"In my 23 years serving in the Army as both an noncommissioned officer and an officer, the 1-296th was easily one of the most motivated groups of Soldiers I have had the privilege to train," said Capt. Rodney R. Roberts, 1-347th urban ops officer-in-charge. "It is a testament to the leadership that they were able to maintain peak motivation during the cold and wet conditions they experienced during their training."

Roberts said he had no doubt that they will perform their mission well while deployed to Kosovo.

After completing its training at CAJMTC, the 92nd MEB will complete its final training at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Germany, prior to deploying to Kosovo.

The 188th Infantry Brigade, along with the other training support brigades in First Army Division East, provides and facilitates theater-focused training for deploying National Guard and Reserve formations. Based out of Fort Stewart, the 188th has been training deploying National Guard and Reserve units for Iraq deployments continuously since 2003.