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188th Infantry Brigade welcomes 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team to Camp Shelby

Sep 23, 2010

By Capt. Kurt Van Slooten

CAMP SHELBY, Miss. -- As the 188th Infantry Brigade, First Army Division East, settled in for mobilization operations for a second rotation at Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center, it prepared to support the 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team arriving from Idaho, Montana and Oregon.

The 116th Cavalry's main body started arriving Monday at the Air National Guard side of the Gulfport-Biloxi Regional Airport, with more than 1,000 Soldiers, including the brigade's command team, arriving by the end of the day; the remaining approximately 1,700 troops arriving by Sept. 24.

"Movement to Camp Shelby went well," said Col. Guy Thomas, 116th CBCT commander. "We have received great support from both the installation and the Soldiers here."

The 116th CBCT finished its pre-mobilization training at home station and is set to begin its post-mobilization training and validation at CSJFTC in preparation for its deployment to Iraq in support of Operation New Dawn.

"The commanders have done a really good job during the pre-mobilization getting training requirements completed," said Thomas. "The Soldiers have gone through their individual training and are excited to get into their collective training here."

The 188th Infantry Brigade, the 177th Armored Brigade, the 3/475th Battle Command Training Brigade and CSJFTC will all work in concert to provide training that will simulate the operational environment the 116th CBCT will experience in country.

Col. Robert A. Warburg, the 188th Infantry Brigade commander, praised his Soldier's efforts in preparing for the mobilization of the 116th CBCT, but reminded them that their focus must remain on supporting the 116th's training plan and providing an operationally relevant combat training center-like training platform for the 116th CBCT in preparation for their deployment.

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.