Men and equipment of the 506th begin to land in Altis following their successful combat deployment in Podagorsk.
Dateline - March 27, 2015 IGT - Altis International Airport, Altis
After an intense but short combat deployment, the men and women of the 506th have finally touched down in sunny Altis for a long awaited rest, recuperation and training cycle. Having defeated the RPLA for now, the 506th have well and truly earn't their Mediterranean FTX cycle. It is unknown how long the battalion will be here for, but it is a perfect opportunity to introduce new reinforcements and to look back over the events of the last few months.
To fully appreciate the situation, I have been given exclusive access to talk to some of the soldiers who were involved in the Pordagorsk Civil War. I first spoke to Private Rook of of Spartan 2-1. I asked Private Rook: what is your opinion on withdrawing from Podagorsk as soon as we pushed the enemy back into Chernaurus? He replied: "Well I think the 506th isn't an occupying force or an assault force, our job is to go in and take out the enemy and leave". A very professional answer from a very operationalised force. It seems that the soldiers of the 506th viewed the Podagorsk conflict as a job that was needed to do, to get in and get out.
A clear, humid landscape, juxtaposed to the foggy forests of Podagorsk where enemies could be meters away without a soldier being aware.
Next I asked Private First Class Storm what his opinion was on being re-deployed to Altis? He answered: "I think it is a good terrain to train on, a lot of us new guys haven't been there before and they are excited to see the land". PFC Storm is serving in the same squad as Private Rook, and the two will surely be checking out the beach once they get some leave. Before the interview was finished, I also managed to have a quick chat with PFC Marsden, again of the same squad, and I asked him what was his opinion on how the last deployment went? PFC Marsden retorted with a look to the future "Deploy was ovewhelmingly successfull except for 1 or two ops. I don't feel like we finished our job the RPLA still pose a threat to Podagorsk". Have we seen the last of the RPLA?
One of the latest members of the 506th Infantry Regiment is First Lieutenant Whitby, the newly installed XO of Alpha Company. Although not new to the 506th, Lieutenant Whitby has been recently selected to assist in the leadership of this company due to his great enthusiasm, tactical prowess and battlefield leadership. I asked Lieutenant Whitby about how his new position within the unit is going. He stated that: "Generally things are going alright, I am looking forward to getting back to work with the guys during the upcoming Field Training Exercises".
Although a large part of the combat element in Podagorsk was the 506th Infantry Regiment, they were not the only boots on the ground. Following the 506th to Altis is the 30th Infantry Regiment.
The airbase has a certain buzz about it at the moment, and people are very busy setting up for the upcoming FTX's. This busyness was compounded by my short interview with Staff Sergeant Johnston, the famed Platoon Sergeant for 1st Platoon Bravo Company, 30th Infantry Regiment. I asked SSG Johnston about the latest deployment, to which he replied "It went great and now I have to get back to training". Very good show SSG, those Brawler boys will no doubt benefit immensely from your dedication to the unit.
Alongside the infantry and mechanised forces was the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, comprised of the 5th Battalion, Delta Company, also known as "Eagle Assault. I spoke to Captain Fraser who stated that the previous deployment was "Pretty outstanding, the deployment went pretty well, it was a rocky start, but once we got squared away and reinforced, we performed pretty well. I am also looking forward to training on Altis, its going to be good working in that environment, with FTX's focussed on counter-insurgency training, I expect much of Delta Company's work to be focussed on reconnaissance".
This image shows some of the very same pilots which performed heroically in the face of large amounts of anti-aircraft fire in Podagorsk still at work, now in Altis.
With speaking to many members of the unit we have learnt much about the morale, determination and enthusiasm of the men and women of the 506th Infantry Regiment. So armed with these thoughts I asked the Battalion Sergeant Major, First Sergeant Shepherd and the medical reservist Staff Sergeant Caywood what their opinion on the previous deployment was, but also, whether they had any thoughts on the still missing, 12 service personnel of Alpha Company, 506th Infantry Regiment. They answered: "When Battalion Headquarters announced our deployment I felt rather apprehensive. With the attempted occupation by the RPLA we didn't have much time to train. Most of the Battalion at the time did not have much, if any combat experience (with the exception of the leadership).This deployment really showed the cohesiveness of the unit, and how far we've come these past few months. Once we get back into the training cycle I’m sure we will work out any kinks we've discovered this deployment. I’m proud of what we accomplished here". He added that in relation to the conflict with the RPLA that "We did what we set out to do; bring death and destruction to our enemies. We suffered some losses, but overall the RPLA was routed and forced into hiding. The UN can now take over security and assist the Pogar people with rebuilding what was destroyed". SSG Caywood finished by pleading that "At this time I can’t speak for what we will do, but rest assured we will not forget about our men".
The final victory in Podagorsk. It was hoped that this push would see the 12 MIA service personnel rescued, but it wasn't meant to be.
Reported by Harold Kane - International Times
* This news report is a fictional work to support the 506th ARMA game play
** Images and Interviews supplied by Corporal Rogers and Corporal Morris
