Members of Company D, 2nd Battalion. 121st Infantry, move against an enemy position during MOUT training at Fort Benning in Columbus. (Photo by 1st Lt. Nick Jones, executive officer Company D, 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry)

COLUMBUS – Some where, out in the dusty, dirty streets of Fort Benning’s McKenna MOUT site, small arms and automatic weapons fire erupted. A convoy, its lead and rear Humvees disabled by IEDs, its vehicle crews hunkered down in the safety of nearby buildings, calls for Company D, 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry to come to its aid.

The Americus-based unit responds, its members moving under the cover of smoke, around the corners and down the sand-colored walls of buildings as it searches for a group of “enemy combatants” shooting up the convoy.    

Scenes such as this were repeated throughout the first weekend in March as Company D and soldiers of the Army Reserve’s 335th Signal Company based at Fort McPherson, worked to better their urban warfare skills.

For many in Company D, which has only been part of the Georgia Army Guard since January 2007, urban warfare isn’t a new experience. Most of the Soldiers some from the former Troop E, 108th Cavalry and Company A, 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry, were in Iraq from 2005 to 2006 with Macon’s 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. The remain Soldiers are new to the concept of Military Operations on Urban Terrain.

“Urban operations is probably the toughest task you can ask an infantry Soldier to accomplish,” said Capt. Brian Cardinali, who commands the Americus unit. “But, training such as provides us an increased understanding of the tactics, techniques, and fire coordination it takes to be successful in that task.”

No one, the veteran, or the new Soldier can walk away after such a great day of training at such a great facility as the McKenna MOUT site, Cardinali added, and say that something valuable wasn’t learned.

As for the 335th and its dilemma, that ended with Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Sperry and a squad of Company D Soldiers linking up with the convoy coordinating a support-by-fire position on the second-floor of one of the building where the signal company had taken refuge.  At the same time, another squad moved to assault an enemy position on the ground floor of a nearby two-story building.

Through their expertise and aggressiveness, the “Dakota Soldiers” as they call themselves, put an end to the opposing force and its harassment of the signal company convoy.

Story was provided by Company D platoon leader 2nd Lt. William Carraway

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