Mountain Ranger Battalion Mountain Ranger Battalion

and mission rehearsal exercises. Additionally,we regularly replicate insurgent cells in adismounted mode or civilians on the battlefield(COBs). I had been the Commander no morethan a few months however, when the BCinformed me that we were going to deploy inthe "new year" in support of the InternationalSecurity Assistance Force (ISAF) in RC-South,Afghanistan. Beginning in August 2007, "TMDRAGON" began training as MotorizedInfantry and building our team. Trainingeverything from Advanced RifleMarksmanship, to Combatives, to CombatLifesaving, to Warrior tasks and drills, weeventually completed Squad Live Fire andSquad Certification. Our men did great, andwhen we did our own pre-deployment MissionRehearsal Exercise in the German Alps inDecember, the Dragons exceeded myexpectations. We will be deployed toAfghanistan by next month. Though we are aTank Company, we will have no M1A1s (M1Abrams Tanks) and one of my Platoons willoperate exclusively dismounted.Two of my Tank Platoon leaders are actuallyRanger School graduates 11As who havetrained their Tank Armor Crewmen to beinfantrymen. It is an awesome partnership andquite common in the modern combat armsarena. I additionally have al type of supportSoldiers who contribute greatly to the team. Asa Comat Arms Officer, I never thought I'd bepresented the opportunity to work with femaleSoldiers in my formation but I also have afemale E-7 as my Logistics NCOIC. She is aninvaluable member of the team.So what am I trying to convey with all of this,you ask? The bottom line is this: In May 2000when LTC(R) Ralf Zimmerman pinned 2LTbars on my greens, I thought I'd spend the bulkof my officership doing Tank Gunnery andNTC Rotations aboard an M1A1 Tank. As itis, nothing could be further from the truth. Ihave spent the greater part of my officer careermanaging persons of mixed MOS, gender, andnationality. Individually, I have spent moretime staring through a rifle’s sight than a TankCommanders Sight Extension and I have wornout more boots than track pads. To make a longstory short, be flexible. We live in a world thatis ever changing and the military arena yougrow up in will not be the environment youretire from. Embrace the training opportunitiesthat are presented to you because you maynever get another before having to execute inreal life. Rehearse, rehearse, and rehearse!Last, but not least, remember that you area warrior and part of a continuum that has beenever-present in the fighting peoples of theworld. Weather you invoke the spirit ofCharles Martell or Bodacia, Sitting Bull, LTJohn Rouse Merriot Chard, SGT Alvin York,SSG Lafayette Poole or SP5 Dwight Johnson orany of the other uncommon warriors that camebefore you, their spirit is in you.The Warriors of 1-4 Infantry is the currenthome of two former MountainRangers: 2LT JJ Tomberlin and I are here.2LT Tomberlin has an infantry platoon in BCO.Respectfully,Wayne R. KeelerCPT, ARCommanderD Company, 1st BN, 4th IN REG, OPFORMRB NEWSLETTER4