A wife's perspective on the Iowa National Guard's Annual Training
“See you in two weeks.”, said every wife and family member of an Iowa National Guard soldier in July.
I am married to the military.
For the last several weeks my husband has been at Annual Training with the Iowa National Guard. He was one of over 5,000 soldiers from different states taking part in practice operations and training at Camp Ripley, Minnesota. During Exportable Combat Training Capability (XCTC), Iowa National Guard Soldiers conduct live-fire exercises, air assault movements, resupplies, mass casualty care convoy operations, and more.
My favorite part as a wife at home is getting all the pictures. I got a full recap of all the close calls, exciting moments in the training field, and the desire for food he had over two weeks of eating slightly warmed-up army food also known as MRE. A meal that requires no cooking or preparation, making them ideal for survival situations, but not the tastebuds.
All the while I’m here on the homefront getting amazing package after Amazon package with new gear he’s excited to use after seeing fellow soldiers using out in the field.
WHAT IS IN THE PACKAGE? My favorite purchase this week was a solar-powered phone charger that he used regularly to charge up so I could get the cliff notes version of his day or the extension cord screw into the light bulb socket when you are in a tent with only a light and no other form of electricity. The things these soldiers can find to have as a creature comfort!
One of my favorite stories my soldier shared was getting to use the boats not only for a high-octane zodiac operation down the Mississippi River but also for a pizza delivery to their camp!
113th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment described this mission, “The Troops launched their boats down the river practicing noise discipline, before disembarking by the Sylvan Dam. They then pulled the watercraft into a circle to establish security on land as squads took the boats, one by one, to the other side of the dam. After entering the water safely, C Troop continued on their way down the river to achieve their objective!”
If you happen to run into anyone in the Iowa National Guard, ask them a bit about their Annual Training experience! There are sure to be some great stories shared.
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