The Kerrville Times from Kerrville, Texas • Page 22

JULY 24, 1988 KERRVILLE, TEXAS SECTION Area Guardsmen Maneuver At Fort Hood Kerrville Unit: Alpha Company Of Guard's 49th Armored Division EDITOR'S NOTE: Times photographer Jody Rhoden shares nis observations of a day spent on maneuvers with the 49th Armored Division of the Texas National Guard at Fort Hood. By JODY RHODEN Times Chief Photographer I had the rare privilege this week to go on summer maneuvers with the 49th Armored division. The Texas Division is just one of only 28 divisions in the entire United States. More specifically, I observed the lllth Forward Support Battalion, of which the Kerrville National Guard Unit comprises the Alpha or Company. The first misconception I carried with me was that there would be no one that I knew, total anonymity.

The very first soldier that I met was a San Antonio policeman, who had been on hand at the S.A. Grand Prix to pull me from danger when a race car crashed into my barricade. On arrival at Fort Hood, I found that my guide for the day was to be Major Paul Hanneman from Fredricksburg, where he is a bid estimator for the Allen Keller Co. We went to college together at Texas He is also the executive officer of the lllth battalion headquarters in S.A. When we took to our Huey helicopter, there was my old insurance representative from the KDT Warrant Officer Larry Meachem from Austin was to be my pilot for the day.

Lunch with Battalion headquarters brought more familiar faces in the form of Sgt. Gene Holmes and Capt. Jim Brandenberger. Holmes is with the Highway Department and is from Center Eoint. "Brandenberger is Commander of Company located on Meadowview Dr.

right here in Kerrville. In everyday life, he lives in Fredricksburg and is also a bid estimator for the Allen Keller Co. Citizen Soldiers These are faces we only see when they participate in the annual Trash Bash river cleanup and appear in local parades. These are all volunteer citizen soldiers, sweating in the swelter- MAJ. PAUL HANNEMANN Executive Officer JIM BRANDENBERGER Commander ing 103-degree heat or slogging through last week's mud to stay in a state of preparedness in case they are needed to protect the land they love.

A second misconception I had was that our local Guardsmen (and women) were just truck drivers. This disappeared quickly as Capt. Brandenberger explained the mission of the lllth Battalion and Alpha company. As a "Forward" Support Battalion, they are the last link in supply to the "killers." They deliver the bullets and beans right to the front lines, unless you are one of the many women in the unit. Women are prohibited by law to enter the immediate combat area.

This is a real team effort. Every soldier in the field is backed up by seven support troops. First priority is always to get ammo into the field. This is anything from rifle ammo to grenades to flares, because without it combat soldiers cease to exist. Second priority for a soldier is sleep.

While they can actually go 72 hours without it, food is the second most important supply item. The mobile kitchens of the lllth for this exercise are dishing out meals at the rate of 2,400 hot meals twice a day and doling out 2,400 more prepackaged MREs (meals ready to eat). Next on the supply list come fuel, lubricants, and antifreeze that they receive in bulk and distribute as needed, where needed. For these exercises, they drew an initial order of 40,000 gallons of diesel fuel and 19,000 gallons of gasoline. Finally, Alpha Company brings in the staple goods like uniforms, boots, and replacement equiptment.

In wartime, their responsibilities would also include the delivery of new tanks and fresh equipment to the field. Maintenance, Too But over half the battalion strength is spent on maintenance for the battalion and headquarters unit. This is no small job. It takes talent to keep the jeeps, trucks, generators, radios, and other war equipment running. This is especially true since most of their equipment are hand-me- downs from the regular Army.

Just truck drivers? Not hardly. These are seasoned professionals who thrive on doing the improbable under impossible conditions. Ready to charge into flood waters at home or war around the world at a moment's notice. The tanks I came to see were in their parking spaces. Their crews were in Idaho learning how to use the new "A3" update on their M-60 main battle tank.

The M-60A3s' new fire control system brings them equal to, and in some ways superior to, the same system used by the regular army on their M-l tank. The Guard also is equipped with Apache attack helicopters, the most potent fighting helicopter in the U.S. arsenal. Troops were at St. Elijah receiving MOUT training "Military Operation on Urban Ter- St.

Elijah is a mock European village complete with sewers to crawl in, walls to rappel and grappel on, obstacles and fires to avoid, and buildings to practice house-to-house and room-to- room fighting. These maneuvers are played with equipment and blank bullets and grenades. Enough for one day. The tanks weren't even missed. It was a privilege just to meet the men and women of the lllth and the 49th.

Our citizen soldiers that live next door. Thanks guys. Guard is supported by our state tax dollars, but it's good business. For every state dollar spent, the federal government channels $13 back into our local economy just for a normal unit. On aviation and special units, this figure may be as high as a $28 return.

Times Photos By Jody Rhoden MEMBERS OF KERRVILLE UNIT UPON THEIR RETURN FRIDAY Spent Two Weeks On Maneuvers With 49th Armored Division In the Schreiner Bank Schreiner Bank South. Brand New and So With 6 drive in lanes plus a commercial lane. Highway 16 and 173 Hours: Monday Friday Saturday 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM 9:00 AM to Noon Member FD1C Member Schreiner Bancshares, Inc NATIONAL GUARD PILOTS READY FOR TAKEOFF Warrant Officer Larry Meachem In Driver's Seat.