Army Spec. Miguel A. Melo, 4-6 Infantry, 4th Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas, recently attended training at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin to prepare for the conditions he will live and work in during his upcoming deployment to the Middle East. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Christopher Griffin)
Special to the NEWS
FORT IRWIN, Calif. – Every year, thousands of military men and women deploy to the Middle East where they live and work under austere conditions in some of the most remote areas of the world. All of this while being on a continuous lookout for whatever attack an enemy force may make.
The son of a Los Fresnos woman recently experienced a glimpse of what life over there will be like when he spent a month at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif. For two weeks of his time there he lived and worked in tents while under a constant threat of simulated attacks.
Army Spec. Miguel A. Melo, son of Maria Gloria Melo of Melon Drive, Los Fresnos, was in the Mojave Desert with other members of his unit to receive some of the most advanced and realistic training the military has to offer.
A large portion of Fort Irwin’s more than 642,000 acres has been transformed to simulate conditions similar to what soldiers will experience while deployed. There are base camps and forward operating bases spread throughout the area about the size of the state of Rhode Island. There are also mock towns and villages housing military trainers and civilian role players to give Melo and other members of his brigade a feeling of actually being deployed.
Melo is a tank crewman assigned to 4-6 Infantry, 4th Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas. “I am here training for Iraq so I know how to deal with life threatening situations when I deploy,” said the 2009 graduate of Los Fresnos High School.
To add to the realism, entire villages have been constructed to simulate situations soldiers will face in places like Afghanistan and Iraq, and in places, role players, many Iraqi Americans, inhabit the villages during the two week training objective.
“The training here is pretty much on point, it can’t get any more accurate than this,” said Melo.
The live fire exercises, route clearing courses, bare living conditions, simulated mortar attacks and convoy training are designed to prepare Melo and his fellow soldiers for the challenges they may face in their upcoming deployment.
“The hardest part of training is when I’m on tower guard duty because it gets cold at night,” said Melo.
Training before deployments helps to ensure troops are aware of the latest tactics the enemy is using, and to help them prepare for just about any situation they may find themselves in.
“I think that I will be pretty prepared for my deployment after this training because I have good leadership to guide me with their past experiences,” said Melo, who has completed almost two years of military service.
While the National Training Center is harsh in its Spartan environment and extreme temperatures that can sizzle to more than 120 degrees in the summer, it is considered the perfect training ground for soldiers like Melo who may face similar conditions during the months ahead in Iraq or Afghanistan.
To see this story in print, pick up a copy of the June 5 edition of the San Benito News. Or view our E-Edition by clicking here.
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