India Battery Stinger Live Fire

Stinger Missiles Light Up the Skies Over National Training Center

by Sergeant David Alvarado

   Twelve stinger missiles lit up the skies over Forward Operating Base (FOB) Seattle inside the National Training Center (NTC) as Air Defenders from India Battery, 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment (ACR), conducted their annual Stinger live-fire exercise.

   As the last separate Man-Portable Air Defense System (MANPADS) battery in the Army, India Battery had 14 teams demonstrating the tactical procedures of shooting down enemy aircraft with shoulder-fired heat seeking Stinger missiles.

   One of those teams was comprised of Fort Irwin’s first-ever female Stinger firing team. Private First Class Dora L. Boyd is a team chief and Private Second Class Charnelle Donaldson is a gunner, they are also the only two women in the battery.

   It took a series of prerequisites the weeks prior to the live-fire exercise to determine which teams would be firing the Stinger missiles. The Air Defenders’ had to complete a 14-station obstacle course, a six-mile road march, administer first aid, demonstrate their proficiency of Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) procedures, a 50-question general knowledge exam, a visual aircraft recognition test, and crew drills, according to First Sergeant Ronald A. Brown, the India Battery First Sergeant.

   “This is a great training event for the ‘Soldiers to Be, Know, and Do’ the duties of a 14S,” he said.

   Those who came out on top with the highest scores in the prerequisite training were Specialist Patrick Edmondson, a team chief, and Specialist Sean Askey, a gunner, who ultimately were judged the Top Stinger Team of the exercise.

   “We have a dual mission which is to provide air defense to the regiment and to support the 1st Squadron’s NTC mission by replicating the Afghan and Iraqi environments for the units that rotate through NTC.” said Captain Miguel Rodriguez, the commander of India Battery.

   The flying aircraft targets for the exercise were provided by Griffon Aerospace’s “Team Outlaw”, from Hesperia, California.

   “We’ve been out here at the NTC for five years providing target support for the troops,” said Jim Harlander, Team Outlaw’s mission leader on the ground. “It’s a privilege to help train our men and women in uniform so they can succeed in the global [war on terror].”

Sergeant David Alvarado is the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment Public Affairs Officer.