PHOTOS: Iowa guard soldiers training at Fort Irwin

KCRG-TV9 reporter Mark Geary writes about his experiences with Iowa National Guard soldiers training at Fort Irwin, California, in preparation for their deployment to Afghanistan.

NOTEBOOK: Thursday, Sept. 30

If you ever do any research about the National Training Center, you'll certainly come across plenty of information about the realistic Afghan villages sprinkled throughout the facility. One of the most well-known villages is called Ertebat Shar. Throughout our time at Ft. Irwin, every soldier has raved about the training they received in this particular village. Today, we got the chance to experience this village and it was the most memorable moment of our entire trip thus far.

The military originally constructed Ertebat Shar to resemble an Iraqi village. But, now it has become an Afghan village. It looks just like a real town right in the middle of the desert. However, this place is full of more than 70 actors who bring the village to life. Some of the actors are from Afghanistan. When a group of soldiers comes through this training village, they get hit by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). You hear the bang, feel the heat of the flames and see lots of smoke. Actual amputees act as wounded soldiers in this exercise, too. Hollywood make-up artists make the amputees look like their foot just got blown off. The military does not hire veterans for this role because they believe it would be too traumatic for vets to relive the day they lost their leg. We spent some time talking to the special effects people who are in charge of detonating the explosives. It was fascinating. These men and women take a lot of pride in their jobs. They know it's important to make everything look as authentic as possible so soldiers feel like they are in a hostile Afghan village.

Fake blood covers parts of the buildings and vehicles in the area. This is not simply red food coloring. I asked someone what was in it and it surprisingly has a lot of ingredients: Sorbitol (a preservative), corn syrup, baby powder, dishwashing liquid, laundry detergent, water, red food coloring and a little bit of green and yellow food coloring. When you look at this stuff, you'd swear it was real blood.

Soldiers who go through this training get shot at and blown up by the insurgents. The soldiers all wear a vest that has a string of electronic sensors. If they get hit by enemy fire, the sensors beep. It's like a high-tech game of laser tag. Training Officers can then tell each soldier where they got hit, when they got hit and whether those injuries were fatal.

We shot a lot of compelling video at Ertebat Shar and we're eager to put the story together so you can see it for yourself. This exercise is supposed to replicate the “worst day ever” in Afghanistan. The military has stressed to us that the Iowa National Guard is on a peace-keeping mission. Soldiers are going through a lot of other training that involves methods of establishing trust and having conversations with the Afghan people.

Back at FOB Seattle, we said goodbye to the members of the 1-133 Bravo Company. They packed up all their gear and headed over to another section of Fort Irwin to complete the next phase of their training. Throughout this entire time at the National Training Center, we have been living with the soldiers. We sleep on cots right beside the soldiers, eat meals with them and share community latrines (bathrooms) with them. We've been in similar situations at Camp Ripley, MN and Camp Shelby, MS. By being embedded with the Iowa National Guard, we've gotten an amazing opportunity to get to know the soldiers. It's been a lot of fun hearing about their previous deployments or learning about the families. Everyone here deeply misses their loved ones and they often struggle to talk about the separation. However, they all know there are a lot of people back in Iowa who support them.

Tomorrow's our last day at Fort Irwin, and we're going to miss being here. Photographer Jim Slosiarek, Videographer Dane Firkus and I are all going to miss this place.

NOTEBOOK: Wednesday, Sept. 29

We were up and ready to go this morning before the sun rose again. This is the half-way point of our time at The National Training Center. Nearly everyone we have spoken to this week is surviving on little or no sleep. There's a lot of energy here and a real commitment to learning as much as possible from this extensive training experience.

We headed out on a convoy this morning with soldiers from the 1-133 Bravo Company. We're sleeping in the same tent as these guys and we've gotten to know them all pretty well over the course of our time at Fort Irwin, Camp Ripley and Camp Shelby. The convoy mission got delayed for more than an hour because a CT or Combat Trainer was not available. Soldiers have told me that every mission they embark on requires them to have a CT. CTs are typically active duty members of the military who work at Fort Irwin. Their job is to watch soldiers throughout the training and provide immediate feedback. You can easily spot a CT because they have an earpiece. Anyways, when a CT did become available, we traveled to a nearby training city not too far away from Forward Operating Base (FOB) Seattle. The training city didn't have much activity. We spent a little time there and then got back into the Humvees.

Later in the day, we went on a mission with the same company. As we ventured down a dusty gravel road in the Mojave Desert our convoy got attacked by insurgents. The enemy started firing at our trucks and it felt very realistic. At one point, an Improvised Explosive Device (or IED) exploded. IEDs are also often called “roadside bombs.” Dane, Jim and I all rode in Humvees along with a group of soldiers. Every soldier took this exercise seriously. They shouted into their radios any time they noticed suspicious activity and worked together incredibly well. It was obvious that these troops have spent a lot of time together and know how to communicate.

Not too far away from that IED, bullets started flying from the mountains surrounding the dirt road. Once again, the soldiers did not hesitate to react and respond to the situation. At first, they struggled to find the shooter. The mountains and landscape here provide a lot of hiding places. But, once soldiers found the target, they killed the insurgent. Of course, all of this is a role-playing situation. But, if you were to simply drive by and watch, you'd swear it was real.

Back at FOB Seattle, we spent a good amount of time wandering around talking to soldiers. We had a lot of great conversations that did not involve a video camera or a reporter's notebook. Many of the men and women we encountered wanted to know what was going on in Cedar Rapids. They also wanted to know sports scores and chat about the Hawkeyes. It was a lot of fun just getting to know people a little bit better. Because this is the third time we have embedded with the Iowa National Guard, we know a lot of the troops. We can't walk anywhere on the FOB without running into someone we know.

We asked a lot of people if they are worried about going overseas to Afghanistan. I can't tell you how many said they felt confident because of the top-notch training they've received and the trust they have in their battle buddies. Of course, everyone is nervous to some extent. They're heading to a foreign country far away from their family and friends. Some parts of Afghanistan are more dangerous than others. But, just about everyone tells us they're ready for the challenge.

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NOTEBOOK: Tuesday, Sept. 28

We woke up at 5:00 a.m. today, packed up all of our gear, and headed over to the “Chow Hall” for breakfast. Eggs, biscuits and gravy, sausage and cereal were on the menu. Then, we were ready to travel to FOB Seattle.

We rode along with a convoy delivering supplies to FOB Seattle. It took several hours to get everyone involved in the convoy to start moving. Everything must be checked and rechecked, leadership reviews military and safety procedures with soldiers and all of that takes time. No one wants to rush through anything. There are clear guidelines and responsibilities for everyone involved. By sticking to all of those rules and regulations, the military aims to make everything the soldiers do safer. Vehicles in these convoys rarely travel above 20 mph, so it takes a long time to get from place to place.

FOB Seattle is smaller than FOB Denver, but looks very similar. All of the living quarters are large tents covered in a hardened foam substance. The foam insulates the living quarters. According to soldiers who have been to the National Training Center before, this foam is something rather new. An air-conditioning system keeps the inside of the tents cool. Indoor-outdoor carpeting covers the floors. It looks and feels a lot like Astroturf. Some soldiers are not allowed to have food inside the tents because desert animals can get attracted to the scent of the food.

There are a lot of different animals and wildlife here at Fort Irwin, but you wouldn't know that if you didn't look closely. Coyotes and lizards are running around, snakes are slithering and ants are crawling throughout the military base. Soldiers have also told us there is a large, endangered species of turtle that lives here. If this rare turtle gets scared, it will urinate. Water is tough to find in a desert. Apparently, if this turtle urinates because of fear, it will die of dehydration. So, if soldiers encounter one of these animals, it becomes a big ordeal and they have to be careful to avoid it. So far, no one we've met has seen one of these turtles.

Many troops we spoke today were exhausted. The training schedule here is intense at times, but also attempts to allow some rest to make sure everyone stays healthy. We spent some time talking to soldiers who were playing a game of cards to pass the time. While they're out here at the National Training Center, soldiers are not allowed to use computers or cell phones. The military wants everyone to focus on the mission and on getting ready to deploy to Afghanistan. It's been rough on the men and women to lose all contact with their loved ones. Many have told us they can't wait to pick up the phone again.

We spent a large part of our day trying to coordinate with the Iowa National Guard. We are here covering their mission. Part of the military's mission includes working with the media. Soldiers are learning how to work with us, and we're learning how to work with them. Since we've already followed the soldiers at Camp Ripley, MN and Camp Shelby, MS, we have a good idea about how the military system works. However, here at the National Training Center, the process is more challenging to navigate. It's been a learning experience.

Plans and missions change frequently. We're doing our best to keep track and follow along. Everyone has been incredibly friendly and nice to us. Some soldiers say they're getting a bit nervous about going to Afghanistan, but others just want to get out of the NTC and fly over to the Middle East.

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