Our Troops At War Part 1
By: Import User
Updated: May 5, 2008
After months of training, more than a thousand local soldiers are just on the edge of the Iraqi border. The 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, which includes Evansvilles 163rd and Jaspers 151st are deploying to Iraq. Their in Kuwait now, acclimating to the weather and getting a little more seasoning before the big push into enemy territory.
The Kuwaiti dessert can be an unforgiving landscape for soldiers coming from the mid west. Sand and rocks are in abundance and its something our local soldiers must get accustomed to while they prepare for a year long mission. Marksmanship is part of their dessert training. Each soldier gets thirty rounds a piece to fire in conditions their not used to. What started out as a clear day soon turned into a blizzard of sand. This was Evansville native Cameron Kendalls first experience with a sand storm. "Its hot, I hate the sand, Im telling you the sand sucks." Despite the harsh conditions, training went on, because in the coming days it wont be paper targets they fire at.
