European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 19, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday. March 19, 1989 the stars and stripes Page 9 is i act. I Frlj by 1 i a  milk is of the 3rd inf in s cob 123rd signal big Hoard a ch-47 Chinook helicopter at the Start of their be Klonk a conture operation Slingshot ii a combo training gives signal soldiers a thrill Sis John Miniar by John Millard ill Burg Bureau Kitz Ancien West Germany spec. Christine Woodall was standing in the rain with her feet in the mud and feeling Good about it. Woodall and a handful of others assigned to the 3rd inf div s cob 123rd signal in. Had just completed a sweep through the soggy dirt and wet leaves of a training area at Larson Barracks near kit Ingen. The patrol was flushed with Success having just evaded an enemy ambush that came Complete with a front Man waving a surrender Flag and armed marauders hiding nearby. That s routine stuff for infantry grunts perhaps but Heady training for signal soldiers used to practising for War in the Back of a communications Van. It s a lot More  Woodall said because we gel to kill  called operation Slingshot ii the we Klong exercise was designed in bolster the Basic soldiering and leadership skills that can get dulled b the dash support grind said c Apt. Thomas Wilson the co commander. The exercise scenario allowed even privates in the unit to Lead patrols through such a Ards As ambushes mine Fields and sniper fire with evaluators More interested in whether leadership trails were seen than whether the patrol went Down according to the Book. Wilson said. Another aspect of the training involved loading and air transport operations on Chinook helicopters to help give the company an Edge on any High Speed Battlefield of the future. The division has gotten so it can move so fasl that we can t keep up because it takes about an hour to put one of these things a communications site on the air said sgt. Ronald Rackley the company operations sergeant. So i we can Cut the time Down by travel by air. That allows us to do our jobs better for the  the training exercise popularly known As rambo training among the company s rank and file also provided a boost for unit morale Rackley said. When of Are in a signal unit of Are not the warriors of the  he said. So this Way it pumps them up a Little bit. And it leaches them a better Way to do their  Woodall said the training would help soldiers know what to do during War and would bring unit members closer. People Are smiling and  she said. They re not whining or anything and they re working loge her people a lot of times who would t even think of working with each  and the helicopters she said added a Little excitement. Just the sound of the helicopters gets everyone  added pfc. Tiffany Kjenstad it s the Adu a lure we be been Wail ing  Topping off a perfect exercise. Woodall said was the weather not too cold not too wet and with just enough mud to slide around  Sis Jonn Meiji Tring to Surprise his Peers spec. Terrell Green plays a sniper during the exercise