European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 26, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Cot. Montgomery Meigs commander of the 3rd inf Dies Erlanger brigade says the Art of Good training is knowing How much stress the troops can take. Bradley fighting vehicles from d co 2nd in 6th inf regt Roll across a Grafe Wohr live fire Range. Postwar by Vince Crawley Nurnberg Bureau even though sgt. Steven Ray shot a perfect score on the Grafe Wohr ranges last month his worries about the future still Are affecting his Job. Quot with All the uncertainty you can never make any plans a said Ray 26, who s from St Augustine Fla. Assigned to a mechanized infantry battalion near Nurnberg he guns a Bradley fighting vehicle and is one of the thousands of Europe based gis coping with postwar anxiety troop cuts and unit moves. "1 think it does affect your work Quot Ray said. Quot there s a lot of  staff sgt. Robert Stiles agreed. Quot its still hard on families Quot said Stiles 29, who commands a Bradley fighting vehicle. Quot we re in that limbo  one Rumor says the battalion is about to be shipped to Kuwait. Another that changes Breed uncertainty among the troops Quot even if you re the Best thing to hit Graf you did Well got the Best scores but you did no to go to combat. It s a big letdown. Everything we did on the Range was compared with How other people did out in the  a Chi. Joseph Boldens amps photos by Vince Crawley sgt. Steven Ray a Bradley gunner says the uncertainty is taking a toil. It will be sent to saudi Arabia. Or said Ray that it will be renamed and sent on peacekeeping duty in Eastern Turkey. For now. At least Ray and the others Call their unit Quot two six a Short for the 2nd in 6th inf regt. The battalions 500 or so soldiers Are mostly infantrymen. Headquartered at Ferris Barracks in Erlanger just Northwest of Nurnberg they re part of a brigade that not Long ago belonged to the 1 St army div now it s with the 3rd inf div and May or May not be relocated for the people in two six like so Many other gis across Europe the past year has been one of confusion uncertainty and limbo. A a in october members of the battalion traded their old armoured personnel carriers for the new Bradley. In november they were told to get ready for War. In december they were told to stay Home. Quot everybody was saying we re going. We re not Gong. We re going. We re not going Quot said Stiles the Bradley commander from Turtletown Tenn. In the midst of it All his third child was born in december. Ray the Bradley gunner said Quot you d go Home Tell the wife i m leaving in two Days then four Days Quot once Ray said everyone had said their goodbyes and waited with packed bags in front of the orderly room for a bus that was supposed to come at 9 . And take them to War. It never came. At 10 . They went Home. In january the battalion was split. Some went to kill time in the desert As combat replacements while others stayed in Germany and pulled guard duty during the record breaking cold in february. Others spent the time in Grafe Wohr training reservists who a been called up. Quot for a Host of reasons somebody had to stay Back in Erlanger Quot said maj. Mark Curry the Erlanger brigade s operations officer. Curry a who was in one of the War s most devastating Battles a said that in Many ways the. Soldiers of two six worked harder at Home than did those who went to War. They had to pull relentless guard  Northern Bavaria and had to answer Midnight phone Calls about possible terrorist threats in some far away City. Quot it affected morale a Stiles said of those who were left behind. Quot people feel like they re not wanted Quot Ray and Stiles were part of the seven platoons sent to the desert in february As reinforcements. Their Job was to wait around in Case the allies started taking High casualties a something that never happened. Quot we thought we could Hook up with brigade with some of our friends Quot Ray said. Quot but we were sent to 20 different  he ended up at King Khalid military City near hair Al Batin saudi Arabia. Quot we just sat suffered through scud attacks. It was a real shaking up  in March unneeded he went Home. In april and May the brigade s combat veterans came Back sister units began deactivating and the men from two six began sensing what pfc Michael Richardson called Quot that Gulf a Between who went and who did no to Quot it seemed to Ray that others in the brigade were Quot rubbing our noses in it Quot for not being deployed to ground combat the attitude was not intentional Stiles said Quot but that s the Way it seems to the soldiers. It s affecting their  by june the entire 1st army div began deactivating. But Many units including the Erlanger battalion were re flagged Over to the 3rd inf div. The new division was Falso transferred from Vii corps to v corps. In july they went to Grafe Wohr for their first gunnery qualification on the new Bradley. And they shot like they had something to prove. Four out of 60 Crews fired perfect 1,000-Point scores More they said than in any other battalion in the division. Also 21 others qualified As a distinguished Quot according to records kept by the battalion adjutant. Another 13 were Quot Superior Quot and eight More qualified. Although the army does t keep Many records on this sort of thing people from across the brigade said they were impressed by two six s shooting especially Tor first time gunnery. Command sgt maj. James Blassingame said a More typical score would have had an even Point spread a fewer distinguished and More Superior and qualified Crews. Although the future is still Uncertain there was a mood a out on the Grafe Wohr firing ranges a that the months of the War Are now Long past and that the army is returning to its More mundane task of peacetime training. And sometimes peacetime Isnit so mundane. The brigade took no official actions connected to last week s attempted overthrow of soviet Leader . Gorbachev said Curry the operations officer. There would t have been much they could do anyhow he said because they wite already working full tilt to sort out and repair combat equipment that had just arrived from the persian Gulf. But when soldiers talked among themselves they were reminding each other that Quot hey we re not out of business Quot Curry said. Quot the world is not a Safe place. Our Job is to be  col. Montgomery Meigs the Erlanger brigade commander who led his men against Iraq s Republican guard watched his two six battalion on the Grafe Wohr Range and approved of their performance. Quot the Art of the thing Quot Meigs said at the end of one Gruel my training run is knowing How far to stress soldiers during combat training without going too far. Chi Joseph Bolden who runs a communications Section in the infantry battalion said the High gunnery scores wore disappointing compared to the real War he Neer got a Chance to see. Quot even if you re the Best thing to hit Graf a you did Well got All the Best scores a but you did t go to combat. It s a big letdown Quot said Bolden 25, who s from Kingsport Tenn. Quot everything we did on the Range was compared with How other people did it out in the  Ray the Bradley gunner was t disappointed with his perfect score Quot it makes you feel Good Quot he said Quot but next gunnery it puts the pressure on if you Don t shoot l ,000, you re  a staff sgt Robert Stiles. Pfc. Michael Richardson. Coping with the draw Down shuffle by Vince Crawley Nurnberg Bureau i infantrymen who done to seem to Call themselves a a grunts Quot quite As often As they used to a have mixed opinions about being transferred from one division to another As the army reshuffles its european units. Quot i Don t think it s going to affect people at my level Quot said pfc. Michael Richardson a 25-year-old squad Leader from fort Worth Texas. Still he said he and his men Are Quot sometimes confused by the constant changes As the army in Europe tries to reduce itself by half. Richardson approves of the move from the 1st army div to the 3rd inf div. Quot nothing against tankers but we kind of feel like a stepchild in an armoured  staff sgt. Robert Stiles mentioned the Quot longstanding rivalry Between Armor and infantry. Everywhere. Downtown at bars. At  Stiles also was glad to be switching to an infantry division. Quot when you re in an a infantry division you. Have tanks attached to you Quot he said. Quot they help you accomplish your Mission. If you re infantry in an armoured division the roles Are reversed. Each Armor company has an infantry platoon attached to it. You re in second place on . In the Long run squad Leader Richardson thinks there will be plenty of Opportunity for infantrymen in tomorrows lighter quicker european Force. Quot with the new ideas they re talking about new ideas for the defense of Europe i think we would do the Job pretty Well Quot the private first class said. It with the new ideas they re talking about new ideas for the defense of Europe i think we would do the Job pretty  a Pic. Michael Richardson Quot comparing an infantry unit to a tank unit shows we re a Little cheaper to support Quot Richardson said. Quot we have vehicles but they re a lot smaller and lighter than a tank. Over half of our personnel Are just running along on the  Chi. Joseph Bolden on the other hand sees major differences after switching from one division to another. Quot its been a real hard transition Tor comma Guys Quot said Bolden 25, who s in charge of a communications Section his old outfit worked Quot More on a Trust basis Quot while the new 3rd inf div people Are sticklers for paperwork. Still says Bolden Quot i like the new system a seems like they have a better Way of keeping track of  although wearing an infantry unit Patch is preferable Quot from an infantry Soldier s Point of View Quot command sgt. Maj. James Blassingame said that Quot a division is a  staff sgt. David Anderson commander of a top scoring Bradley fighting vehicle had expected changes. In an infantry division he said Quot the whole Chain of command understands the concept Quot of what infantry soldiers do for a living. A brigade staff officer maj. Mark Curry warned that the move was Quot More Subtle than it is  the new division does things slightly differently than the old one did. But Only slightly. Quot you have to read the Fine print Quot he said. Quot the feeling is a let s get on with it a Quot Curry said of the move. Quot i Haven t run into a single staff officer who s distraught because we re going into the Marne  Marne is the nickname of the 3rd inf div. Quot we re looking ahead Quot Curry said a that s where the future  Page 14 a the stars and stripes monday. August 26, 1991 the stars and stripes Page 15