{"id":1015,"date":"2024-01-19T01:37:25","date_gmt":"2024-01-19T01:37:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/?p=1015"},"modified":"2024-01-19T01:37:26","modified_gmt":"2024-01-19T01:37:26","slug":"climb-to-connectivity-10th-mountain-divisions-alpine-legacy-echoes-in-hunter-ems-mission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/?p=1015","title":{"rendered":"Climb to Connectivity: 10th Mountain Division\u2019s Alpine Legacy Echoes in Hunter EMS Mission"},"content":{"rendered":"
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FORT DRUM, N.Y. (Dec. 7, 2023) \u2013 In a poignant echo of the 10th Mountain Division\u2019s historic roots, two seasoned warriors shaped by the division\u2019s legacy embarked on a perilous ascent of Whiteface Mountain, towering at an elevation of 4,867 feet.<\/p>\n

Rooted in a tradition forged during World War II, where the division played a pivotal role in the Italian Alps, these Soldiers drew inspiration from their predecessors who braved the harsh terrain to dislodge German forces.<\/p>\n

Tasked with a mission crucial for Hunter EMS VIIb, an exercise where Soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division Artillery (DIVARTY) executed electronic warfare tactics, Lt. Col. Gregory Eldridge, 10th Mountain Division deputy fire support coordinator, and Staff Sgt. Alex Miner, a fire direction noncommissioned officer from DIVARTY\u2019s Fire Control Element, faced a race against time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to see what electronic warfare assets can do against our systems so we can defeat it in the future,\u201d Eldridge explained.<\/p>\n

The exercise, held on Fort Drum and Ethan Allen, Vermont, from Nov. 30 to Dec. 5, aimed to validate and improve the division\u2019s operational capacity in an ever-evolving battlefield by combining kinetic and non-kinetic effects.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn addition to the electronic warfare, we conducted some training with radars,\u201d Eldridge added. \u201cWe did a lot of work with the extension of line-of-sight communications.\u201d<\/p>\n

The previous day\u2019s efforts to drive up the access road to Whiteface summit were thwarted by a snowed-in road and gate. This obstacle hindered industry partners from installing a directional antenna atop the mountain, vital for completing a line-of-sight linkage between Fort Drum and Ethan Allen.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the day, we needed to get that antenna up to the top of that mountain,\u201d Eldridge said. \u201cI knew that there was a route to get there, and I had the equipment to get there. I just wanted to ensure that we had exhausted every means possible to extend the line of sight as far as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two Soldiers ascended Whiteface on Dec. 5, the last day to attempt establishing communications between Fort Drum and Ethan Allen; it was all or nothing.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo say Lt. Col. Eldridge and Staff Sgt. Miner\u2019s efforts were crucial to the successes in extending line-of-sight communications during Hunter EMS VIIb is an understatement,\u201d said Maj. Mark Smerka, DIVARTY fire support officer.<\/p>\n

This was the unit\u2019s last chance to attempt closing the communications link between Fort Drum and Ethan Allen before industry partners would have to depart for other obligations.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it weren\u2019t for Lt. Col. Eldridge and Staff Sgt. Miner\u2019s commitment to the challenge before them, we could only establish communications at approximately half the distance we did achieve,\u201d Smerka added.<\/p>\n

With the technical analysis underscoring the peak\u2019s critical role in closing the communication link east of New York state, Eldridge and Miner volunteered for the challenging task.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt takes specialized equipment to get there,\u201d Eldridge explained. \u201cI just wanted to get the job done.\u201d<\/p>\n

In less than 10 hours, they prepared for the cold trek, driving two hours from Ethan Allen, where they were supporting Hunter EMS VII, to commence their ascent at first light.<\/p>\n

Their journey, spanning five miles, mirrored the division\u2019s historical feats in the Italian Alps.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know if it necessarily impacted my decision to volunteer to do it,\u201d Eldridge said. \u201cBut you certainly think about it when you\u2019re feeling sorry for yourself on the five-mile trip up, knowing full well that our forefathers went a lot further and were getting shot at.\u201d<\/p>\n

Battling a minus-2-degree wind chill, the trio, including industry partner Pat Murray, reached the summit. Despite the adversity, the two Soldiers, drawing on the division\u2019s mountain warfare training, successfully installed communication gear at the observatory.<\/p>\n

As they conducted troubleshooting efforts in conditions reminiscent of the division\u2019s past battles, the communication link between Fort Drum and Ethan Allen proved elusive. Within 45 minutes, the weather turned on them.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first, it wasn\u2019t too bad, and we didn\u2019t have to troubleshoot too much. We just had to change the positioning of the antenna,\u201d Eldridge said. \u201cFrom our end, it was just a matter of finding where to put it, and then once we did that, we were able to establish the link.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, their selfless service paid homage to the 10th Mountain Division\u2019s enduring legacy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it was appropriate, and it\u2019s something that we as a light infantry force should be used to doing,\u201d Eldridge said. \u201cWe just carried stuff in a ruck and got to a location and executed a mission.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that\u2019s really what the 10th Mountain\u2019s about,\u201d he added. \u201cThat\u2019s what Alpine\u2019s about. It\u2019s about moving in small teams with your feet, skis, or snowshoes to a discreet place to do a distinct thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The establishment of a digital line-of-sight link spanning 82 miles further solidified their place in the proud history of a division forged in the crucible of alpine warfare.<\/p>\n

By CPT Eric-James Estrada<\/em><\/p>\n

27th Public Affairs Detachment<\/em><\/p>\n

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FORT DRUM, N.Y. (Dec. 7, 2023) \u2013 In a poignant echo of the 10th Mountain Division\u2019s historic roots, two seasoned warriors shaped by the division\u2019s legacy embarked on a perilous ascent of Whiteface Mountain, towering at an elevation of 4,867 feet. Rooted in a tradition forged during World War II, where the division played a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1016,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1015","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-army"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1015","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1015"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1015\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1017,"href":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1015\/revisions\/1017"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1016"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1015"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1015"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}