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ORCHARD COMBAT TRAINING CENTER, Idaho -- One million volunteers
from all corners of life comprise the combined total force of the
Army. Here's one.
Christopher Stone is a mild-mannered man
from Hermiston, Ore. He operates a fork-lift at a local Home Depot
stacking pallets and stocking shelves. He hangs out with his family
and friends, occasionally eats out, and tries to live his life in
peace.
However, this ordinary man is leading a double life.
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Pfc. Christopher Stone, a resident of
Hermiston, Ore., and a Soldier in the Oregon National Guard's 3rd
Combined Arms Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment, sits in the
driver's seat of an M2A3 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle Aug. 20,
2014. Stone and his unit traveled to Idaho's Orchard Combat Training
Center for two weeks of grueling training. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt.
Leon Cook, 20th Public Affairs Detachment)
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Stone parks his fork-lift and takes off his vest one
weekend a month and two weeks a year for Army camouflage,
body armor, and an M2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle.
Here, he's known as Pfc. Stone of the Oregon National
Guard's 3rd Combined Arms Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment.
Stone joined the Army in 2012 to follow in
the footsteps of his uncle, who served as a sniper on active
duty.
“I chose [infantry] as my job and I've been
loving it ever since.”
This August, he and his unit
traveled to the Orchard Combat Training Center in Idaho for
two weeks of annual training.
“I don't get enough
sleep, I have to eat [meals ready to eat] all day, every
day, and I'm hosing down water. It's terrible and I love
it,” Stone said.
In the dusty hills of Idaho, Stone
and his unit developed gunnery, movement, and communication
techniques to support the total Army force in a unified
campaign across the active, reserve, and National Guard
components.
The training exercise gave Stone and his
fellow Soldiers the tools to shoot as a team, move as a
team, and communicate as a team.
The shared hardships
led to camaraderie unlike anything he's experienced, said
Stone.
“It's all about your battle buddies,” he
added.
Stone returned home to his friends, family and
job in the last week of August but says the lessons learned
and the friendships he formed will stay with him.
By U.S. Army Sgt. Leon Cook
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2014
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