Ft. Irwin High Desert Warrior, January 2022

Volume 18, Number 1 Published in the interest of the National Training Center and Fort Irwin community • home.army.mil/Irwin January 2022
11th ACR fires M1A2 Abrams tank for the first time in Regiment history
Cpt. Evan Cain
11th ACR Public Affairs
On Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021, Troopers assigned to Cold Steel, 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment (ACR) at the National Training Center and Fort Irwin, California, fired the first main battle tank round out of the M1A2 Abrams System Enhancement Program (SEP) V2 in the Regiment’s history.
The Regiment previously executed gunnery using M1A1 Abrams while simultaneously fulfilling the role of the U.S. Mili- tary’s professional opposing force at the National Training Center. On October, 2021, the 11th ACR received five M1A2 Abrams SEP V2s via a lateral transfer from Fort Hood, Texas.
Although the tanks were new to the Regiment, the vehicles required manpower, resources, and service tasks to maintain functionality. Safety was the first priority, and before Troopers could operate the new main battle tanks for live fire, they needed to ensure the serviceability of the platform.
“Today’s live fire was conceptualized, planned, and executed in about five weeks,” said 1st Lt. Jack Dwyer, Cold Steel Troop
Photo by Capt. Evan Cain
Cold Steel Troop, 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, poses with their two M1A2 Abrams SEP V2 main battle tank after firing them for the first time in Regiment history on Dec. 9, 2021, at the National Training Center and Fort Irwin training area.
Country music artist Ray Fulcher performs at Fort Irwin
See FIRES, Page 4 Behavioral Health team strengthens
Executive Officer. “It was a true test at all echelons in Cold Steel Troop to fix the vehicles mechanically, equip them efficiently through the Army maintenance and supply chains, and above all
train the crews to be able to execute all the actions required of them when the moment was right.”
On Dec. 12, dozens of Soldiers and their family members attended a special acoustic per- formance from Ray Fulcher on the Army Field.
The performance, the first of its kind on Fort Irwin since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, was put on by USO Entertainment and Fort Irwin’s Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation.
Fulcher credited his interest in the U.S. Army from his grandfather who was a Soldier during World War II and helped storm the Beaches of Normandy. Prior to the concert, Fulcher met with the National Training Cen- ter’s Command Teams, toured the “box” and visited the mock city of Ujen.
“I played Madison Square Garden two
weeks ago and this is just as cool if not cooler to me,” he said after seeing firsthand the mission of the National Training Center and Fort Irwin.
During the concert, Fulcher and the USO surprised two guests with a pair of tickets to
By Kimberly Hackbarth
Weed Army Community Hospital Public Affairs
FORT IRWIN, Calif. – Staff members with Weed Army Community Hospital’s Behavioral Health Department toured several Fort Irwin resiliency resources Dec. 2, here.
Maj. Darnell Durrah, the chief of the de- partment of behavioral health for Weed ACH, and the installation director of psychological health, arranged the tours.
“We had a force multiplier tour where we went to other ready resilient agencies on the installation to learn about their full capabilities to be more equipped to offer those services to our patients,” Durrah, a Compton, Calif., native, said.
Staff members with Weed Army Community Hospital’s Behavioral Health Department meet with staff from
Fort Irwin’s Ready and Resilient (R2) Performance Center December 2, 2021 on Fort Irwin, Calif. (Courtesy Photo/ Weed ACH) (Kimberly Hackbarth)
See BEHAVIORAL, Page 2
relationship with local resiliency resources
Ensuring the readiness of Soldiers through See MUSIC, Page 3 resources available is a priority for Durrah