WEBVTT

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Oklahoma Army National Guard soldiers

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headed to the black hills of South

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Dakota for an opportunity to use their

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skills and to enhance the community in

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the area . Lieutenant Colonel David

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Lambert , the commander of the three

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45th Combat sustainment battalion says

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this training started well before they

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hit the field . So it was an

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opportunity for those commanders and

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their leadership within the companies

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to actually plan a three day move to

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actually get on the ground . So the

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planning to actually get here to

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execute the mission was probably about

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40% of their overall 80 mission .

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Soldiers use their skills in a real

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world scenario , setting up a forward

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operating base , sleeping in tents and

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honing their valuable combat skills .

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This is very important to going to

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overseas for combat mission with these

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vehicles , you're not just going to

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jump in and know what to do . This kind

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of training , Just seeing people with

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their first time with it and gradually

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each time just gets a little better , a

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little better builds confidence . These

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soldiers not only improve their skills

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but also use their politicized loading

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systems or PLS is in a new way normally

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used for equipment such as

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generators . This creative use of the

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PLS benefits more than just the

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soldiers . The benefit is two fold the

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reservation , who used the timber for

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firewood throughout the winter . Uh ,

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they don't have assets to haul the

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timber , come pick it up or load it ,

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nor does the Forest Service have

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sufficient assets to provide it during

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the year . So this gives a National

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Guard a two week opportunity to

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exercise their MOS skills not only in

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the loading of the timber , but also in

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the moving of the timber out to the

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reservation . So it benefits not only

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the Forest Service , but it also

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benefits the reservation . These

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Oklahoma soldiers made a difference in

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the Black Hills . They improved and

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expanded their skill set helped the

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Forest Service by removing trees ,

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preventing forest fires and the spread

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of the damaging pine beetle . They also

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provided much needed fuel to help the

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pine ridge residents get through the

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harsh South Dakota winter Reporting for

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the 145 impact . I'm army staff

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Sergeant Bryan Allain .