Paratroopers with 1st Squadron (Airborne), 40th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, currently stationed at Camp Maréchal de Lattre de Tassigny, Kosovo, performed the May 21 raid as part of an ongoing series of Situational Training Exercise lanes that began several weeks ago, DVIDS reported.
US Army 1st Lt. Christopher Mittuch, a platoon leader with 1-40th Cavalry, led the 15-man team as they boarded Light Medium Tactical Vehicles (LMTV) in the middle of the night and climbed a mountain near Mitrovica, Kosovo.
"The purpose of a raid is to destroy everything on the objective," Mittuch told DVIDS. "The mission was to destroy a radio tower that was being taken over by the enemy. We moved at night and climbed through thick woods up the mountain to reach the objective."
After spending several hours navigating densely wooded terrain in limited visibility conditions, the team of cavalry scouts reached their intended target around sunrise.
The scouts took their places and opened suppressive fire before advancing toward the objective. They were met, however, by Hungarian soldiers playing the part of an enemy force guarding the radio tower.
"The Hungarians had MTM rounds, which are like having a paintball inside of a bullet," said Mittuch. "A few of the guys got hit with them and it was good to have that effect. They did a good job playing the enemy because [we] didn't see them initially when we came up."
The scouts defeated the mock enemy force and captured the tower where they proceeded to "destroy it," DVIDs reported.
Said Mittuch: "I think overall it was excellent. We accomplished the mission and the attack went smoothly."
"This is not the last deployment we are going to be on," he continued. "We have to stay ready for anything that may happen. We will be going to the Joint Readiness Training Center [at Fort Polk, Louisiana] next year and this will help us be prepared when we get there."