Exercise Golden Coyote
South Dakota 2008
Four of the troop, me included, had the chance to travel to South Dakota in the US and visit Exercise Golden Coyote. This is the annual training exercise for the whole of the South Dakota National Guard with the assistance of the National Guards of several other states. The journey took us out from Germany, via London and on to Washington where we were met and dispatched on to South Dakota. In Denver we got a beautiful view of the snow capped Rockies.
The unit we were visiting was the 200 Engineer Company and they welcomed us from the start. They specialized, like us, in bridging and ferrying operations. They use different kit to us and took no time in demonstrating their ferrying operastions on the Missouri river with their Improved Ribbon Bridge (IRB).
Before we deployed into the field with the Company we were issued our helmets, first aid kits, sleeping bags and webbing. This all had to be figured out, fitted and of course, tested in the hot tub in the hotel. After all, you never know if you are going to fall in or not.
We spent quite a bit of time driving between different locatons in the state, getting to Rapid City, Chamerlain, Belle Fourche and Pierre. This involved changing the clocks back and forth as the time line runs right through the middle of the state.
The other bridge that the Company uses is the Dry Span Bridge (DSB). The bridging vehicle itself is a huge piece of kit that opens up 'transformer like' to twice its size in every direction before it can start the build. The troops aren't too keen on it as it's not as much fun as the IRB but it does the job.
The highlight of the exercise was the heli-build. Enough boats and IRB bays to build two four bay ferries were prepared for lifting and, due to high winds, sat doing nothing for several days before the op was given the green light and the helicopters arrived.
Three teams hooked up the sling loads, one after the other, which involved some very close flying and plenty of noise and down-draught. All very exciting and good fun.
Out on the water, the build went smoothly and safely with plenty of the locals out in the glorious weather to watch the excitement . The rest of the exercise involved the move back across the state to the National Guard Armoury in Pierre.
We had some free time to do the tourist thing. We went to Sturgis, Deadwood, Fort Mede and Spearfish. We also went to Wyoming to see the very impressive Devil's Tower.
The last day involved an official visit to Mt Rushmore. We had to turn up early and, as official guests, get signed in. We were escorted by two Park Rangers on a short trek off the visitors pathway and up through the woods to climb up the mountain itself.
The sight of the statues close up and the views from the top of the Black Hills were spectacular and well worth the early start. We all felt very privilaged and it was a great end to the trip. A big thank you to all the members of 200 Engineer Company and all the National Guard that we met while out there.