File:Thunder Crucible tests soldiers’ capabilities 131106-A-WG463-702.jpg

English: One-hundred and fifty-five soldiers from 210th Fires Brigade competed in the first Thunder Crucible team competition Nov. 6-7 on Camp Casey, South Korea. The two-day Thunder Crucible event was designed to test the mettle, teamwork and the mastery of individual skills and knowledge including the Army Physical Fitness Test, chemical defense, tactical communications, combat casualty care, weapons mastery skills, a foot march, a written test on Korean culture, Warrior Standards, and command supply discipline. The event was an opportunity to highlight the demanding training required of 210th Fires Brigade soldiers as they prepare to fight tonight to defend the Korean peninsula. The top four teams for the event were: The first-place winners were from C Battery, 1st Battalion, 38th Field Artillery Regiment, 210th Fires Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division: Capt. Juan Noda, from Miami, the battery commander for C Battery, and 1st Sgt. Mark Smith, originally from Newport, Ark., the senior noncommissioned officer for C Battery. The second-place team members were from A Battery, 1st Battalion, 38th FA Regiment: Capt. Robert Auletta, from Massapequa, N.Y., the commander of A Battery, and Sgt. 1st Class Jordan Lee, a native of Saratoga, Calif., a multiple launch rocket system crew member assigned to A Battery. Third-place team members were from Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion, 38th FA Regiment: Capt. Shaohong Lu, from Atlanta, the fire direction officer, and Sgt. Justin Humphreys, from Las Vegas, a multiple launch rocket system operations/fire direction specialist. Coming in fourth-place team members were B Battery, 6th Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment, 210th Fires Brigade, command team: Capt. Carlos Ortiz, from Jersey City, N.J., the company commander for B Battery, and 1st Sgt. Joseph Taylor, from Waterford, Conn., B Battery senior noncommissioned officer. (U.S. Army photo by 210th Fires Brigade Team/Released)