American infantry will train at Tekapo

Press, 26 June 1984, Page 14

American infantry will train at Tekapo

A Hawaii-based United States Army battalion will arrive in Christchurch on Saturday on its way to Tekapo for a cold-weather training exercise. The United States Army’s Ist 35th Infantry Battalion will hold its month-long exercise, called Captive Lightning 84, at the New Zealand Army’s training area near Lake Tekapo. The exercise is the ninth in a series of annual infantry unit exercises that have been held in New Zealand by the Hawaii-based 25th Infantry Division. These enable the American infantrymen to train in terrain and

climatic conditions far different from those found in the Hawaiian islands. Normally the climatic exercises are held in the New Zealand Army’s training area at Waiouru. This year however, the Army’s own training commitments have meant that the normal logistic support for the Americans is not available in the North Island. The American unit is commanded by LieutenantColonel Gene Bryson.

The first soldiers of the main body of the battalion will arrive at Christchurch Airport on Saturday aboard a United States Air Force

Cl4l Starlifter. ' The battalion will return to Hawaii from Christchurch in early August. The New Zealand Army’s public relations officer, Major Michael Wicksteed, said from Wellington that the proximity of the exercise to the General Election on July 14 was “coincidental.”

“Planning for Captive Lightning 84 began early last year,” he said. “It should be noted that this is the ninth such annual deployment at this time of the year by American infantry battalions from Hawaii.”