Pfc. Joseph Wilson responded to the command, "Ready Up!"

As his M-4 carbine came up to his right shoulder, he sighted in on a cardboard, human silhouette target 20 yards away and switched off the weapon's safety.

Repeatedly, Wilson and approximately 30 Soldiers attached to B Troop, 8th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT), 2nd Infantry Division, honed their short-range marksmanship skills.

The squadron recently returned from two weeks of training at the Yakima Training Center.  Dubbed Operation Stillman's Run - named in honor of Maj. Isaiah Stillman's actions during the Black Hawk War of 1832 - the exercise gave experienced Soldiers the opportunity to train new personnel as well as brush up on their skills.

"This is my first go around, my first experience in training like this," said Wilson during a short break.  "This is fun."

At that comment, Sgt. Nguyen Tran smiled. "They're doing good," said the veteran of several deployments.  "They're catching on."

Soldiers undergoing the age-old tradition of training in the field, both Wilson and Tran exemplify the brigade's focus on preparation for potential deployment.

"The assumption is that we will deploy," said Lt. Col. Patrick Michaelis, the squadron's commander. He pointed out that with an influx of new personnel and equipment, his unit would spend the immediate future on perfecting its traditional mission of reconnaissance. "Our training is now geared to our traditional role of being the ‘eyes and ears' of the brigade," he said.

Specifically, the training objectives the squadron focused on were gunnery for Stryker crews, squad live fire exercises during movement to contact exercises and urban, close quarters battle (CQB) training. "We're building skills sets; we're building confidence," said Michaelis.

There is a lot of training to be done in building confidence.

"Slow is smooth and smooth is fast," said Command Sgt. Major Daniel Neary as B Troop Commander Capt. Paul Tanghe, 1st Sgt. Christopher Barrett, Staff Sgt. Jason Packard and Sgt. 1st Class Jacob Colson finished a CQB drill.

Watching patiently like a hawk for errors was Sgt. 1st Class Willie Richardson. "Remember to keep as much of your body behind the corner of a building," he said as he drew a line in the sand to illustrate his point. "Minimize exposure."

The Soldiers had just finished moving down a narrow alley - or "linear danger area" - in a formation called a "Rolling T." As they moved, they entered, identified simulated insurgents from civilians, and then cleared the rooms.

"We're getting it," said Neary, "but there's more work to do.  It's all about learning."

Several more hours passed as the Soldiers trained.

"When we accomplish this training, we will be certified to train other NCOs," Barrett said. "We're establishing one standard; we're training at the fundamental level in order to be able to respond to any mission."

After each training run, Richardson explained what went well and what didn't go so well. Actions, communications, and weapon position - it all got better, sharper.

"Now, do it at combat speed," said Michaelis as he observed.

Like clockwork, Tanghe, Barrett, Colson and Packard moved down the alley and through the rooms flawlessly.

"They're getting it," repeated Neary. "They are setting the standard for training."