The Chinook dropped out of the sky, hovered for an instance, and then gently touched down on LZ (landing zone) Goldfish.

Moments later, approximately 15 Soldiers comprising "Red Platoon" and assigned to A Troop, 1st Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment came off the ramp, fanned out and dropped to the ground.

As they did so, other cavalry Soldiers comprising "White Platoon" emerged from a wood line and in a single file formation ran and boarded the waiting helicopter, which lifted off.

The handoff from one cavalry reconnaissance team to another had gone smoothly.

"This is an air insertion and a dismounted recon," explained Maj. Chris Smith, the squadron's operations officer.

"Once on the ground, Red Platoon will move toward a downed unmanned aerial surveillance (UAS) vehicle and report back."

Moving toward Objective Franklin is where the Soldiers' detailed training began.

"Having the broad view of accomplishing the cavalry's primary mission is good," commented Lt. Col. Patrick Michaelis, the squadron's commander, as he observed.

In what he calls "shifting from a known point," Michaelis explained that while Soldiers learn the broad view of soldiering, they are also acquiring the specific skills needed to be successful.

"It's the details that we are working on," he added.

Staff Sgt. Joel Saxton agreed.

"It's good training, and it is challenging," he said as he looked over a map.

Saxton would know; he led the platoon through and over a kilometer of wooded terrain toward the downed UAS.

It was challenging responsibility.

Saxton worked hard - mentally and physically - to lead the platoon, especially when the training emphasized an attention to detail.

"It's the details," said Michaelis as Saxton checked his coordinates and made a correction.

"We're doing a good job, but we will continue to work on the details," he added.