New counter-IED lane keeps troops alive, on their toes

Photo By Giancarlo Casem | Sgt. Lewis Azbell, a team leader with 1st Battalion., 279th Infantry Regiment, points out a concealed IED to his team during a dismounted counter-IED training lane at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, Jan. 31. (Photo/Marine Sgt. Sara Carter)  

KUWAIT

02.03.2008

Story by Sgt. Giancarlo Casem 

50th Public Affairs Detachment

The lead Soldier slowly meandered toward the intersection, his weapon at the ready. The cold air whisked against his face. The dusty desert sand danced around his feet as they came to an abrupt stop. The point man raised his right hand and pointed to his right.

"Right there, on top of the wall," he said to his team leader. "There's a wire sticking out."
The protruding wire was a potential improvised explosive device. Fortunately, this was only a training exercise.

Soldiers from Oklahoma National Guard's 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team conducted counter-IED training at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, Jan. 31.

The training afforded Soldiers the opportunity to hone their skills in identifying potential IEDs.

"Today, we're giving Soldiers the chance to walk through here, there are some mock IEDs set up in an urban environment," said 1st Lt. Jason Earl, a platoon leader with B Company, 1st Battalion, 279th Infantry Regiment.

The Oklahoma City native explained that the training was crucial to what his Soldiers might face in Iraq.
Camp Buehring serves as the final stop for most units in route to Iraq. The U.S. Army Central ranges offer unit leaders a final functions check for their Soldiers before crossing the berm into combat.

USARCENT is a forward-deployed warfighting headquarters.

Prior to their deployment, the 45th trained at Fort Bliss, Texas. However, some said the training at Camp Buehring was more intense.

"It is more in depth, more detailed than what we do back in the States," said Spc. Eddie Blunk, B Co., 1st Bn., 279th Inf. Regt. "This has prepared us more than what we did back at Fort Bliss."

Blunk, from Picher, Okla., said he learned valuable, life-saving lessons at the dismounted IED lane.

"They can make IEDs out of just about anything out here – pop cans, boards, all kinds of stuff," he said. "This training is very important to keep us alive and alert to what we can spot out there."

The newly-redesigned lane is a product from the mind of Sgt. 1st Class David Sanchez. Sanchez personally procured the supplies needed to reconstitute the range. In September 2007, the First Army Operational Direct Support Team, under leadership from Capt. Robert Hill, was given the task to redesign the existing counter-IED training lane. The redesign aimed to incorporate more realistic environments that made it much more immersive.

"We wanted to get the Soldiers to feel a 360-degree threat," Hill said. "Not just what's on the ground but also what is on the buildings or behind doors."

The construction involved other branches of the military, such as the Navy and the Marines. The 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit contributed Marines and time to help rebuild the range. In honor of their work, a forward operating base was named FOB Semper Fi.

Hill noted that the construction of the lane cost the Army nothing. Everything was either donated or procured through other means.

Sanchez is proud of his training range, but more proud of the added realistic training service members now have. Sanchez noted improvements to the lane such as roads that were not straight and also intersections with blind corners – sights that service members such as the 45th BCT are likely to see.

"I aimed to make it more unpredictable," Sanchez said. "To let them know what they ought to be looking for out there. It's not about us, it's about the Soldiers."

• Date Taken: 02.03.2008
• Date Posted: 02.03.2008 09:40
• Story ID: 15992
• Location: KW