Photo By Giancarlo Casem | Clouds of smoke and dust rise from the desert floor as soldiers from the 58th Combat...... read more read more
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FORT IRWIN, Calif.—Cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine is a word not heard often. However, to a combat engineer, it is his best friend. Cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine is the base ingredient of the explosive more commonly known as C4.
Engineers from the 58th Combat Engineer Company, Regimental Support Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, trained on use of C4 in various situations during a live-detonation range at the National Training Center on Fort Irwin, Calif., Aug. 31.
“We’re basically getting the soldiers in tune with what they do in the Army,” said Sgt. Joseph Pridgen, 58th CEC. “It keeps the soldier a soldier, we spend the majority of our time training others to Soldier up and go to Iraq or Afghanistan, so we need to be just as prepared.”
The native of Wimberly, Texas, now serves as a team leader with 3rd squad, 1st platoon. As a team leader, he is tasked with training his soldiers up to standard not only on their military occupation specialty-specific skills, but also on the skills necessary to replicate Iraqi or Afghan nationals during training rotations at the NTC.
The 58th CEC supports the Regiment’s NTC mission of training America’s Army by providing town population and role-players during rotations. In between rotations, the company, like others in the Regiment, conduct squad and platoon-level ranges to remain proficient in their MOS.
During the training, the engineers honed skills that they would use in a real-world conflict, said Sgt. 1st Class Hernan Mendoza, a platoon sergeant with 1st platoon, 58th CEC.
“We’re conducting semi-annual demolitions training for our skill levels 1, 2 and 3, for our (noncomissioned officers) and junior Soldiers,” said Mendoza, a native of Carolina, Puerto Rico. “We’re training on Bangalore breaches, road craters and specialized targets: steel cutting, timber and simulated doors.”
Bangalore torpedoes, more commonly referred to as simply Bangalores, have been in use by combat engineers since shortly before World War I. During the WWI, they were used to clear barbed wire obstacles, which has been its primary purpose for almost 100 years.
Bangalores consist of tubes filled with explosive C4, the tubes can be attached to each other to achieve the desired length. The end of the Bangalore may be fitted with a cone to help clear obstacles on the ground when it is being pushed from the other end. When it is detonated, the Bangalores clear a path wide enough for a single column of Soldiers to move through.
The other types of detonations conducted were more specialized. Steel cutting and timber cutting are more specific in their use and application, Mendoza said.
Mendoza explained that steel cutting is can be used to bring down structures. Engineers can use the technique to disable a bridge to impede an enemy’s advance. Combat engineers can be selective and disable a bridge accordingly to mission requirements.
“By using precise steel cutting on a bridge, you can collapse sections of that bridge which makes it harder for the enemy to use against you,” Mendoza said. “Depending on where you place the explosives you can get different results. Maybe you just need to destroy section so that the enemy can’t cross it, but we can come back and use our bridging assets to cross that gap. That’s why we’re teaching those skills on the steel cutting.”
Timber cutting is used in the abatis technique of fortification. An abatis is created by using timber in a wood line to defeat the enemy’s advance. Engineers attach explosives to trees in a forested area then detonate the charges that result with the top part of the trees falling interlocked at a 45 degree angle towards the enemy.
“There are certain places in the world where it’ll work and where it won’t,” Mendoza said. “As engineers being ready for world-wide deployments, we have to be trained and able to perform all facets of our job.”
Although some of the soldiers may go through their Army careers without applying some of these techniques in an actual combat situation, both Pridgen and Mendoza said the value of training with live-explosives is irreplaceable.
“It’s vital, for us, as engineers to maintain these skill sets, these skill sets are perishable,” Mendoza said. “If you don’t train on it, you don’t remember it and then you can’t execute as well. The more you get to train up at this level it becomes second nature and comes naturally to you. It also instills confidence, we had a couple soldiers who were a little intimidated by explosives, but there are safety factors that we are taught to handle the explosives. They can become safe with the proper supervision and proper techniques.”
For some of the soldiers, watching the explosions was the pinnacle of a long day spent out in the range.
“It was slow, real safe, all in all pretty darn good,” Pridgen said. “We had huge explosions, just how they should be and they all went off so it’s a good day.”
| Date Taken: | 08.31.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 09.16.2010 18:49 |
| Story ID: | 56426 |
| Location: | FORT IRWIN, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 181 |
| Downloads: | 10 |
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