Photo By 1st Lt. Jonathan Sauls | A fireball erupts during a live demolition conducted by Soldiers of the 299th Brigade...... read more read more
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RODRIGUEZ LIVE FIRE COMPLEX, Republic of Korea.
Soldiers from the 299th Brigade Engineer Battalion (BEB), 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division/ROK-U.S. Combined Division, conducted demolition training Aug.12th as part of Engineer Qualification Table II (EQT II), certifying their ability to use explosives for mobility and counter-mobility operations.
EQT II is a critical step in the Engineer Qualification Table progression, designed to validate combat engineers on assigned mission essential tasks that enable brigade combat teams to move freely on the battlefield and deny movement to enemy forces.
“Demolition ranges are where we put our classroom knowledge into real-world application,” said Capt. Matthew B. Wentz, commander of B Company, 299th BEB. “Certifying our combat engineers through EQTs ensures they can support maneuver platoon live-fires and combined arms live-fire exercises with confidence and precision.”
During the training, Soldiers built and detonated a variety of explosive charges, from basic C4 blocks to advanced timber and steel cutting charges. Each iteration emphasized safe handling, accurate calculations, and teamwork, giving both new and experienced engineers an opportunity to refine their skills.
“This is my second demolition training,” said Spc. Elisaia Atoe, B Company, 299th BEB. “I understand it better this time and got to pull the fuse, so I really felt part of it. I’m more confident going into demolition than I was before.”
For some Soldiers, the training was a first-time experience.
“Today we blew up some C4 using complex calculations to include length, width, and other supporting math,” said Pfc. Kim Sunwoong, a Korean Augmentation to the U.S. Army (KATUSA) Soldier with A Company. “This is my first time being this close to the DMZ, and I can feel why this matters so much.”
Cadet Daniel Weaver, also with A Company, used the event to prepare for his future role as an officer.
“This is a great gateway where I can take knowledge and skills, shadowing platoon leaders and senior NCOs, and apply it to active duty Army,” Weaver said. “I come from a long line of U.S. military Soldiers, and I’ve always wanted to go to school to become an officer.”
First Sgt. Clint Currier, A Company first sergeant, said his focus was on both safety and training quality.
“My job here is to make sure everyone is safe and the situation as a whole is under control to limit and negate any unnecessary injuries,” Currier said. “During the first iteration, every Soldier tied in their charge to ensure confidence in their engineer skills. It went off beautifully.”
Set against the steep green hills near the Korean Demilitarized Zone, the range echoed with the crack and thunder of controlled detonations. A confident reminder that mobility, counter-mobility, and survivability tasks remain core to the combat engineer mission.
| Date Taken: | 08.12.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.13.2025 20:07 |
| Story ID: | 545576 |
| Location: | KR |
| Web Views: | 39 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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