GAIZIUNAI, Lithuania – Explosions could be heard throughout the Gaiziunai Training Area as members of the 10th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 1st Armor Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, collaborated with members from the Juozo Vitkaus Engineer Battalion of the Lithuanian Land Forces on Nov. 4, 2015.
The explosions came as engineers demonstrated each unit’s respective obstacle clearing processes. Soldiers of the U.S. and Lithuanian Land Forces familiarized themselves with each other’s processes and procedures on the use of explosives.
“We’re here to train with the Lithuanians because we use and initiate demolition differently,” said Cpt. Andrew Berreth, the commander for Company Alpha, 10th BEB. “Our goal is when we go to exercise Iron Sword, which is a combined arms operation, we can train together and conduct a combined arms breach.”
Throughout the training, Soldiers of the 10th BEB and Juozo Vitkaus Engineer Battalion learned their counterpart’s respective initiation systems. Afterwards, each used the systems to demonstrate obstacle clearing with C4 and Bangalore torpedos, which is an explosive charge placed within one or several connected tubes.
Soldiers displayed excitement while training with each other and experiencing the power of explosives.
Pfc. Artunas Venckus, a combat engineer with the Juozo Vitkaus Engineer Battalion, explained the importance of training alongside Ally forces, while having a little fun with explosives.
“It’s important to get to know each other’s processes,” said Pfc. Artunas Venckus, a combat engineer with the Juozo Vitkaus Engineer Battalion. “It’s important that they know our systems, and we know theirs.”
As for the explosives he said, “Engineers love big explosions.”
Soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division recently began its second rotation in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve. The 1st ABCT replaced the 173rd Airborne Brigade as U.S. Army Europe’s regionally allocated force on Oct. 26.