Sapper company has blast at live demo training

A Balgelore torpedo charged with C-4 explodes during live demolition training Thursday. The 1138th Engineer Company (Sappers) spent the day training at the demo range at Fort Leonard Wood as part of its annual training. (Image capture by Spc. Sarah Lepescu)

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. -- When something gets in the way of the mission, it's the 1138th Engineer Company's job to move it. And when Sappers move something, things tend to get loud.

On Thursday, about 60 Soldiers with the Farmington-based Missouri National Guard company performed live demolition training at Fort Leonard Wood as part of its two-week annual training. Using ample amounts of the plastic explosive C-4, they practiced clearing routes, sweeping through theoretical mine fields, blasting down doors and cutting a swath through path-blocking constantan wire.

"We're combat engineers and a combat engineer's main job is mobility while maintaining survivability," said 1st Lt. Cody Waters, the officer in charge. "If the enemy sets up obstacles, we go in and move them."

The Soldiers, several from Southeast Missouri, got hands-on training on how to put together and detonate field-expedient anti-personnel explosives, water impulse charges, improvised claymore mines, Bangalore torpedoes and a rocket called a mine clearing line charge, which clears a path through a mine field large enough to drive a tank through.

"This is very important training for us today," Waters said. "If we go to Afghanistan, our job often will be to come in and clear the routes. So it's vital that we know what we're doing so when something's in the way of the mission, we can come in and get it out of the way."

During the full day of training, the Soldiers practiced tying detonation wire and running it from the explosives to a row of bunkers, where they got to watch the loud explosions through a small window that was covered by protective glass. Several times, debris -- rocks, dirt, and bits of wire or wood -- rained down on the demo range.

The Soldiers were impressed. Several recorded the explosions from inside the bunker with their cell phone cameras or the wreckage that was left behind.

Staff Sgt. Mike Johnson, a squad leader with the 1138th who was filling in as platoon sergeant, said the training is exciting, especially for some of the newer Soldiers who have never seen live demolition before.

"At the end of the day, no matter how old you are, we tend to like explosions," Johnson said. "But it's nice to see some of the younger guys get out here to get some hands-on training with some of this stuff. We do a lot of training at the armory and it's good to get in a field environment and see this in action. That's what annual training is for."

Staff Sgt. Kevan Phillips, training noncommissioned officer, said annual training is also about learning the unit's strengths and weaknesses -- which will show how training is working and what needs work.

"There's always room for improvement," he said. "But we'll figure it out and make it happen. Overall, I'd say things have gone pretty well today."

After the demolition training was over, Capt. Seth Nelson, the 1138th's company commander, said the training was exactly what he anticipated.

"For some of the Soldiers it was their first time and for others it was a refresher," Nelson said. "All in all, it went exactly as we planned."

The annual training continues until June 16. The 1138th will spend several days setting up and manning a forward operating base, exactly like the ones that are set up overseas. The 1138th also had an eight-mile road march planned.

"This was fun, but we still have some intensive training left to do," Nelson said.

For more information about the Missouri National Guard, please call 1-800-GoGuard or visit www.moguard.com.

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For more information about this release, please contact Scott Moyers at (573) 339-6264 or e-mail him at scott.moyers1@us.army.mil.