GUARDSMEN TRAIN AT LAKE WAPPAPELLO

LAKE WAPPAPELO -- Wappapello Lake isn't only for recreation in Southeast Missouri.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lake also is home to the Wappapelo Engineering Training Site.

The 500-acre WETS, owned by the U.S. Forest Service, is used for training by the Missouri National Guard for a variety of tasks including the annual range or weapons qualification, heavy equipment operation, land navigation, rapelling, communications, reconnaissance, mine sweeping, and nuclear, biological, and chemical warfare training.

In addition to training, the Missouri National Guard also uses the site as a base while helping the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with maintenance projects at Lake Wappapello.

This weekend, troops from Southeast Missouri were using WETS for mine sweeping, reconnaissance and concertina wire-stretching techniques as part of a competition between squads.

Almost 30 men from three companies of the 1140th Combat Engineer Battalion took part in the competition. The battalion has 527 men and women. The units represented were A Company from Farmington and Fredericktown, B Company from Perryville and Jackson, C Company from Sikeston, Portageville and Charleston.

"This area gives us good training," said Lt. Col. Kenneth W. Liescheidt, the 1140th battalion commander. "Not only that, but we also learn how to take care of the environment."

Liescheidt said guardsmen dismantle the wire after its put up. That teaches troops to take care of their surroundings, whether they're in Missouri or other parts of the world.

Guardsmen were competing for the Bodine Trophy, named in memory of 1st Sgt. Kenneth Bodine, who died in 1976. The traveling trophy has been awarded annually since 1977.

Company C of Portageville won the trophy. Its members were Staff Sgt. Donald Hampton, Sgt. Albert Moody, Sgt. Allen Rand, Spc. Michael Tripp, Spc. Richard L. Pullum, Spc. Kenneth Bonee, Spc. Jeff Hardin and Spc. James Pulliam.

Maj. Dan Tallent, whose civilian job is principal at Cape Central High School, said the squads participating in the contest also were satisfying their weekend duty requirements with the National Guard. Guardsmen must train at least one weekend each month and two weeks each year.

Tallent, who supervised the competition, said troops were briefed about the tasks they were required to perform and how points would be assessed. He said each squad would complete two of three tasks Saturday afternoon and a final task Sunday morning.

The officer supervising field activities this weekend, Capt. Joseph Leahy, said the war-game-style training is necessary to prepare the combat engineers for the real thing.

"A lot of times there will be infantry to do this kind of thing in the field," Leahy said, "but you have to be prepared. You can't always count on that."