Photo By Staff Sgt. S.T. Stewart | Marines and soldiers crawl through CS gas during the night infiltration course at Camp...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - Crawling under barbed-wire with his team, Sgt. Christopher J. Chapman heard a loud "Pop!" and his Marines yelling, “Gas, gas, gas!,” as white smoke poured out into the once quiet wooded area.
After donning their gas masks, all chaos broke out.
Through machine gun fire, improvised explosive devises, flashing strobe lights, banging, screaming, and CS and smoke grenades, twenty-nine Marines and soldiers negotiated the night infiltration course at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., July 31.
The 22-obstacle course was the final event of the 14-day sapper leader’s course hosted by 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion.
The sappers, an Army term for engineer, participated in the course to learn leadership qualities that they can apply to the job once they return to their original unit and pass on to other Marines.
“We will have trained them to be an engineer leader from all aspects of engineering and how to put it into a leadership position,” said Sgt. Ryan A. English, a sapper leader’s course instructor with 2nd CEB.
The final challenge during the course was a 36-hour event designed to test the students on everything they have learned. According to English, to complete the 36-hour event, the Marines had to negotiate the night infiltration course "through 260 meters of complete chaos."
“The last 36 hours have put everything they have learned here in class rooms and with practical application into play,” said English.
With the periodic explosions of smoke and gas coupled with machine gun fire testing the Marines' physical and mental fortitude, the instructors added in an extra challenge. Each team of six or seven students had to successfully carry four ammo-cans across the finish line while wearing flaks, Kevlars, gas masks, and carrying rifles.
The night infiltration course is designed to push Marines to their limits so they can better accomplish their mission during stressful situations.
“The night brings your surroundings in on you,” said Chapman, a squad leader with Bravo Company 4th CEB. “It disorients you and makes tensions run a lot higher, which causes the Marines to conflict. It takes time to work those differences out and find that happy medium to accomplish our goal.”
Throughout the course, the instructors stressed the importance of teamwork and communication.
“The course is a physical and mental challenge,” said English. “They have to work as a team. We have built them to use the team through all events, and now they are really going to have to use that.”
Chapman said the biggest challenge of the night for him was working together and not letting emotions take hold so the team could make it through the course.
“I couldn’t have made it through this course without my fellow sappers,” said Chapman. “You had to rely and give 100 percent to your fellow sappers or they wouldn’t give it to you.”
For the instructors, they always relate the training scenarios to real world combat situations. All of the instructors at the course have multiple deployments, and they try to pass on what they have learned throughout their careers to the students so they can gain confidence in their own skillsets.
“Accountability and the confidence that you have in the engineer field is going to save lives,” said English. “Using the knowledge that you have, doing it right and making sure everyone around you is safe is most important.”
| Date Taken: | 08.15.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 08.15.2014 13:21 |
| Story ID: | 139448 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 108 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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