Photo By Sgt. Kalina Hyche | Tennessee Army National Guard 2nd Lt. James Hooker, of the 890th Sapper Company, runs...... read more read more
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LAVINIA, Tenn. – The Tennessee Army National Guard's 890th Sapper Company, headquartered in Huntingdon, held their annual Sapper Stakes competition, a rigorous event that evaluates their combat engineering skills, at Volunteer Training Site – Milan on July 24, 2024.
The competition comprised a timed series of tasks and scenarios which included weapon system disassembly and reassembly, curve calculation, knot tying, demolition charge construction, and medical evacuation and casualty care over a five-and-a-half-mile course. The final task to end the course was a boat crossing over a water obstacle.
According to 1st Lt. Jacob Qualls, the officer in charge of Sapper Stakes, the competition was modified this year from a squad-based to a platoon-based format. The company divided into two platoons, with members of the company’s organic third platoon evenly distributed between them.
The competition was fierce and highly competitive, with both platoons pushing themselves to their limits. When it was finished, the unit’s 2nd platoon was victorious, completing the course in just two hours and eight minutes – four minutes faster than 1st platoon.
The Sapper Stakes competition is a long-standing tradition for the Engineer Corps, dating back to World War II. Its purpose is to foster unit cohesion, reinforce mission-essential skills, challenge Soldiers' physical and mental acumen, and honor their proud heritage.
In addition to the competition, the unit also performed a comprehensive training exercise earlier that day. The exercise simulated real-world missions that evaluated the unit's ability to rapidly deploy, communicate in a high-stress environment, and validated their combat proficiency.
“Tactical training is essential,” said Capt. Elliott Martin, commander of the 890th Sapper Company. “It is the core of what we do, and ensures we are combat ready for any situation.”
The exercise involved 36 personnel who established a security perimeter, breached obstacles and cleared rooms of enemy threats. Its objective was to enhance the unit's ability to operate during military operations on urbanized terrain.
The training consisted of four iterations, each comprised of eight Soldiers. Throughout the exercise, Soldiers maintained effective communication with necessary ground forces and external assets to coordinate fire support, extraction, and emergency evacuation. They also performed a simulated casualty evacuation to quickly and safely remove injured personnel from the area.
The successful completion of these challenging events demonstrated the unit's ability to cohesively work together while applying their skills in a high-stress environment.
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| Date Taken: | 07.24.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 07.25.2024 16:01 |
| Story ID: | 477041 |
| Location: | LAVINIA, TENNESSEE, US |
| Hometown: | HUNTINGDON, TENNESSEE, US |
| Web Views: | 471 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, Tennessee’s 890th Sapper Company completes annual Sapper Stakes, by SGT Kalina Hyche, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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