Photo By Sgt. Jonathan Haugen | National Guard and Reserve Combat Engineers prepare a silhouette charge to be used in...... read more read more
By Pfc. Cassandra Simonton
CAMP GRAFTON, N.D. -- National Guard and Reserved Combat Engineer Soldiers met, April 11, to finish their 11-day Advanced Leadership Course training, held at Camp Grafton.
The Soldiers were training on an Urban Breach range in techniques of rapid entry into a building. Their training involved several varieties of explosives from silhouette charges, which are attached to the back of a human-sized cutout and create a hole of that size, to H20 impulse detonators, which use the force of water to blow things inward.
The Urban Mobility Breach Course at Camp Grafton is the only National Guard and Reserve Training facility in the nation that offers this type training and all of the instructors are from North Dakota.
The live breach range course is new this year at Camp Grafton and has so far only been used seven times, said Sgt. First Class Paul Deegan, the course manager and another course instructor.
"There are plans for future expansion of the urban breach site," said Deegan. He explained that the intent of the expansions is to make the site even more realistic.
The course, which is comprised of several doors, set in archways, as well as a wall and a roof, to practice the most effective means of creating an entrance to houses.
"We'll blow up the wall, the door, the window and access will be granted," said Staff Sgt. Bradley Bergeron, one of the instructors at the course.
The training was to demonstrate different ways to enter a building quickly without alerting those inside to their presence, which would grant the Soldiers the element of surprise, allowing them to secure the building more quickly and with minimal casualties.
"Training in this is crucial as this is a constant ongoing process overseas," said Sgt. First Class Brett Gentile, another course instructor. "Having trained NCOs to run their teams and do everything safely is extremely pertinent training." Gentile was also acting as the safety NCO, ensuring that safety procedures are followed and risk assessments are performed to ensure that safety is always first in every training exercise.
The 20 students participating in this course were divided into five four-man teams that rotated to detonate the 11 explosive devices on doors that had been set up for them. The team lines up along the wall, shielded by a ballistic blanket designed to protect them from the blast. They then attach the device to the door and detonate it. The devices were designed to blow the doors inward, or in the case of one steel door, completely apart, so that the Soldiers may safely and quickly enter the building while maintaining the element of surprise.
"Combat Engineers find themselves in various situations," said Gentile, "Training like this creates a safer environment."
Before they are allowed to leave the range the instructors must ensure that all explosives have been detonated and the range is cleaned of any remaining debris.
"Words don't justify this," said Bergeron, "We love our job."
| Date Taken: | 04.12.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 04.12.2010 15:29 |
| Story ID: | 48031 |
| Location: | CAMP GRAFTON, NORTH DAKOTA, US |
| Web Views: | 185 |
| Downloads: | 139 |
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