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Photo Information

Lance Cpl. Alex Rowan, a combat engineer with 4th Combat Engineer Battalion, 4th Marine Division, stationed out of Bessemer, Alabama, runs to take cover before the Anti-Personnel Obstacle Breaching System detonates during the SAPPER Leaders Course at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, June 26, 2015. During the course, the Marines used assault and breaching techniques to clear a wire obstacle using line charges that utilized C4 explosives and their APOBS. 

Photo by Cpl. Krista James

2nd CEB Marines help train reserve units in SAPPER course

29 Jun 2015 | Cpl. Krista James The Official United States Marine Corps Public Website

Marines with 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, conducted a combat engineer specialists leadership course, (SAPPER) for Marines with 4th CEB, 4th Marine Division, stationed at various units across the U.S. and soldiers with the 119th Engineer Company out of the West Virginia Army National Guard, aboard Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, June 26, 2015.

“We’ve been teaching these guys everything engineer related from demolitions to patrolling, sweeping with metal detectors, fortifications, wire obstacles; basically everything that ties into the engineer field is what we’ve been going over in the classroom and then we go into the field with practical application,” said Cpl. Will Smith, a SAPPER instructor with 2nd CEB.

One major portion of the SAPPER Leaders Course is assault and breaching, which included the service members utilizing line charges and Anti-Personnel Obstacle Breaching Systems.

“A line charge is … a long line made out of detonation cord and then they make small blocks of C4 that are strung out across it,” Smith said. “They run up to the obstacle and then throw the charge over it. When it detonates, it ideally clears the lane in half for them to walk through. The APOBS are essentially the same thing, just a lot bigger.”

While this training is common for the Marines of 2nd CEB, it’s a different element for the Marines with 4th CEB, which is a reserve unit.

Cpl. Ian Jennings, a fire team leader with 4th CEB and the honor graduate for the course, said that his unit goes to the field four to five times a year, but the training is not as extensive that the course is.

“It’s a small unit and you’re not told what to do as much,” Jennings said. “On the reserve side, you have a lot of junior Marines … but here, everyone knows at least the baseline of what they should be doing at all times.”

Smith said that the best way to make it through the course is to keep a strong warrior mentality where you set aside the conditions of yourself and stay focused on your Marines and your mission.

“The most important thing they could learn during the course is to have a stronger mentality of being in an uncomfortable setting and being able to push through that,” Smith said. “Since they’re reservists they don’t get the opportunity to do as much training … whenever they get here they realize they are going to be tested, exhausted, frustrated and around people they don’t know and will have to learn how to make it work.”

Both Smith and Jennings could agree that there was one aspect of the training the Marines were able to learn from their experience.

“They suffer together and that absolutely forges team work. They don’t have an option. At first everyone gets here and they don’t know each other, they don’t know what to expect of the course,” Smith said. “As things progress and they get to know each other and each other’s strengths and weaknesses through the different challenges, they realize there’s no other way to get through it than with team work.”

“The most difficult part of the course for me was just trying to get the whole group to come together as a whole and to use team work to get through stuff instead of everyone just trying to work as individuals,”

As Marines move forward they need to focus on more conventional tactics and techniques that will maintain readiness in any theater of combat. This training helps forge the way for warfare, whether it is amphibious or expeditionary.

“This is more for conventional warfare, not like you would see in Iraq or Afghanistan but down the road we need to be prepared for anything that could pop up at any time,” said Jennings. “As engineers we need to be able to breach that obstacle so we can get the infantry in so they can do their jobs.”


Photo Information

Lance Cpl. Alex Rowan, a combat engineer with 4th Combat Engineer Battalion, 4th Marine Division, stationed out of Bessemer, Alabama, runs to take cover before the Anti-Personnel Obstacle Breaching System detonates during the SAPPER Leaders Course at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, June 26, 2015. During the course, the Marines used assault and breaching techniques to clear a wire obstacle using line charges that utilized C4 explosives and their APOBS. 

Photo by Cpl. Krista James

2nd CEB Marines help train reserve units in SAPPER course

29 Jun 2015 | Cpl. Krista James The Official United States Marine Corps Public Website

Marines with 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, conducted a combat engineer specialists leadership course, (SAPPER) for Marines with 4th CEB, 4th Marine Division, stationed at various units across the U.S. and soldiers with the 119th Engineer Company out of the West Virginia Army National Guard, aboard Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, June 26, 2015.

“We’ve been teaching these guys everything engineer related from demolitions to patrolling, sweeping with metal detectors, fortifications, wire obstacles; basically everything that ties into the engineer field is what we’ve been going over in the classroom and then we go into the field with practical application,” said Cpl. Will Smith, a SAPPER instructor with 2nd CEB.

One major portion of the SAPPER Leaders Course is assault and breaching, which included the service members utilizing line charges and Anti-Personnel Obstacle Breaching Systems.

“A line charge is … a long line made out of detonation cord and then they make small blocks of C4 that are strung out across it,” Smith said. “They run up to the obstacle and then throw the charge over it. When it detonates, it ideally clears the lane in half for them to walk through. The APOBS are essentially the same thing, just a lot bigger.”

While this training is common for the Marines of 2nd CEB, it’s a different element for the Marines with 4th CEB, which is a reserve unit.

Cpl. Ian Jennings, a fire team leader with 4th CEB and the honor graduate for the course, said that his unit goes to the field four to five times a year, but the training is not as extensive that the course is.

“It’s a small unit and you’re not told what to do as much,” Jennings said. “On the reserve side, you have a lot of junior Marines … but here, everyone knows at least the baseline of what they should be doing at all times.”

Smith said that the best way to make it through the course is to keep a strong warrior mentality where you set aside the conditions of yourself and stay focused on your Marines and your mission.

“The most important thing they could learn during the course is to have a stronger mentality of being in an uncomfortable setting and being able to push through that,” Smith said. “Since they’re reservists they don’t get the opportunity to do as much training … whenever they get here they realize they are going to be tested, exhausted, frustrated and around people they don’t know and will have to learn how to make it work.”

Both Smith and Jennings could agree that there was one aspect of the training the Marines were able to learn from their experience.

“They suffer together and that absolutely forges team work. They don’t have an option. At first everyone gets here and they don’t know each other, they don’t know what to expect of the course,” Smith said. “As things progress and they get to know each other and each other’s strengths and weaknesses through the different challenges, they realize there’s no other way to get through it than with team work.”

“The most difficult part of the course for me was just trying to get the whole group to come together as a whole and to use team work to get through stuff instead of everyone just trying to work as individuals,”

As Marines move forward they need to focus on more conventional tactics and techniques that will maintain readiness in any theater of combat. This training helps forge the way for warfare, whether it is amphibious or expeditionary.

“This is more for conventional warfare, not like you would see in Iraq or Afghanistan but down the road we need to be prepared for anything that could pop up at any time,” said Jennings. “As engineers we need to be able to breach that obstacle so we can get the infantry in so they can do their jobs.”


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