JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. - A crowd gathered along the shoreline at American Lake listening for the distinct whir of the helicopter and then the first glimpse of it over the trees. Agile and powerful, it hovered briefly over the water, sending spray into the air like mist. Within moments, a Soldier stood at the edge of the Chinook ramp and then dropped off into the cold water below. As he popped back to the surface, another Soldier joined him in the lake and then another. One-by-one they exited the helicopter and made their way to the shore, where other service members and a few spouses greeted them with enthusiasm.
It was the the first helocast, inserting troops via helicopter into an area by water, conducted by the 555th Engineer Brigade as part of the unit's Sapper Leader Course pre-training. Sapper is an elite course, primarily for combat engineers, which develops Soldiers by challenging their leadership and endurance during 28 days of demolitions, mountaineering, land navigation and a variety of other necessary infantry and job-specific skills. Waterborne operations is one aspect of the training.
"Based on my own experience, I wouldn't send anyone to the course without doing pre-training. The training gives the Soldiers an idea of what to expect, increasing their chance to earn the tab," said Master Sgt. Don Batchan, 555th Engineer Brigade assistant operations noncommissioned officer.
In order to pass the course, the Soldiers must earn at least 700 out of 1000 points while completing the events. According to statistics from the official Army Sapper website, only 52 percent of Soldiers typically earn enough points. Since the brigade began their pre-training, the success rate for their Soldiers has been 75 percent. The addition of the helocast training is another step toward rounding out the Soldiers, said Batchan.
As someone who has completed prior helocasts and is Sapper qualified, Batchan said his biggest advice to his Soldiers was to set aside their fear.
"The true Soldier within comes out when you are able to face adversity and control your fear. I told them to do things safely, follow the training and have a good time," he said.
The Sapper distinction is similar to be Ranger qualified, he said, and was a sign of distinction within the engineer branch. It should be something all combat engineers strive for, he said, and for that reason, although the course is for Soldiers who are specialists promotable and above, the training included junior enlisted Soldiers.
For Pfc. Andrew Wagner, a combat engineer with 571st Sapper Company, 864th Engineer Battalion, the helocast was a bit of a blur. It was, he said, his first time on a helicopter to begin with.
"Waiting for the helicopter to come up, the suspense while you hover above the ground before takeoff and then they're calling out two minutes, one minutes, and then it's like, 'Alright, we're going.' It all happened so fast," Wagner said. "It wasn't tough or scary once I got the jitters out. But the first thing that went through my mind when I jumped out was, 'Where am I?' I started swimming the wrong way at first!"
Wagner said the helocast training was both a confidence builder and an opportunity for his unit to become proficient so they could train other units.
"We train as we fight. We are constantly doing things to better ourselves as Soldiers, so that when it comes down to it we're ready for any mission," he added. "It's similar to when you go to the range and you shoot 40 out of 40 targets. It builds your confidence so that when you're [called upon], you know you can outdo the enemy."
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