With thousands of live grenades thrown at the range each year, though, the opportunity for error is always present. As a requirement for graduation, new Soldiers must properly deploy two M67 hand grenades, an event that happens during the last two weeks of Basic Combat Training.
At the start of 2014, a Soldier's error almost proved fatal. A private dropped a live hand grenade in the bay, forcing quick action by her instructor, Sgt. 1st Class Adam Lane, who received the Soldier's Medal for his role in the incident in a ceremony Friday at the NCO Club.
"I know many of you have stood in those bays where those live hand grenades are being thrown," Maj. General Bradley Becker, Fort Jackson commanding general, told a gathering of Soldiers and their families during the ceremony. "You only have a couple of seconds to react or there's catastrophe. One -- if not two people - could be seriously wounded or killed."
In January, Lane, assigned to the unit now known as the Special Troops Battalion, was able to get a Soldier out of the training bay before a grenade she had dropped inside the bay exploded, covering her with his own body. After a formal review of the event, the Army recognized Lane's actions by awarding him the Soldier's Medal.
Introduced in 1926, the Soldier's Medal is awarded to members of the armed forces, or of a friendly foreign nation, who distinguish themselves by heroism not involving actual conflict with an enemy. It is the highest honor a Soldier can receive for an act of valor in a non-combat situation.
"Luckily, we didn't have any of the shrapnel hit us," Lane said. "It was just the concussion, a large amount of pressure hitting your body."
"These NCOs are true professionals and practice that drill constantly," Becker said. "This non-commissioned officer reacted exactly right. Because of that, two people are alive. This is truly a big deal."
To help keep Soldiers safe on the range, a strict protocol is observed whenever anyone enters the training bays, Lane said. Soldiers also receive 45 minutes of instruction on proper safety procedures and throwing techniques. They then have to be certified before being allowed to train at Remagen range as a means to prove they understood their instructions.
This certification also involves how to conduct a "dropped hand grenade drill."
"We go over the dropped hand grenade drill before Soldiers even go into the bays," Lane said. "If we yell 'grenade,' they have to exit the bay one way, and (trainers) have to exit the bay another way. Once we get on the ground, we protect the Soldier."
Throwing two live hand grenades is a graduation requirement for new Soldiers, but there's often a great deal of anxiety attached to the event.
"If they want to graduate, they have to do it," Lane said. "You can tell which ones are really scared. They'll be shaking. You've just got to talk to them, get them calmed down and start the process again."
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