FORT CARSON, Colo. -- In the early hours Saturday morning, convoys from 497th and 544th engineer companies, 52nd Eng. Battalion, made their way to construction sites on Training Area 40 near Camp Red Devil. As each unit's vehicles traveled through a ravine, blasts echoed off the canyon walls.
Yellow and white smoke poured from round burst simulators, mimicking improvised explosive devices.
Soldiers maneuvered their vehicles as gunners scanned the mountainsides for "opposition forces."
Posing as an enemy combatant, Sgt. Terry Cartledge, 497th Eng., crept down the hillside before shooting blank rounds at the troops pinned down below.
As the engineers moved into position to secure their area and tend to the "wounded," supervisors critiqued the Soldiers on their response.
"Overall, I'm very excited about this training," said Maj. Benjamin Wallen, executive officer for 52nd Eng. Bn. "This is the culminating exercise, validation training before the deployment."
Wallen said engineers had participated in multiple training exercises, including a stint at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, La., alongside troops from 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.
"This training combines the tactical and the construction," he said. "It builds confidence."
From March 1-Sunday, eight platoons participated in the training to prepare for their upcoming deployment to the Middle East.
Soldiers from the construction companies were faced with a realistic situation in which Afghan village elders needed help protecting water supplies. Engineers faced a complex scenario where they had to plan their travel and security to and from construction sites, work with Afghan National Army role players and build guard shacks around the town's water supply.
"This is outstanding training," said Sgt. 1st Class Michael Miller, 1st Platoon, 544th Eng. "My troops have needed construction time. … It's realistic training for us. We are forced to go out on our own and pull our own security."
"This is meant to test platoon leadership," said 1st Lt. Stefanie Gaskill, executive officer, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 52nd Eng. Bn. "This tests their situational awareness -- Do they have 360 degree security? Are they engaging ANA equally?"
Gaskill said that based on how Soldiers interacted with ANA, played by fellow Soldiers, determined how Afghan role players reacted when troops were "attacked" at the job site.
"It's all about respect," Wallen said. "Is platoon leadership being respectful of ANA teams?"
Wallen said the engineer companies will deploy to Kuwait in a few months, but troops may be called to other areas where they may be required to work with local populations.
"It's all about personal interaction," said Sgt. Daniel Escobedo, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 46th Eng. Detachment, 52nd Eng. Bn., who posed as an ANA platoon leader. "We get to look from the outside in. … This training gives me a lot of ideas to share with my Soldiers."
Soldiers experienced three or four "incidents" each day, including IED simulations, mortar attacks and riots.
In addition to testing Soldiers' response to each training scenario, leaders said they were also assessing communication between platoons' leadership.
"(We want them) to build intelligence so the next platoon that rolls out has that knowledge and can improve security where necessary so they're prepared," said Sgt. 1st Class Adam Bills, senior observer control trainer during the exercise.
At the conclusion of the exercise, senior leadership expressed confidence in the troops.
"This was a first-class event," Wallen said. "It had the right mix of tactical and technical training. It really helped our leadership have the confidence to know our troops are ready to deploy."
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