FORT STEWART, Ga. - Combat engineers of 4-3 Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, conducted demolitions training on Fort Stewart, Ga., April 13-16, 2015.
"Basically what we did today was blow stuff up; it's definitely one of the best parts of the job." said Spc. Jason Pulido, a combat engineer with Company A, 4-3 BSTB. "We brushed up on our combat engineering skills"
The qualifying lanes included placing a variety of explosive charges and breaching door, wall and concertina wire obstacles with composition 4 plastic, commonly known as C-4 and a Bangalore torpedo explosives. It was a day of demolition, filled with booms, fireballs, and shockwaves, in which the combat engineers have been training up to for some time now.
Sgt. Jeffrey Glaude, a combat engineer and team leader with Company A, 4-3 BSTB, said they've been training with the Bangalore torpedo, a pipe shaped explosive, for over a year now.
"We just did it a bunch at Vanguard Focus so it's pretty fresh on our minds," Glaude added, referring to the 4th IBCT's three month training exercise to validate the brigade's combat readiness in which the combat engineers of 4-3 BSTB performed many of these tasks.
Glaude also said the training was a good opportunity to bring some new soldiers up to speed, and it didn't hurt that the training was something they all enjoyed.
"Making the charges I think is my favorite part just because you get hands on," said Pulido.
"It's basically why we all became [combat engineers], because we all want to blow stuff up," said Glaude enthusiastically.
The training wasn't without its challenges though. Pulido said with the high heat and humidity, the quick movements required on the lanes took more effort, but the combat engineers seemed quite satisfied with the training and their effectiveness.
"We had no misfires, everyone knew what to do, we had great leadership that told us what we needed to do and great soldiers who executed everything effectively, so today was a really good day," said Pulido.
Glaude said he thought the training was successful on many levels, but admitted he felt anytime he was able to train his soldiers it felt like a win.
"The more practice you get, the better you're going to get at it," added Glaude. "I think that's why it's important to do this training, because practice makes perfect."
Related Links:
The 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division DVIDS page.
The official 3rd Infantry Division and Fort Stewart Facebook page.
The official 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Facebook page.
The official 3rd Infantry Division and Fort Stewart website.
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