Soldiers train daily to prepare mentally and physically for deployment and the time when missions become reality. It's what they do. But how do commanders really know if Soldiers are absorbing their training' Simple. They test them.
That's just what Fort Polk's 814th Multi-Role Bridge Company, 46th Engineer Battalion, 1st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, did when it conducted Sapper Stakes training March 24-26 at locations including Castor Training Area and Honor Field.
In addition to reviewing basic engineering tasks, refining skills and pushing Soldiers physically, the three-day event allowed platoon section leaders to train, test and certify on general engineering tasks such as demolitions, tying knots, land navigation and weapons proficiency in accordance with Army regulations, policies and procedures, said Capt. Kevin Lewis, company commander.
These maneuvers weren't like a sit-down test you take in school. They were set up as a series of actions in which Soldiers strived to beat their own best efforts. "Training for this event began in January. Each squad leader had all the tasks and was able to tailor training to his specific way of operating," said Lewis.
During operations, the company was divided into five groups. Teams were scored on performance and times. At the end of three days, the group with the best overall team score won Sapper Stakes.
"Individual points for each event are added up, the team's individual points are averaged together and combined for the overall team score," said Staff Sgt. Jason Malek, squad leader and participant, team four.
Each day held a combination of mental and physical challenges for Soldiers to overcome. The first day focused on tasks related to engineering skills such as parameters, radius and grid points during tasks such as sector sketch, route reconnaissance and land navigation.
Soldiers performed these tasks while marching in full gear. The second day began and ended with a road march. In between, Soldiers executed an obstacle course, live fire and a medical evacuation scenario. "This event had one of my Soldiers injured with a gunshot wound to the thigh. We called it in, but the chopper couldn't reach us at that location. So, we had to carry him on a litter for close to a mile before the chopper could pick him up," said Malek.
"According to the Soldiers who competed, day two was definitely the hardest," said Lewis.
The third day included tasks geared to test proficiency in knot-tying, weapons assembly and physical training such as sit-ups, pull-ups, push-ups and a two-mile rucksack road march.
Whether the Soldiers of the 814th breezed through these tasks or struggled, they acquired skills, absorbed knowledge and learned to work as a team. "The troops that are involved are learning so much. I got the chance to ask other team leaders questions because everybody is helping everyone else out. We are divided into different teams, but really, we're all on the same team," said Malek.
Team four won Sapper Stakes. Malek said that as far as winning goes, it's not about bragging rights. It's about all they've learned. "There are a lot of things that I've learned from doing this. There are some things that I missed, mistakes that I made -- likewise with other teams. It's a process to help us better ourselves as leaders and contributes to training the troops. That's our job," said Malek.
"The Soldiers got a huge sense of accomplishment from Sapper Stakes. They were able to actually execute the tasks that they had been training on for months with no injuries and they had a good time," said Lewis.
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