Iraq-bound soldiers get explosives training
By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer
SCHOFIELD BARRACKS — The barbed wire was strung tree to tree across the road, about 10 feet off the ground.
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Nearby, a metal plate lay in the road. Neither was very visible, and both can be deadly in Iraq.
Garbed in Afghan clothing, Sgt. Adam Moyer of the 65th Engineer Battalion prepares soldiers from C Company, 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment for combat.
The barbed wire can catch a U.S. soldier atop a vehicle, causing a convoy to stop and making it a stationary target for explosives packed under the plate in the road.
The lesson to be constantly vigilant for "Improvised Explosive Devices," land mines and other munitions was hammered home Friday to soldiers preparing to deploy to Iraq.
"In Iraq, the threat comes from above, it comes from ground level, and it comes from below ground level," said Capt. Matthew Little, with the 65th Engineer Battalion, whose company provided training on the explosives.
Within units like C Company of the 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, the average age is 19, and most of the soldiers will be seeing combat for the first time.
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But they'll be going with a better knowledge of the enemy and better equipment than many soldiers had when they deployed previously to Iraq.
"Training techniques are making it back (from Iraq)," said Capt. Bill Venable.
"Training techniques are making it back," said Capt. Bill Venable, who commands C Company. "We're actually getting e-mail from the front from guys that are there. These are guys that just walked a patrol that day."
About 4,500 25th Infantry Division (Light) soldiers are deploying to Iraq in February, followed by 3,500 who will leave for Afghanistan in April.
The 1st Marine Division and the 25th Division soldiers are expected to replace the 82nd Airborne Division in western Iraq, a region that includes part of the so-called "Sunni Triangle" where many of the attacks on U.S. forces occur.
Venable and other company commanders are using the field information they receive and Army updates to help prepare soldiers for the deployment ahead.
New, improved equipment
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C Company is among infantry units getting some of the newest equipment the Army has to offer, including upgraded flak jackets and night-vision goggles, and the latest helmets and M-4 rifles, Venable said.
Soldiers from C Company, 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment are warned that Saddam Hussein fliers — tempting souvenirs for U.S. troops — have been connected to grenades that go off when they're removed.
Some U.S. senators had raised concern about older versions of flak jackets with less protection on the battlefield.
On Wednesday, Acting Secretary of the Army Les Brownlee told the Senate Armed Services Committee that at present rates of production, all troops in Iraq will be fitted with improved "interceptor" body armor by the end of December.
Venable said he also expects to have some "up-armored" Humvees in Iraq, and Kevlar "blankets" that can be placed in the bottom of a vehicle or on windows to provide extra ballistic protection.
"So they (the soldiers) are really going in with the best advantages available to them," Venable said.
But the Improvised Explosive Devices, or IEDs, that regularly kill U.S. soldiers remain a huge concern.
The enemy is becoming increasingly creative, and C Company soldiers were told to be wary of soda cans and even dead animals that can be rigged with explosives.
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A sandbag can contain an artillery shell, and a fresh patch on a concrete wall can mean a hidden charge. Wires are often a telltale sign.
Sgt. Aaron Leiker of the 65th Engineer Battalion shows a Russian-made mine replica that looks like an AA battery with wings during a pre-deployment training for C Company soldiers at Schofield Barracks. Leiker said the air-dropped device explodes when stepped on.
Schofield instructors said Saddam Hussein fliers — tempting souvenirs for U.S. troops — have been connected to grenades in recesses on walls that go off when the flier is removed.
"It's a big wake-up call for everybody," said Spc. Daniel Wilczek, 21. "You just have to keep your eyes open. The possibilities (of IEDs) are endless."
Leading a group from C Company down a wooded trail, 65th Engineer Battalion Sgt. Aaron Leiker pointed out a small Russian-made mine replica that looks like a gray AA battery with wings. When the device is stepped on, it explodes.
"If you see one of them, what does that mean? You're going to see a lot more" because the mines are air-dropped, Leiker said.
In two formations of six, soldiers scanned the red dirt trail and shouted out "Mine, stop!" when they spotted something ahead.
"Now I know exactly what I'm looking for — what my enemies are coming up with to use against us," said Pfc. Benjamin Grieve, 24.
'We're all a team'
The approximately 140-soldier company just finished its third week of pre-deployment certification training.
With about three months remaining before Schofield soldiers deploy to Iraq, Grieve, who's been in the Army for about 18 months, said "the adrenaline really hasn't hit me yet. The thought of going over there has, but not the adrenaline yet."
But there is a change in outlook.
"I would say the only change in what's going on is how serious we are about doing things, how seriously we pay attention, how we work together," Grieve said. "I just gotta watch out for all my buddies. We're all a team."
Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-5459.
