SUMMER 1973 VOLUME 3 NUMBER 2 

2 Pipeline I NeJ}'S lte111S
 

4 Stop-16 I L etters to the Editor
 

5 Demolition Support: "One Army Style" I
 

C]JT John A. StockhaUJCPT Guy Donaldson II 

8 New Engineering Techniquesl 

BG Ernest D Peixotto 

11 Maintenance Syndrome / CW4 Gene L. D erby 

14 Revised FM 20-32 I Frederick A . Messing 

16 Training the Effective Sapper I 

lVIA J lillianl L. Jones 

19 Bunker Hill: Anatomy of a Fire Base I 

MA] Peter J Offringa 

26 Dynatnic Training/ l

MA] 

VfA] Don 

Matthe

W 

w J 

BarberJones 

35 You'll Get A Bang Out'a This / 

SFC Charles T LeJvis 

36 Mine-Countermine Training / 

COL Walter R. Hylander 

40 Contract Construction for a Troop Unit I 

CPT WardrrJ/Orth A. Soderr III 

44 Mine-Countermine Training Devices I 

MA] .A. J Christensen 

45 Bridging The Gapl Career Notes 

DEPARTMENTS Chief~r Briefs I Pipeline I Stop-16 

Dynamic Training I Bridging The Gap 
Walker Keith Ar mistead, the U.S. Army's eighth Chief Engineer, was 

born in Virginia about 1780. 

This form er Chi ef of Engineers became a cadet in the old Corps of 

Artillerists and Engineers and continued as a cadet in the new Military 

ca demy when the present Co rps of Engineers was established in 

802 . Armistead was the third pe rso n to gradu ate from the newly 

constituted Academy at West Point on March 3, 1803. 

He was ap pointed a second lieutenant in the Co rps of En gineer s 

upon his gradu ation from the Acad emy. Rising swiftly up the protion ladder , Armistead reached the grade of lieu tenant colonel during 

the War of 1812. During that war, Colonel Armiste ad held an assignment as the Chief Engineer of the Niagara Front ier and for the forces 

defending the Chesapeake Bay. 

Before and after the War of 1812, the colonel served as Sup erintend ent En gineer of vari ous coastal defe nses. He was prom oted to 

the grade of colonel and subsequently was nam ed Chi ef Engineer on 

November 12,181 8. 

When the U.S. Army was reo rga nized in June J821, Colonel 

Armistea d was repl aced as Chief Engineer by Major General Alexander 

Malcomb. He was reassigned as an officer in the 3rd Artillery . 

The colonel was b reveted a brigadier genera l in 1828. Back in comba t 

again in 1840-41, General Armistead comman ded the Fl orid a Army 

and led it in the fight against the Semin ole Indians. He also later commanded the 3rd Artillery. 

General Armistea d was the father of the gallant General Lewis 

Armistead of the Confederate Army, who was killed as he led Pickett's 

charge at Gettysburg. 

Brigadier Gen eral Walker Keith Armistead died at Upperville, 

Virginia, Oct ober 13, 1845 . e 

U.S. Army Engineer School 

Fort Belvoir, Virginia 

Commandant 

MG Robert R. Ploger 

Assistant Commandant 

BG Richa rd L. Harris 

Deputy Assistant 

Commandant 

COL Charles A. Mcleod 

Secretary 

COL Robert L. Crosby 

Editor 

Robert G. McClintic 

Ar! Director 

John W. Savage, Jr. 

Th e Engine er 15 an C1uthorized qua rterly p u b lica t io n o f th e U.S. Ar m y Engine er Sch o ol. I . Ii 

p to p rov ide foc tu ol and in-de p th in fo rmation of inter e st to all Engine er un it s. Art icl es , 

phot oq ro p hs and art w o rk of ge neral nt ~r4=lst

may be- \ :.J bmitte d for consid era t ion to: Editor, 

Th e Engineer, USA En g in eer Sc.hool, For ! 1i,l voir, 

Vi rginia 22060 . Views and op in ions e xp re sse d 

h er ein or e n ot ne ce ss a ril y tho se o f the Deportm ent of th e Army. Usc of funds for printing of 

this pu b lica ti o n ha s been prov ided by Heed" 

qu o r'ers, De partment o f th e Army. July 11 . 1969. 

SUbs c.r ip li ons. to THE ENGI NEER mog cn:in e are 

c veil e ble thro\lgh th e Superintendent of Docu ­

ments, U. S. Government Printing Office. Washing ton, D.C. 20 4 0 2. Annual rates are- 2 .S0 for 

ma il in g to a d o mes ti c or APO e ddr e ss end $3 15 

f o t mailinq to a forei gn C)d d, ~s.s. Ind iv idual 

co p ies of th e, mc quzi ne are Sl CO e eeh. Ch e ck$: 

shou ld b e ma d e- pa yabl e to th e Superin ten de n t 

of Do cumen ts . 

ABO UT THE COVER 

The late author Ernest Hemingway's classic story "For Whom 

The Bell Tolls" inspired Art Director John Savage, Jr., to build this 

d iorama . In order to simulate the 

sto p oction photograph y seven 

separate powder charges were 

used. The veh id e is a '.35 scale 

of an Opel "Mav/tier" that was 

used by both sid es in the Spanish 

Civil War. 
ENGINEERS USE 

FIBROUS MIX 

ON LIBBY DAM 

The concrete dec k of the Libby 

Dam Project visitor ove rloo k facility, near Li bby, Montana, had po or 

surface drainage an d had become 

badl y c racked . 

Conventiona l remo val an d re ­

placement of th e deck wo uld have 

been an aw kward an d expensive 

task. 

A thin 11;2 inch overl ay of 

f brous concrete was suggested by 

th e Army Corps of Engineers' resident Offic e at the construction 

site and accep ted by the Corps' 

District Offic e in Seattle as the repa ir action. 

The dec k was divided into three 

sections for a total of 2,000 square 

feet of surface ar ea. 

Imp r 0 v i n g drainages through 

grad e control required vari ances in 

the overl ay thi ckness of from 2% 

inc hes to less than 1 inch . 

The ove rlay was acc omplish ed 

in October 1972. It wa s decided to 

ov erlay so me of th e expa nsio n joints 

that were in the origina l concrete 

surface . A met al manhol e lid was 

a lso ov erlaid. 

By pla cing a pl astic sheet between the met al lid and the fib ro us 

mi x, a remo vable co ncrete disc was 

ca st in plac e. A m ore ar chitecturally 

ple asin g surfa ce resulted in th e final 

ov erl ay with only two expansion 

joints and no exposed metal. 

The fibrous concr et e was mixed 

and transported in eight cu bic yard 

ro ta ting-drum tr an sit trucks fro m a 

local batch plant to the job site. 

The con cr ete co n tai ne d 1.19 percent stee l fibers by volume. T hese 

fibers (.010" x 1" ) were added at 

the ba tch plant sprin kling th em ont o 

the aggrega tes as the co n veyo r 

belt filled the mixer tr ucks. 

The cement, water, an d air were 

sim ultaneo usly added and mixed . 

A fter disch ar ge fro m th e truck, 

wo rk men used garden rakes and 

shovels to spread the mi x. A vibrating screen was utilized to co nsolidate the mi x and obtain the 

p roper grade . 

Standard con struction techniques 

and tools were used to finish the 

slab. 

The finished sur fac e is skidresistant and ha s virtually all fibers 

covere d . There is no evidence of 

crack ing, objectionable rust stains, 

bleeding, or fibers sticking fr om 

th e surface . The 5.3 sack mi x used 

co nta ined 22 6 pounds of fly ash 

pe r cubic yard. Modulus of rupture 

at 28 days was 129 0 p.s.i. with 

an average compres sive strength 

of 6 160 p.s.i. 

Streng ths at 90 days are expected to be 1700 p.s.i modulus of 

rupture and 8600 p.s.i. compressive strength . 

All labor involved was union 

help and none of these men had 

previous ly been expos ed to fibrous 

con crete . 

A finishing fo rem an ex plai ne d 

that although his men worked 

har der in o rder to handle th e fibrous 

mix, the time invol ved wa s no differen t th an wo uld h ave be en necessa ry with normal co ncrete. T he cost 

to furnish, place, screen , finish, an 

cure the fibro us concrete and to 

insta ll the necessar y expan sio n 

joints was $ 1.22 per square foot. 

This co st includes la bor, equip me nt , 

tr avel, an d co ntractor profit. 

A ddi tio nal expenses fo r winter 

pr o tect ion were incu rred but ar c 

considered incidental to the actual 

overlay work. 

84TH'S TROOPS GET 

GET SHOOK UP 

BY EARTHQUAKE 

On the su bj ect of pure terror, 

Mother Nature can often be the 

be st tea ch er. 

A t le ast two dozen GIs from 

th e 84 th Enginee r Battalion (Construction ) received an un scheduled 

lesson on the subject when an earthquake ro cked th e Big Islan d of 

H aw aii beneath the m an d ru mb led 

the other Hawaiia n Islands. 

The men , permanently stat ioned AI 

at Schofield Barracks on Oahu, were . ,! 

working o n a civic actions project 

2 
involving the co nstru ction of a 

troop service bui lding at Boy Scout 

Ca mp Hon obia near th ere when 

it hit. Th e camp is about 25 miles 

from the area the quake orig inated 

and becau se of its locat ion, it, likc 

other coastal are as, was especially 

hard hit. 

In side one of the two existing 

struc tures at the cam p was Bravo 

Company's Ist Con struction Pla ­

toon. 

Using hand too ls and their backs, 

the men joined co unty crews in 

clea ring land slide-block ed Highway 24 going into Waipio Valley. 

It was opene d early with their help 

to one-lane, four -wheel drive traffic. 

The la rge quake, which measured 6 on the Richter Scale and 

lasted 15 minut es, was the climax 

following two or three smaller 

tremors ea rlier in the wee k. In fact, 

while attend ing a movie in town 

one evening, the engineers had to 

evacua te the theater during one of 

those tremor s. 

Following the ma jor sho ck . too , 

there were several after-rum blings. 

One sent the construction crewmen 

runnin g from their tents set up in 

a euca lyp tus grove near the work 

site . 

Anot her 75-man c rew fro m the 

84th was working on the constr uelion of helicopter pads a t th e Po ha ­

kuloa Tra ining Area when the ea rth 

started to rock . Ne stled in the 

middle of the island and pr otected 

by 13,7% -foot Ma una Kea, PTA 

was shaken, bu t not affected seriou sly, and wor k wen t ahead on 

schedule. 

AIRFIELD MATIL~G

IS AVAILABLE 

TO ENGINEER UNITS 

Th e Army's Directo r of Military 

Enginee ring and Topograph y says 

he has found that airfield con struction tr aining is being hind ered by 

a lack of airfield matt ing. 

Brigadier Ge nera l Wayne S. 

Nicho ls and his staff discovered 

the problem during recen t tr aining 

visits to engineer units. 

He po ints out tha t the matting 

should not be too difficult to obtain and offers guidelines on how 

to get one of three avai lable items: 

I ) Mat, Set , La nding XMI 9, LIN 

M 15665, FS N 568 0-089-592 0 ; 

U j r Set ; 2) Mat Set, La nding 

XM I8, U N M 15665, FSN 568 0­

089-7260, u/ r Set; and 3) Mat, 

Set, Landing, No nperfo rated ( M SAI ) LI N M 15703 , FSN 56 80-782­

55 77, u/r Bundle. 

Units can obtain matting for 

training, subject to item availabil ­

ity, on renewable loans for pe riods 

lip to 180 days. 

The req uests and justifi cation for 

the loans should be forwa rde d 

thr ough command ch annels to 

HQD A (DALO-SMS-D ) Washingto n, D.C. 203 10. 

Funds mu st be ava ilable to pay 

transportation costs, any costs incur red by the depot , and cost of 

rep lacing item s damaged during 

tr uining. 

If less than a com plete 

alumin um ma tting ( VM 18 or 

X M 19 ), whic h co nta ins 125,000 

square feet of matting, is desired, 

the ap propria te components listed 

in Chap ter 5, SB 700-20 , in the 

qu antities needed , may be requested . 

Units can obtain matting for 

a irfield and heliport projects sirnply by sub mitting a requisition 

throu gh nor mal supply channels. 

An approved project should be 

cited as justification. 

Additional information 

field mattin g ma y be 

by contacting H QD A (DAENMEPO) Washington , D.C. 
JUST CO~IPUTERIZED

Sir/I read with much interest the article titled 

nco mba t Sec uri t y-Camouflage" that a pp ea r e d in the 

Wi nt er 1973 issue of your 

publication . Ther e is a lot of good information but I do not g o 

a l ong with t h e comput er 

color matching program it 

explains on pag e 20 . If you will check what this 

computer pr ogr am doe s, you 

will find that it has not 

eliminated the inefficient . ' cut and try ' proc e ss. I t 

ha s just computeriz ed it. 

It i s st i l l ' cut a nd try '-­ a nd still inefficient. 

RAY K. WINEY 

UNIROYAL 

MI SHAWAKA. IND 

DRILL P AY 

Sir/ In the Wint er 1973 Issue 

of the engineer on page 29 

mention wa s made of ' .. • 

paid time for training .. . ,' and I would like to 

make the following recommendation. All officers, 

key NCO's and key enlisted 

p er s 0 nn e 1 be a utho r ized 

drill pay f or voluntary at­ tendance a t Headquarters 

Planning Sessions . These 

sessions are now required by 

higher headquarters (bri­ gade and division ) SOP's 

a nd they a re usually f our 

hours in durati on. It would 

provide great incentive f or 

retention and motivati on 

for a dvanc ement to h i gher 

gr a des . 

Sinc e t he Vi etnam Wa r i s 

parti ally over and r equ ired 

expense s have been r educ ed 

a nd the emphasis is l ean ing 

tow ard the Modern Volunt eer 

Army, I feel the necess ary 

funds should be allocat ed 

for this type of incentive . 

I would a ppr e c iat e it i f 

you could inform me if there 

a r e any other channe ls to 

wh ich I can direct this re­ commendation . 

ROBERT L. PATTWELL, JR. CPT, CE, NY, ANG 

Captain Pattwelt / Co ngress, in passing th e Fiscal Y ear 1973 Defen se 

A ppropriations A ct, did provide 

fund s for additional drills for s(af] 

offi cers, prep arati on of training, and 

other readiness train ing. Th e Army 

had requested $19 .R-mil/ion for 

both R eserve Components for these 

drills, and the Congress appropriated $13 .6-million . 

With a greater strength in its 

Earlv Mission units. the II rmv 

Natio nal Guard was able to m;­ thori:e additional training drills for 

those linits only. The U.S . Army 

R eserve au thorized pay drills for 

training for almost all of its units. 

To date the following Engin eer 

un its in the USA R have ban giv en 

V A approval for additional readiness drills: 4 / 1. 88 1, and 980 

En gineer Bott alions; llHC 3 15, 

and 493 Engineer Groups; 277 

and 352 En gineer Companies. 

The Dep artment of the A rmy has 

recogni zed the value of the additional drills, wh ich if judiciously 

used , should significantly improve 

readiness of the R eser ve Co m ­

pon ents. Th e F Y 19 74 budget 

estim ates now before the Congress 

again requested funds for this typ e 

of trai ning . 

This information was provided by the 

Office of Reserve Components, De part ­

ment of the Army. rgm 

MANY THAi'lKS 

Sir/A S a Pu blic Aff a i r s of ­ f ic er engag ed in the imag e 

building pro c ess of the 

Lo u i s i a n a Army Nati ona l 

Guard I would like to comment and commend t he edi t or 

and staff of the eng ineer. 

The Fall 1972 i ssue of this 

pub Lt.cat i on was the first 

I had the occasion to r eview . The a r t work , layout, 

and contents were ex ce l l ent 

and. in my opinion , repr e­ sent expertis e and profes­ si ona l i s m. 

ERNEST N. SOUHLAS 

CAPTAI N, LaANG 

NEW ORLEANS, LA 

FORTS! FORTS! FO RTS! 

Sir/ Whil e on a ct i ve dut y i n 

Europe I bec ome acquainted 

with your publ i cation and 

dec ide d I would like to t ry 

and publish an a r t ic le in 

it. 

I am a pr of essional cit y 

planne r who se r ved as Chi ef. 

o f Maste r P l annin g a 

HQUSAENGCOMEUR from Jun e 

1970 t hr ough July 1972. In 

t hat pe r iod , as a n assi gn­ ment a nd a h obby , I res ear che d t h e 14 post-Na ­ pol eon ic Forts wh i ch sur ­

roun d U'Lm , Bava ri a and found 

t hat t h ey ha ve been a t l east 

pe ripherally involved in 

wars fr om Napoleon t hrough 

t h e Cold War! 

I hov e wr itten a n a rti c le 

on t he forts for y ou r publ ication . Your magazine i s 

an ou t standi ng product a nd 

I would en j oy be i ng part of 

i t. 

I left a ct i ve duty as a 

capta i n in Decemb er, 1972 

and am n ow both i n t h e Re­ s er v eS (i n Buffalo, New 

York) and a Ph . D. candidate 

a t t he Unive rsit y of Wate r ­

lo o, Ontar i o . Canada . 

J OHN R. MULLIN 

CAPTAI N, USAR 

KITCHENER, ONTAR IO 

CANADA 

Captain Mullin / W e expect to run 

yo ur outstanding article sometim e 

ill th e future . the edito r 
EMOLITION SUPPORT:
 

"ONE ARMY STYLE"
 

Captain John A. Stockhaus
 

Captain Guy Donaldso'n II
 

The "One Army concept" has been around for sometime but its thrust has never been stronger than at 

present. The mission of the Army and the resources 

required to accompli sh that mission demands strong 

profes sional Reserve Components that are cap able of 

shouldering part of the burden. "Mutual Support" is 

a facet of the "One Army Conc ept" that conveys current doctrine and technical expertise to the Re serve 

Components at their home station. Th is type of direct 

action benefits both Active and Reserve components. 

A landmark of Mutual Support was the demolition 

of the Castle Bridge in Thomaston, Connecticut by the 

242d Engineer Battalion, Connecticut National Guard, 

commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Harry T. J arrett. 

The Castle Bridge was an abandoned multi-span 

highway bridge located on the Naguatuck River in the 

impounded area of the Thomaston Dam. The demolition of this bridge was requested through the New England Division of the Army Corps of Engineers. Colonel Jarrett and his staff devised the demolition plan 

which called for the reduction of the bridg e using high 

explosives. The bridge was to be reduced in such a 

manner that debris could be removed from the site by 

a contractor. The coordination of the project was no 

small task as it required approval from the state government, the New England Division Headquarters, 

First Army, and the Office of the Chief of Engineers. 

During this coordination, First Army requested the 

Engineer School to review and approve the demolition 

plan and pr ovide on site repres entation to check charge 

placement, priming and firing, and to monitor the firing of the charges. The Instructors of the Demolitions 

Branch, United States Army Engineer School , were 

anxious to seize the opportunity as this task would 

provide a test ground for some [lew concepts , and depth 

of knowledge for the instructors. This project would 

benefit everyone involved. 

On the weekend of November 18-19, 1972, four 

Instructors traveled to Thomaston, Connecticut to participate in the demolition project. The first span would 

be cut and reduced to debris. Troops from the 242d 

received a fi eld class in detonating priming while waiting for the explosives to arrive from the ASP. With the 

arrival of the explo sives, the troops prepared the span 

for demolition. The efficiency of the placement operation was no fluke as the 242d had "dry run" the operation on previous weekends using homemade training 

aids. 

Apparently Dynamic Training is alive and well in 

the Reserve Components. The size of the charges had 

to be limited to prevent damage to an occupied dwelling 1,100 feet from the bridge . Stringent safety precautions were implemented to prevent curiosity seekers 

from entering the target area. The se procedures were 

planned and executed by the 242d. The charges were 

fired dropping the span, and troops contrived to reduce 

the span to the desired degree of breakage. The results 

of demolition were analyzed and the second span , over 

water, was demolished on the weekend of December 

9-10, 1972 . 

Members of the 242d Engineer Battalion executed 

this operation under the watchful eye of the Adjutant 

General of Connecticut. Further reduction of the bridge 

was accomplished on subsequent weekends. The Mutual Support mission was a compl ete success. 

The demolition of the Castle Bridge yielded many 

benefits beyond the scope of the project. Among the 

benefits was the fact that Re serve comp onents are capably conducting excellent train ing for their troops, and 

that Reserve Components can provide needed support 

to active Army Agencies. 

The participation of the Engineer School at Fort 

Belvoir, Vi rginia, is vital in projects of this type to 

check out concepts and doctrine in "Real World" situ5 

ations and to provide school instructors with in depth 

knowledge that lends force and meaning to the instruction at the Engineer School. Mutual Support is one 

way to the "One Army Concept" that yields rich dividends for all participants. 

The Demolitions Branch, Department of Applied 

Engineering, for instance, is often called upon to provide technical assistance and specialized training 

throughout the Continental United States to active 

Army units as well as Reserve and National Guard 

units. 

In February 1973, the 76th Engineer Battalion (Construction) located at Fort Meade, Maryland, was assigned the mission of removing five pile bents from a 

river on the Fort Meade military reservation. The five 

'pile bents had been left standing in the river after the 

super structure of the timber trestle bridge had been 

washed away by the flooding of Hurricane Agnes in 

June 1972. Each bent consisted of five timber piles, 

approximately ] 8" in diameter, the lateral bracing still 

intact. 

Although the 76th was proficient in basic demolitions training, this mission required that the timber 

piles be cut level with the bed of the stream, thus requiring that the charges be placed under water varying 

in depth from four to eight feet. Realizing the requirement for special tr aining in the use of special purpose 

demolitions charges under water, the 76th requested 

that technical assistance be provided by the Demolitions 

Branch of USAES. 

After final coordination and specialized training had 

been completed, Captains Guy Donaldson II, and Jack 

Stockhaus, Demolitions Branch, and members of the 

86th Engineer Detachment (Diving) arrived at Fort 

Meade on February 26, 1973 to provide assistance to 

the 76th in the actual accomplishment of the demolition mission. 

To accomplish the mission individual ring charges 

were prepared on shore for each pile, utilizing overlapping sheets of M-118 Sheet Explosive taped together. Each individual charge consisted of three lbs 

of M-118 Sheet Explosive and was primed with detonating cord using the Vii knot. The individual charges 

were nailed in place on each timber pile by members 

of the 86th. Each charge was then tied into a detonating cord ring main and the system was then detonated 

utilizing an electrical firing system. 

The results of the operation were outstanding in all 

respects. Each pile was cut completely right at the 

stream bed level. The cuts achieved on the timber 

piles were smooth and straight with a minimum of 

splintering. The piles and bracing were easily removed 

from the river by winching them on to shore with a 

bull dozer. 

The benefits derived from each organization cooperating in this operation of "Mutual Support" were 

numerous. The Fort Meade military reservation had an 

obstruction removed from its waterway thereby rendering it open for future training and recreation ; the 76th 

Engineers received demolitions training by actually 

performing a live demolition mission, the 86th Detachment received realistic diving training by working with 

live explosives, and the Demolitions Branch of the Engineer School received further opportunity to test special purpose charges in actual demolitions mission. 

These concepts of "One Army' and "Mutual Support" between Active, Reserve, and National Guard 

units in the field of demolitions have helped to significantly raise the level of engineer training among all 

units, and have advanced the "State of the Art" of 

demolitions and explosives techniques throughout the 

military. e 

Captain John A . Stockhaus, who is presently serving as National Guard Advisor in Fort Devens, Massachusetts, was an Instructor in the Department of Engineering Scien ce and Branch Chief of the Demolition 

Branch, Department of Applied Engineering at the 

Engineer Scho ol at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, from 1971 

until Januar y 1973. Upon graduation from Norwich 

University in 1965, he attended the En gineer Officer 

Basic Course and A irborne School. A veteran of the 

Vietnam War, the captain served with the 864th Engineer Battalion and the l02d Engineer Company there 

in 1966. He also served there again as a Company 

Commander with the Sth Engineer Battalion in 1968 

and with the 2d Brigade, l st Cavalry Division in 1969. 

Captain Gu y Donaldson, ll, currently Demolitions 

Branch Chief, Demolitions/Mine Warfare Division, Department of Applied Engineering, U. S. Army Engineer 

School, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, is a graduate of Auburn 

University and holds a masters degree from Purdue. 

He served with the 814th Float Bridge Company in 

Germany and in Vietnam as A ssistant Subsection A dvisor for Dinh Quan. District and as Company Commander of D Company, 19th Engineer Battalion (Combat) between 1964-1970. He also has attended the 

Engineer Officer Basi c and A dvanced Courses and 

A irborne School. 

7 
T he con tinued development of new weapons systerns and doctrine has intensified the need for the 

development of improved military engin eering techniqu es in an er a of "instant" techn ology discovery. 

The requirement to improve the Army's construction capability has never been more essential to ensure the necessary sup port for combat ope rat ions. 

Offensive ope ra tions requi re more roads, airfields, 

and helicopter facilities. Defensive plans emphasize 

the need for better protection of troops and equipment as well as bett er techniques to blunt the thrust 

of an enemy attack. The war in Vietn am empha sized 

the growing demand for engineer suppor t on the 

mode rn battlefield. 

Th e Ar my Mater ial Comma nd and the Corps of 

Engineers are attacking many of the basic requirements through seve ral of the Army's resea rch and 

developm en t labor atorie s. Th e U. S. Army Engineer 

Waterways Experim ent Stati on (WE S) at Vicksbu rg, 

Miss., is respo nding to six major requirement areas 

thusly­

• Th e increa sed use of aircraft and airmobile tac ­

tics, while adding a new dimension and degree of 

mobil ity to the battl efield , has greatly increased the 

need for expedient airfields and helicopter facilities. 

• The employment of more lethal direct and indirect fi repower by the enemy requires major improve­

)
 

ments in the design and construc tion of protective 

structures for tro ops and vulnerable high cost equipment in the combat zone. 

• The incr eased threat of enemy armored mobility 

to strike cross-country dem ands better techniques for 

creating rapid barri er systems. 

• Although our Army enjoys increased air and 

gro und mobility, major combat units have grea ter 

requirements for the land line of communications 

(LOC). 

• The developmen t of strategic nuclear missiles 

and ant iballistic missile systems demand s improved 

techniques to ensure the protection of these systems 

from the threat of enemy nuclear att acks. 

• The grow ing reliance on inter and intra theater 

airlift as well as d ose air suppo rt has increased the 

need to improve construction methods for major 

logistic and tactical airfields. 

One of the more spectacular are as of pro gress by 

the WES is in the development of new expedient 

surfacing-c--landing mats, membr anes, and dust contro l materials-for airfields and heliports. As an example, the Army greatly benefited from the timel y 

developm ent of the M8-A I mat. 1'-17 membrane, and 

Peneprimc which were used extensively in Vietnam . 

Th e WES has developed a new heavy-d uty membra ne wh ich is now read y to enter the supply system 

for use by heavy aircraft wherever soil conditions are 

suitable. The neopr ene coa ting four-ply nylon fabric, 

5/64 in. thick , is a major improvement ove r the less 

dura ble T -17 membrane used in Vietn am . Th e heavy 

dut y membrane successfully passed rigid AMC Servi ce 

Tests und er heavy C- 130 traffic for six months at 

Fo rt Br agg. It is anticipated that this hea vy-duty 

membrane will be extensively used in the future for 

assault airfield surfacing even where previously the 

light-d uty M8-A I landing mat had to be used . 

Two new landing mat systems are also nearin g the 

completion of development by WES to provide a total 

of three types of mat to meet the official requirements 

for a light , medium , and heavy-duty landing mat. 

The requ irements ar e base d on the strength of surfacing required to meet th e demand s of varying sizes 

of milit ary airc raft. For the foreseeable future the 

M8-AI mat will serve adequately as the light-duty 

mat . 

T he new medium-duty landing mat , with an alum­


inum honeycomb cor e, has alre ady met all structur al
 

and ope rational tests and should be accep ted by the
 

Army in the near future. This mat is available in 4­


by 4-ft panels and weighs about 65 pounds per panel.
 

8 
It will support operations of the aircraft. 

The new heavy-duty mat, with an extruded aluminum truss core for extra strength, is ne ar the end of 

the developm ent cycle. Designed to meet the severe 

wheel loads of the heavy fighter bombers to include 

the F-Ill , this mat will und ergo service resting during 

1973 . Th e mat is roughl y equivalent to a IS-in. concrete run way , but this mat runway can easily be 

placed by troops in a co uple of days as the 2- by 9-ft 

panels weigh only 110 lb each. 

In addition to completing the development of medium and heavy-duty mats, a bre akthrough has been 

ach ieved in waterproofing the system to pro tect the 

soil under the mats. This has been accomplished by 

use of a gasket that fits in the joints of the landing 

mat. Wh ile the mats are designed to support aircraft 

load s on a relatively soft soil, CBR-4, the collection 

of water under landing mats reduces the soil strength 

and ultimately causes a mat failur e. 

Barri ers must be rapidly cre ated by the engine er 

in support of tactical ope rat ions to stop or slow the 

advan ce of the enemy . New concep ts and techniques 

are being studied using both nucle ar and non-nuclea r 

exp losive techn iques to produce obstacles such as 

large cra ters, destroyed bridges, highways, railroads 

and tunnels. 

A new technique for destroying bridges ove r water 

is also under developm ent. Current demoliti on techniqu es call for the placement of explosives on the 

bridge members to cut critical stressed members of 

the bridge and dr op them into the water. A new concept involves the placem ent of explosives und erwaterund er the brid ge deck . An und erwater explosion gener ates a highly energ etic wa ter column above the explosion which is capable of exerting surp risingly lar ge 

upliftin g forces on the bott om of a bridge. These forces 

not only pick up the b ridge deck and move it but as 

it settles back down it is overstressed and will suffer 

damage. Again this work is being performed on a 

sca le model using scaled down explosive charges to 

generate a water column which is an alyzed for the 

energy dir ected at the bridge . Once completed these 

stud ies will provide a means of predicting, for a given 

cha rge size at a given depth underwater , the uplift 

force gener ated above the water surface. This new 

concept in bridge destruction must be considered in 

our design of new brid ge systems. 

Th e atomic demolition muni tion pro vides the comba t engineer with the greatest destructive power 

imaginable to create obstacles an d barriers. The ADM 

is not new and much work has been pe rfor med in 

evaluating the use of the ADM as a means for establishing a barrier. Re centl y renewed int erest has 

been placed on evaluating the effects of the ADM 

with the dual purpose of determining the smallest 

yield weap on possible to ensure <In adequate barrier 

while also minimizing fallout and othe r detrimental 

effects from an ADM detonation. Experiment al work 

is in progres s to provide more precise information on 

the effects of an ADM at vario us depths of burial, 

and as used against targets such as bri dges, tunnels, 

railroad yards, and airfield s. Tests have been complet ed at Ft. Pec k, Mo nt., and furthe r tests will be 

conducted at Ft. Polk , La. 

During the past four years a revolutionary concept 

in road build ing has evolved at the WES . The old expression taught at The Engineer School and to Combat 

engineers, "get the water off and the rock on," has 

been as sound advice as has ever been taught. Th e 

WES has now developed a roa d system that gets the 

water off but uses abso lutely no rock. ft can reduce 

the Army 's need for roc k q uarries, heavy quarrying 

equipme nt, and dump trucks to haul rock from th e 

quarry to the road or airfield site. In place of rock 

in road construc tion, the WES has developed a tech ­

nique for using common gar den va riety fine grain clay 

soil. Techn ique s have been de veloped where this road 

can be built across soft marshy areas and support 

heavily loaded 5-to n tru ck traffi c. 

Th e road is constructed by first placing a plastic 

memb rane on the subgrade . This is followed by placing clay mat erial which can be moved from the sho ulders or even from the original ro adb ed on to th e 

lower memb rane. It is spread and compacted controllin g th e water content to obt ain near optimu m 

strength of the soil. De pend ing on the natu re of the 

subgrade materi al, a number of lifts of clay material 

can be placed and compacted to achieve the adequate 

strength for the traffic required . Once the clay has been 

compa cted, graded. and crowned, an upper membrane 

is placed first by ap plying a asphalt emulsion, then 

covering the road with polypropylene materi al, and 

finally ap plying a seco nd coat of emulsified asph alt 

on top of the polypropyl ene membrane . Sand is also 

placed on the asph alt to help blot the excess asphaltic 

mat erial. 

The design of military structures to withstand a 

nuclea r blast is the subject of an extensive research 

program at WES. Th is research is carried out both 

in the field and in the labor atory at Vicksburg, Miss. 

In field tests. the WES is the primary Army participan t in DOD joint exe rcises working with the Air 

Force and the Defense Nuclear Agency . Th e tests 

involve the detonation of large quanti ties of high yield 

explosives ranging up to 500 tons of TNT. Du ring the 

past two yea rs, sever al tests such as MIDDLE GUST, 

MIXED COMPANY, and DI AL PACK have been ' 

con ducted. The field tests are model studies of the 

9 
blast effects of a nuclear weapon, placed as an air, 

surface or underground burst in connection with varying geologic conditions. The subsequent blast and 

shock effects on hundreds of kinds of experimental 

equipment a rrayed around these blasts are examined. 

Re sulting airblast and ground shock effects are measured throu gh basic instrument ation and on actual 

military equipment and modeled facilities. 

Th e con struction of large airfields to sust ain a 

considera ble volume of heavy cargo aircraft and to 

support he avy tactical fighter and strategic bombers 

is a maj or engineering effort. Research to reduce the 

time and cost of these runways pr omis es to be most 

rewarding. All facets of the probl em are under study. 

The late st practices of the construction indu stry are 

being evaluated for military usc. New design practices 

are being tested. The use of commercial construction 

equipment is being examined. The immediate goal 

of the pavement research project is to save over $20 

million in a planned runway con stru ction program. 

Many new concepts for pavement designs are being 

evalu ated . In the field of flexible pavements, the use 

of full depth cru shed stone, full depth asphalt, and 

even the use of cement stabilization of the ba se course 

mater ial ar e under test. Preliminar y results indicate 

major savings can be ach ieved in the thickness requ ired for the same design loading. The thickness 

savi ngs can be translated into cost savings. In rigid 

pa vement s new techniques a re being exa mined for 

conti nuous rein forcing of concrete , pr estre ssed conc rete pavements. and wire-fiber rein forcing. to name 

a few . The use of clay wrapped in a membrane is also 

being evaluated as a replacement for high cost crushed 

rock as a base course material. Pavement condition 

surveys are being made on military airfields across 

the country to analyze the traffic and weather effects 

on the pavements, their structural integrity. and maintenance costs. About 30 airfields overall are being 

studied. 

Another change in concrete pavem ents may be 

possible through the use of fly ash and pozzolans to 

reduce cem ent requirements. Fly ash and poz zolans 

ha ve been used by the Corps of Engineers in the 

construction of large concrete structures to reduce the 

cost of cement. In bituminous pa vement, the use of 

asphalt, lime , and cement fo r stabilization ma y reduce 

overall thickness requirements and thus effect a savings in material and construction effort. Lower quality 

ma terial can also be utilized to achie ve another saving 

when sta bilization is employed . 

In examining con struction practices for rigid pavements, the WES is evaluating th e use of slip form 

pavement and the continuous reinforced pavements 

now quite common in the interstate highway systems. 

Fibrous reinforced pavements 

siderable attention. Immediate 

are also receiving conadoption of these teci D 

niques is not possible under current military requir . 

ments. One of the disadvantages of slip form paving 

is the slump along the edge of the pavement which 

results as the form moves. This results ' in a groove 

down the pavement that does not meet the smoothness 

specificati on required to meet Air Force standards. 

Th ese are among some of the many problems that f 

are being evaluated as well as th e key joint between 

slab s. 

The present Corps of Engineers specifications do 

not provide guidance on many of the recent technological advances in bituminous pavement constructions. Particularly significant are advancements in pavement and compaction of depth lifts of paving mixes 

up to 8 in.. the use of vibratory rollers, and the use 

of full width pavers of 30 ft or more in one pa ss. 

Again we are collecting data from equipment manu­

.,­

facturers, contractors, associ ations. and actual construction pro jects as well as our own test programs to 

evaluate the se techniques and see if they meet the 

military airfield con struction standards. Another area 

of improvement in specifications is the lengthy and 

detailed requirement s in meeting qualit y control. Improved meth ods for the con tractor providing quality 

control will also be incorporated. 

In all the future looks much brighter for the rnilita ry engineer in the years just ahead. e ~ig die General Ern est D. Peixott o is the new 

Assistant Commandant of Th e Engineer Scho ol at 

Fort Belvoir. Vir ginia. His last dut y assignment was 

Director of the U. S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station at Vicksburg, Mississippi. Th e general was commissioned in the Armv Corps of Engineers in 1951 upon graduation from the U. S. Military Academy at West Point , New York . He holds a 

Master's Degree in Civil Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is a graduate of The 

Engineer School, the U. S. Army Command and Genera/ Staff College, and the National War College. 

General Peixotto has held numerous top assignm ents 

in tlu: U. S. and overseas during his military career. 

H e served in Vietnam twice; the first time as the 

Engineer and Academic Advisor at the Vietnamese 

Na tional Military A cademy in Dalet in 1959 and later 

as the Com manding Officer, 86th Combat Engineer 

Battalion operating in the Mekong Delta in 1968. He 

has held positions in the Research and Development 

Directorate and as the Special Assistant for Plans and 

Po/icy for the Chief of Engineers. He also has served 

in Iran and in the Panama Canal Zone . The general 

is a registered pro fessional engineer and a member of 

the Society of A merican Military Engineers. 

10 
( 

f 

. I : 

:\ THE MAINTENANCE 

SYNDROME 

CW4 leal. D..by 

When a weapon malfunctions or a piece of equipment is deadlined during combat, a number of 

things can happen. All of them are bad . 

A soldier carrying that malfunctioning weapon could 

lose th.is life. And dead lined equipment means that 

some vital proj ect-like construction of a fire ba secannot be completed before an expected enemy attack. 

This means the casualty figure would be much higher 

than it would have been if that fire base had been 

completed before the att ack. F arfetched examples? 

Not hardly . 

De adlined equipment has been a major problem for 

engineers thr ough the years . The primary cause behind delayed engineer construction projects and the 

resulting rise in construction cost is high engineer 

equipment deadline rates. 

Over the years, engineer equipment has und ergone 

many changes. Tod ay's typical piece of equipment is 

a sophisticated, complicated ma chine which requires 

a well-trained operator and mechanic to keep it operation al. The basic causes and the solutions that are 

necessary to prev ent deadlined equipment are the 

same tod ay as they were when machinery replaced the 

horse and wagon. 

A recent survey and subsequent answers from more 

than 600 officers and noncommi ssioned offi cers at the 

U.S. Army En gineer School, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, 

showed that there are four major are as of maintenance 

effort which directly effect high deadlin e rates. They 

are: 

• Nonperformance of organizational maintenance. 

• Inefficient equipment operation and utilization resuJting in abuse of equipment. 

• Poor respon se from the rep air part s supply system. 

• Shortage of properly trained and motivated main ­

tenance personnel. 

Perhaps there are man y solutions to deadline rates; 

some better than others. This articl e makes specific, 

and hopefully the best, recommendations on how to 

conquer the four problem areas. 

Let us take them one at a time. The first area of 

ineffective maint enance has been identified as nonperform ance of organizational maintenance. It can be 

controlled through well-supe rvised motor stables, 

scheduled pr eventive maintenance servic es and a training program for unit supervisory personnel which 

emphasizes the duties and responsibilities of the junior 

leader. 

An effective preventive maintenance pro gram like 

any engineer construction project mu st be based on a 

solid foundation. And the found ation of an engineer 

batt alion 's maintenance program is the unit motor 

stables. 

Commanders and NCO's at all levels know and 

understand the importance of motor stables but frequently do not believe they can find time to make a 

personal check of the faciliti es during the day . Implementation of a good motor stables program depends 

on the personal effort of every officer and NCO in the 

battali on. 

Motor stables supervision mu st start at the top. If 

the battalion commander and sergeant majo r make a 

daily check of the motor stabl es, staff members and 

11 
unit com mande rs will get the message as to the importance of the program. 

Of course there are aspects other th an maintenanc e 

that lend to the efficie nt opera tion of an engineer battalion . Bu t, even so, commanders must insure that 

adequ ate mainten ance is bein g performed on the unit's 

equipme nt whil e kee ping abreast of the day-to-day 

batt alion operations. The best way to do this is by 

person al sup ervision an d part icipation in the battalion's 

maintenance p rogram . 

Motor stables are not the complete answer to the 

maintenance problem . Commanders also must initiate 

a maintenance training program within thei r battalions. 

Logically, instructors sho uld be the personnel who 

possess the most maintenan ce expe rtise and know-how 

ill the ba tta lion. 

The ma inte nance warrant offi cers and NCO's shou ld 

be motivated to provide dynami c on-the-job training 

to supervisory personnel during motor stables formations. 

Seni or mainten ance per sonnel sho uld schedule and 

present a series of formal classes on each type of 

enginee r equipme nt. On e of the most effective method s 

of getting the instruction across to a class is to use the 

equipment as a trai ning aid and schedule the tutelage 

co ncu rre ntly with maintenan ce activities. T he commander can m e this time to make a checklist of 

deficiencies th at normally occ ur as a result of impro per 

ope ra tor maint enance. Armed with this infor mation , a 

senior comma nder can qu ickly imp ress his un it commanders with the import ance he places upon the bat ­

talion mai nten ance pr ogram. 

Th e second problem area-inefficient equipment 

o peration and utilization- can be alleviated in pa rt by 

the application of effective motor stables and trai ning 

progr am s. Unless prope r maintenanc e is being performed on engineer equ ipment, it will be abused from 

the instan t it leaves the motor pool un til the moment it 

returns. In addition, proper supervision through ope ralor training and enforced licensing procedures will 

greatly reduce the misuse of equip ment that is ca used 

through ignorance of proper equipment handling techniq ues. 

Oper ator mor ale is also a factor that can cau se 

eq uipment abuse. Commanders sho uld monitor the 

number of consecutive days an opera tor wor ks on the 

same project. If an opera tor's mo ra le is low, he may 

purposely deadline an item of equipment just to get 

away fro m the job for a few days. 

Maximum utilization of assista nt operators, rot ation 

o f equipment, and liberal pa ss policy during slack 

construction periods will go a lon g way toward improving the operator's morale and th e way he uses his 

equipment. 

Th e third maintenanc e problem area- response a 

the repair parts supply system-is directl y related t 

the Direct Support maintenance capabil ity. The valu e 

of any Direct Support maintenance ca pability is directly 

dependent up on the efficiency of the Direct Support 

supply section charged with maint ainin g the autho rized 

stockage list. Many of the problems encount ered with 

the repai r parts system lie either at this level or at 

the compa ny pre scribed load list level whe re the Direct 

Support section has training and inspection responsibiliti es. Many times delay in the availabil ity of rep air 

parts ca n be dir ectly attributed to or ganization supply 

procedures. 

T he most common cause s for the del ay in the supply 

of repa ir parts are : I ) improper identification of parts; 

2) use of obs olete supply catalogs and err oneous stock 

numb ers; 3) failur e to forward pa rts requests immed iately : 4 ) unauthorized use of high er category 

rep air parts manua ls at organizational level ; 5) inadequate tr aining of rnai nten ance pe rsonnel in repair 

part s supply proc edures and cata logs; 6 ) abu se of the 

issue priorit y system and ; 7 ) failure to sub mi t timely 

follow-ups on requisitions. Many of the cau ses of these 

delays a re inherent in the table of org ani zation and 

equipment that man s and equips the section. 

An exa mple of the mann ing and equipment probl em 

is demon strated in the organ ic Direct Support main- V 

tenance ca pability of the engineer cons tru ction ba ttalion ; surel y the most valu able ma intenance asset 

ava ilable to the commander . 

T he author ized repair parts specia list-an E-5 position-does not normally provide superviso ry ability 

comme nsurate with the magnitude of the resp ons ibility. 

Thi s lower grade NCO is char ged with the requisition, 

sto ck control , storage and issue of between 4,000 and 

8,000 separate line items of repair parts. 

This repai r pa rts specialist must mainta in liaison 

with mainten ance support activities, provide inspection 

and training assista nce to the u nits the section supports, 

trans port pa rts from D irect Su pport/General Support 

facilities to the Authorized Stockage List (ASL ), and 

supe rvise nine pa rts clerks to accomplish all of these 

functi ons. 

Often the section is und er- sup ervi sed and undermanned. To compe nsate, perso nnel are assigned from 

ot her Direct Support positions. A platoon leader 

Engineer Warrant Officer, or Ordnance Warrant 

Officer , often ma y find himself devoting consider able 

time to the ASL; a distr action that hinders the performance of his specialized functi ons. In addition, the 

sec tion has three trucks and five tra ilers that are 

operated and mai ntained by the supply clerks. This 

seco ndary mission generally becomes a full time job, 

reducing the number of clerks available to perform the 

12 
primary mISSIOn . Three or four mechanics may be 

cross-trained to supplement any shortage in repair 

parts clerks and equipment operators. 

All of the aforementioned factors affect the efficiency 

of the rep air parts supply system . Many of these Direct 

Support problem areas can be resolved only by a 

concerned and informed commander. 

Every commander should visit the ASL area frequently to get a first-h and look at the problem are as. 

Short question and answer sessions between the commander and the personnel operating the ASL area 

should quickly give an indica tion as to the respon siveness of the supply section. Alth ough it is impossible 

for the commander to personally check the condition 

of each item of equipment in the ba ttalion, a spot check 

of the demands on the company pr escribed load lists 

and the demands on battalion authori zed stockage lists 

will give a good indication of the quantity of scheduled 

maintenance that is being performed. 

The fourth and last area of ineffective maintenancedescribed as a shortage or lack of motivation in 

maintenance personnel-s-can be alleviated through the 

proper assignment of individuals in this military occupational speciality. This is a command responsibility 

at all levels. Unit maintenance personnel can be found 

in supply rooms, ord erly rooms , mess halls, and out in 

the field operating equipment. 

Operational necessities frequently dictate that certain 

personnel be cross-trained or retrained in order to 

meet mission requirements. This sometimes cre ates 

a problem . Tt must be recognized that a potential morale 

problem can develop when personnel are used outside 

the field for which they have been trained. So the 

commander should periodically screen the records of 

his pers onn el to insure th at maintenance-qualified personnel are being properly utilized . The senior commander also should make every effort to see that key 

warrant officers and NC O's are assigned at the organic 

dire ct support levels. 

Of course, the maintenance respon sibilities of the 

senior commander go beyond alleviating the four pr oblem areas that have been discussed in detail. His 

responsibilities are not as clearl y defined as those of the 

battalion maintenance warrant offi cer, maintenance 

NCO or unit commander. Generally the senior commander is charged with overall responsibility for th e 

battalion maint enance program. Tt would be helpful for 

the battalion comm ander in the long run if he would 

define specific ar eas in his maintenance program, assume personal responsibilit y for these areas, and see 

that they ar e carried out. This is not to say that he 

must personally supervise every aspect of the battalion 

maintenance program. There are, howev er, several 

areas he could monitor that not only would keep him 

up to date on equipment status, but also would correctly 

demonstrate his personal interest in the program for 

the benefit of staff members and unit commanders. 

These are as arc referred to as the Seven Maintenance 

Factors at the Enginee r School . They are­

• Command. 

• Personnel. 

• Facilities. 

• Equipment. 

• Publications . 

• Repair Pa rts. 

• Time. 

The senior commander has many of the answers to 

the maintenance syndrome. To insure a low enginee r 

equipment deadline, he must pursue an active and 

aggressive ma inten ance program. He must develop 

his ability to diagnose the cau se and pre scrib e the 

preventi on or cure. Of course, a commander's personal 

interest in his battalion maintenance program is certainly not a new a unique concept. 

The unfortunate fact is that the senior commander's 

interest in maint enance sometimes begins and end s 

after he has scheduled motor stables on the battalion 

work /training schedule . Generally, main tenance is considered subordinate to production. However , the mission-oriented commander mu st realize that production 

is directly rel ated to the qu ality and qu antity of the 

maint enance servic es that are performed in his unit. 

The commander who makes personal contact with 

his operato rs, mechanics, and parts clerks certainly 

increases the morale within his battalion . Also the 

commander who can diagnose equipment malfunctions, 

determine the status of maintenance and rep air parts 

activities, and pinpoint ineffective or inefficient areas 

of the program, can be assured of a low equipment 

deadline rate. 

Maintenance will never take a back seat to the 

construction mission in a first rate engineer battalion. 

Furthermore, a first rate maintenance program will 

guarantee a top-level production program. e 

CW4 Jean L. Derby is currently assigned to the 

U.S. A rmy Engineer School's Department of Mechanical and T echni cal Equipm ent as Chi ef, Systems Equipment Section . He has served in a variety of engineer 

maintenanc e assignments and is a com bat vet eran of 

Kor ea and Vietnam. He saw service in Korea with the 

14th Combat Battalion and in Vietnam with the 103rd 

Construction Support Company and the 577th Con ­

struction Battalion in 1966 and 1969-70, respectively. 

This is Mr. Derby's third assignment as a member of 

the En gineer School faculty during a service career that 

has spann ed 25 years. 

13 
EISEDFM 20-32
 

Frederick A. Messing 

The many changes in doctrine and techniques of 

mine-counterrnine operations contained in the MineCountermine Study (MICMIS), the STANO Survey 

and Review (STASAR), Standardization Agreement 

(STANAG) 2036, and other documents pertinent to 

mine-countermine operations, necessitated an early 

revision of FM 20-32, Landmine Warfare, May 1971. 

Accordingly, a revision of FM 20-32 was initiated I 

in Fiscal Year 1972 with the express purpose of updating the manual in accordance with the referenced 1 

documents. As a point of reference and in accordance 

with the MICMIS, the term counterrnine has been 

redefined. "Counterrnine" is now defined as : "Tactics 

and techniques used to detect, avoid, breach, and/or 

neutralize enemy mines and the use of available resources to deny the enemy the opportunity to employ 

mines." This new definition was forwarded to the Adjutant General and is now included in the Dictionary 

of the United States Army (AD) and in the revised 

FM 20-32. 

The MICMIS also contained a recommendation to : 

"Change the title of FM 20-32 from "Landrnine Warfare to "Mine-Countermine Operations" to give more 

emphasis to the counterrnine portion of landmine warfare. This was done and the title of the new FM 20-32 

will be "Minc-Counrermine Operations." 

Additionally, the MICMJS contained a recommendation to: Rewrite and reorgani ze the FM 20-32 to 

provide complete coverage of doctrine and operational 

concepts that apply to countermine operations and to 

eliminate or move to an appendix all technically 

oriented information. In line with this recommendation 

the manual was reorganized into three parts: Part One, 

Introduction; Part Two, Installation of Landmines and 

Mineficlds: and Part Three, Countermine Operations. 

Thus, the two essential functions have been separated 

by placing a11 information on Mining as practiced by 

friendly forces, in Part Two , and all information on 

Countermining, in Part Three. Insofar as possible. all 

technically oriented information in the manual was 

moved to the appendixes. 

Simultaneously, Edition Number 3 of STANAG 

2036, a source document for FM 20-32, was also reviewed. As a consequence of changes to the STANAG, 

changes in the Irregular Outer Edge (TOE) of the 

Standard Pattern Minefield and changes in the various 

reports (Intention to Lay, Report of Completion and 

14 
Report of En emy Minefields ) were made in the revision 

of I'M 20- 32. Added also, were changes concerning 

the direction in which minefields may be laid (minefields may now be laid from either right to left or 

left to right ) ; th e method of laying mines in the cluster 

(mines may now be laid on the circumference of the 

semicircle prescrib ed for patt ern minefields) and per ­

mitring the use of barb ed-wire conc ertina for minefi eld marking fences . 

The Sur veillance, Ta rget Acquisition and Night Ob ­

servat ion (STANO) Survey and Review (STA SAR ) 

co nta ined recomme nda tions th at ST ANO equi pment be 

used in co untermine ope rations and co unter-countermine operations. To compl y with this recommenda tion 

applicable STANO doctr ine was extrac ted from va io STANO document s and reports and included in the 

revision of FM 20-32 . A chapter ( chapter 10) on 

available ST AN O devices which can be used in counter ­

minc operations and an appendix (Appen dix F) on 

the use of unattended ground sensors (UGS) to detect 

enemy engaged in mine laying, or brea chi ng activities 

have been added . 

To include infor mation on sca ttera ble mine s) FM 

20-32A, Landm ine Warf are (Sc attera ble Mines) has 

been incorpo rated into th e revision of FM 20-32 and 

will ap pear as Chapter 7. Up on publication of the 

new FM 20 -32, FM 20-3 2A will be superseded. 

Chapters on the "Countermine System," "Defe nsive 

Coun ter rni ne Operati ons" and the "Historical Background of Mines and Min e Warfare" have been added . 

There are also new appendixes on "Minesweep Operations ," Det ector and Search Techniques for the Individu al Soldier and th e Unit" and the "XM57 Antitank 

Min e Dispensing System." 

When the final dr aft manuscript was sent to the 

Ad juta nt General for printing, limited quantities were 

also sent to tho se agencies and units prov iding comments. Additionally. sufficient co pies of the fi nal d raft 

were published to provide the Mine Warfare Br anch 

of the Dep artm en t of Applied Engineering of the US 

Army Engineer Scho ol an interim Training Text for 

School instru ction.	 

Th e revised manu al was sched uled to be distribut ed 

in August 1973, but publication is being held up to 

incorp orate additiona l changes developed at a worldwide Barrier-Counterb arrier Conference held at Fort 

Benning in May. 

These changes are being staffed as this issue goes 

to	 pr ess, so they are not yet approved. Th ey address 

the responsibilities of individuals and units , definin b 0

more clearly combat arms and engineer roles and introducing an engineer role for tra ining of others. As 

now written (a nd subject to ch ange ) the new manual 

would readR ESPO NSIBILITIES : 

• All troops, regardle ss of arm or branch, are 

responsible for indiv idual counterrnine actions- visually 

de tecting, avoiding, and report ing of mines and booby 

traps. 

• Combat arms troops are responsible for employment of individual standard US AT&A P minesarm ing, disarming, emplacing, and camouflaging-and 

for hasty neu tralization of enemy mines-by detona tion 

or by pulling out with rope or wire. 

•	 Combat arms un its are responsible for : 

Hasty bre aching of barri ers to includ e minefields. 

Em placing and removing hasty protective minefields. 

Assisting enginee rs in deliberate ba rr ier operations. 

•	 Co mbat engineer units are responsible for : 

Delibera te bre achi ng of enemy ba rriers to Illelude minefields . 

Deliberate barrier operations, with assistance of 

combat arms units. 

Te chni cal advice and assista nce in barrier/ 

counterbarrier ope rations. 

Providing training in barrier/ counterbarrier 

operations. 

• In accordance with an approved empl oym ent 

order, com bined arms un its are responsible for planning and conducting barrier/ counterbarrier operations, 

with advice and assistance from sup porting comba t 

engineer units. 

This added revision to FM 20-32 is more than just 

a clarification of lan guage; it is a change of doctrine to 

make it con for m more closely with real world practice 

and to emphasize the training respon sibiliti es that 

derive from doctrine. Becau se of the import ance 

att ached to this shift of doctrine, publication of the 

new FM 20- 32 will be delayed until ea rly 1974. e 

Mr. Frederick A . Messing (L T C, CE R et) w as, 

before retirem ent from Civil Service, a writer-editor, 

GS 12, with the Departm ent of Doctrine and Training 

Developm ent, USAES. He recently completed the revision of FM 20 -32, Min e-Countermine Op eration s. 

15 
Major William 

L. Jones 

Effective countermine trammg is almost universall y 

accepted as being in about the same state as it has 

been over the pa st 40 years-unsatisfactory. This has 

created the MICMIS Study which has gener ated a need 

for a Sapper Military Occupational Specialty. 

The design of a program of instruction supporting 

an MOS is normally don e through a process called 

Systems Engineering.. This involves three basic steps 

prior to developing ..he actual lessons. First, the job 

itself is examined and a list of task s is prepared showing 

everything the specialist must be able to do. Second, 

these tasks are examined to determine where they can 

best be learned-service school, unit or On- Th c-J obTraining (Ol T) . Th ird , tbe tasks selected for training are each broken down further into knowledges that 

are then taught or trained as parts of specific lessons. 

In evaluating a program to train an effective sapper, 

one task ; that of finding a mine or boobytrap cannot 

be analyzed by listing knowledges because no matter 

what know ledges are listed, the graduate still will not 

be able to consistently find the mine or boobytrap. 

When this is the case, the task has not been trained . 

An easy path is to regulate the task to OJT but now 

as in the past, the price in combat is too high and the 

problem is not solved . The program of instruction 

und er developm ent mu st, therefore of necessity, include 

this task of finding mines as well as the remaining 

conventional MOS tasks. This article concerns itself 

with the training of the unique task of "finding mines 

and boobytraps." 

Extensive attempts in recent years have been made 

to determine and analyze the human characteristics or 

traits which make up the outstanding patrol point men. 

Whatever enables them to find mines and boobytraps 

better than others has not yet been isolated. Some 

individuals are just better at finding mines and boobytraps than others. The real experts that have been 

interviewed and tested, learned their skills by living real 

live situations. Their 

skills were trained and sharpened 

to a fine edge through individu al adaptation, much the 

same as a child 's reflexes are automatically adapted 

to his environment. Th ese specialists are not constant 

with each other when the y explain why they are more 

skillful than their contemporaries. 

Education of an individual takes many forms other 

than that normally found in the classroom . Reports 

by some of Our most noted educators document that 

both humans and animals rapidly learn tasks on their 

own simply by being put in a situation where they 

18 
desire to do the task successfully and the means to 

do it are available. F or a simplified illustr ation let us 

put a mouse at location X and food at locati on Y . 

On th e first trial the mouse tak es an hour and one ­

half to fi nd the food with obvious difficulty. Subsequ ent 

attempts sho rten until the mou se learn s this maze and 

gets the food within a few second s. Th e mouse is next 

pla ced in a new maze. Does he completely start over?­

No. The mouse has learn ed to learn . Experience is 

transferr ed and both his initial tri al time and his total 

learning of the new maze are appreciably shortened. 

Now, if this trained mouse could talk could he really 

explain why he is faster now? Does he hims elf really 

kn ow all the cues he acts upon when he moves through 

the maze') This principle of the mind autom atically 

learning to ad opt a new en vironment also works 

with humans, and alth ough the cues providing stimulus 

are not always identi fied, learnin g still tak es place. 

Th is theory is curr ently widely used during military 

fi eld trainin g but success is depend ent on rigid adherence to the following two fact ors­

• The studen t motivation must be very strong causing either a ferve nt desire to be successful or an eq ual1y 

stro ng fear of failure. The motivation should parallel 

as much as possible, that of the combat environment 

for which it is being pr epared. 

• Th e learning or training enviro nme nt must be 

as close as possible to the real environment. This is 

difficult as co nditions such as fear, fatigu e, and time 

require very careful analysis and preparation and are 

essential if valid skill tr ansfer is to take place. A 

seemingly mino r compromise can sometimes destroy 

the environment suffi cien tly tha t effective learn ing tran sfer does not occur. The student learn s to train but does 

not learn to accomplish the task. Th ese principles can 

now be applied to the Co unterrnine task "Find an 

Enemy Mine or Boobytrap." 

Moti vatin g men is a leardersh ip problem th at is 

always present in tra ining both in units and at service 

schools. Most men attempt to do well, but need some 

inducement to susta in them selves if the environment 

becomes tough. Sapper tr ainin g will be complex. 

physically demandin g, and require a high efficiency 

with detailed accur acy under cond itions of stress. Th e 

student must work hard to pa ss the instru ctio n program 

and then be motiv ated suffi ciently to maint ain his skills 

and knowledge beyond gradua tion. One proposal is to 

authorize hazard ous dut y (Demolition) pay for sapper 

training. and continuously for sapper gra duates who 

can maintain proficiency, regardless of their curr ent 

assignmen t. Controlled testing with very high min imum 

standards would be required qu arterly or semi-annua lly 

to include new information learned by individu als 

through self-study programs that eac h sappe r nee ds to 

continue. These rigid standa rds, if maint ained , wi11 

generate an espirit that will sustain the sapper corpsthe hazard ous duty pay will compensat e for the real 

ex plosive hazards in this specialty plu s provide the 

needed intense training motivation by pr oviding a very 

real and tangible loss that will result from failure . I 

know of no othe r moti vation tha t will provide the 

needed desire during and after the cour se that will 

provide the needed performance quality. 

From the trainin g viewpoint the best environm ent 

would be a real one ; real mines employed by and 

against a real enemy usin g real weapons and ammunition. To save injurie s, comprom ises have to be made, 

but eac h comprom ise must be seriously considered for 

necessity. and pro per compe nsa tions. F or example, 

when elimin ating the mine itself a training aid must 

be substituted that looks, feels, and functions the same. 

The mine is replaced with a dupli cate that does every ­

thin g exce pt injure men. This single sub stitution is 

serious. From the motivation point of view fear of 

failure, needle ss to say, is drastically reduced . Given the 

feverent desire to pass the cours e as outlined in the 

paragraph above, this compromise can be pa rtly compensated by failin g a student and drop ping him fro m 

the program the fi fth time he unsafely detonates a 

device regardl ess of the circum stan ces. This aut om atic 

negative motivator parallels closely the conc ern real 

mines cause. In th eory the first accide nt should be 

grounds for failure but the loss of potentially good sappers would be too high. In comb at men ar e hot, tired, 

and imp atient . In trainin g, h ard ph ysical requirements, 

long hour s, tight schedules, and a strict cadre can reconstruct many of these haz ard ous distractors. A third 

enviro nment pitfall is th at individual consistancy in the 

work of the mine layer tr ains the countermine student 

in th ose specific consistencie s. By having two or more 

teams of students, who do not mee t, work against each 

other. Each will develop and employ improvisions 

based upon their analysis of oth er teams designed to 

deliberately deceive. This adds the challenges and 

diversity that ar e needed . 

A side benefit is the discu ssion within an installing 

team analyzing if and how a system bein g employed 

could be countered. Thus it can be concluded th at to 

17 
learn th e task of finding a boob ytrap it mu st be learned 

in the most dyn amic realistic fashion possible . The 

co urse mu st be struct ured aroun d a 24-hour day and 

be ph ysically and ment ally demanding. 

In developing a Sa pper cou rse using the above ideas 

th e prob lem of managi ng and controll ing the students 

a rises. T o main tain re alism the mission s mu st be excep tiona lly clear with the instru ctors relegated to 

qui etly grading lead ership, eva luati ng Mine and Cou ntermine tech niqu es, and de claring casua lties. 

The missions will in itially inv olve sim ple tasks but 

ultimately evolve to lar ge are a problems with many 

alte rn ative solutio ns. The suppo rt req uiremen ts can 

be kept to a minimum as most prepar ati on is done by 

two or more squad -sized stude nt units con tinuou sly 

working against each other. Techniques will gro w in 

sophist ication as time passes. 

A key reminder need be mad e at this poin t. Device s 

used for tr aining mu st be install ed and rem oved prior 

to real equipment fai ling ; in this the instal ling squa d 

will miss the major portion of the tra ining potential. 

An ex ample of one exercise towa rd the end of the 

co urse might be­

• SQ UAD :#I-Move from A to B ( dista nce of six 

miles ) betwe en 6 am and 8: 30 am tomorrow. Bo ob ytr aps are very likely to be abo ut. This squad ha s the 

alternative of picking several routes, using trails or not. 

• SQUAD #2-This squad must outwit Squad 

:#= 1. Needless to say, the squad role s will soon be 

reversed . By designating sq uads or patrols as the basic 

school tr aining units, gradua tes will live man y exam ples 

of dyn amic traini ng and as a result will be able to take 

a we alth of training ideas to their future assignments. 

T he Sapper program has the potential o ppo rtunity 

to develop a viable countermine pl an . If all of , the 

afo rementioned con stra ints and conditions are met , the 

A rmy's new Sapper will have pride in his ability and 

sufficient co nfidence in his subject that he will become 

its advocate and inspire confidence wher eve r he goes. 

Major William L. Jon es, curr ently the Chief of the 

Dem olition/Mine Warfare Division, Department of 

Applied En gineering, U.S. A rmy Engineer School, Fort 

Belvoir, Vir ginia, is a graduate of Norwich University 

and the Uni versity of Missouri at R olla. He served as 

a Combat Engineer Com pany Commander in both the 

12 th Engineer Battalion , 8th In fant ry Division in Germany and with the 27th Engineer Battalion in the 

Repu blic of Vi etnam between 1964 and 1967 . He 

also later served as the Battalion Executive Officer, 8t h 

En gineer Battalion , l st, Cav alry Division in Vietnam 

from 1970 to 1977 . 

SAPPER COURSE CONCEPT 

The course will be of approxi:mately 7 to 9 weeks in duration, rigorous both mentally and physically 

in its demands on the student. Input requirements and graduation/qualification standards will be 

very high since the graduate w ill be considered an expert in theory and practical application of 

combat demolition techniques, all phases of mine /countermine warfare, and to instruct troops of all 

arms in appropriate phases of demolitions and mine/countermine warfare. The first two weeks of 

the course will consist of demo/mine/countermine obstacle planning and d esign, methods of instruction and physical acclimation with emphasis on the student learning to teach his peers appropriate 

subject matte r. The last weeks will be conducted in the dynamic train ing mode, and will concentrate 

on detailed use of all demo/mine/countermi:ne hardware (includ ing foreign materials) and intensive 

physical development. Throughout the course, the role of instructor will phase from that of the traditional instructor to that of monitor/supervisor; the last 1V2-2 weeks of the course will be administered 

by students under instructor supervision . The use of live explosive/mines in practical exercises wiJl 

also progress during the course. All students will employ and handle all available US explosives/ 

mines and representative items from foreign nations. Maxi:mum emphasis will continually be placed 

on stress situations, developing h igh skill/confidence levels, and producing a professional instructo r 

expert. The major portion of this program of instruction will not be time structured to a 40 hour week 

but b e continuou s field train ing 12 hours per day, 6 days per week . Graduation will be a challenge 

requiring high motivation and aptitudes. 

18 
B U NKER ILL: 

ana tomy 

fa 

f ir e b a s 

Major Peter J. Offringa 

The evolution of tactical concepts in Vietnam can 

be catalogued by the anatomy of the fire support 

bases associated with them. Overgrown circles, squares, 

triangles, and stars bear mute testimony to the changing tactics that forged them . Archeologists of the future, working Southeast Asian diggings may well ponder the implications of these oriental Stonehenges. 

If there is any meaning in this almost infinite variation, it is the continuous search for the best means 

of combining flexibility in fire support with security. 

The attributes of an ideal fire base would include 

protection against direct and indirect fire, in-depth 

defense against ground attack, durability when exposed to harsh weather, high standards of sanitation 

and troop comfort, ease of resupply, and facilities for 

recreation for the security troops. 

In late February 1972 , the 3d Brigade (Separate) , 

1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile ) , conducting the defense of the Long Binh , Saigon, Bien Hoa Compl ex, 

set about the task of constructing fixed fire bases to 

idealized specifications. 

The Brigade had just been reduced in size from 

four manuever battalions to three and was tactically 

disposed in an arc roughly northeast of Saigon. To accomplish his mission, the Brigade Commander, Brigadier Genera) James F. Hamlet, established a series of 

six mutually supporting and highly defensible fire 

support bases to provide an artillery fan over the rocket 

19 
belt and its approaches. Under this umb rella of steel, 

the highly mobile Cavalry companie s conducted airmobile operations that kept the NVA rocketeers off-balance and in constan t turmoil. 

Th e keys to this operational technique were the fire 

supp ort bases, which served as forward artill ery positions, operations centers, and R&R sites for the infantry companies rotating in and out of the "bush. " 

Bunker Hill was one of these firebases. Located on 

a squ at laterite hill, 17 miles northeast of Saigon, it 

was the home of the l st Battalion, 12th Cavalry, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel W. S. Tyson, 

The firebase construction team that cut the initial 

swath through the scrubby und erbrush covering the 

hill was an amalgamation of the best engineering skills 

then available. Although the 3d Platoon, 50 I st Engineer Company had overall respon sibility for the construction, ear th moving equipment from the 557th Light 

Equipment Compa ny and a verticle construction platoon from the 92nd Eng ineer Battal ion were included 

in the task force. 

Th e 557th had only 15 ope rational days remaining prior to stan ddown, so a crash program of earth 

moving was inaugurated. An average of four Ca terpillar 830's hauled their 20 cubic yard loads from 7 :30 

a.m. to 5 :30 p.m. hours for the next two weeks. For a 

three day period, four 'yeIIowbird ' 10 ton dump trucks 

and a "Hough" six cubic yard loader from the 92nd 

Engineer Battalion also participated in the earth moving effort . The equipment began by stripping the scrub 

vegetation and forming thc familiar triangular shape of 

another FIRST TEAM fire base. The 830's did the 

bulk of the heavy earth moving. Th e 'yellowbirds' were 

used in the corners and on the berm in places that 

were not suitable for the hug e 830's. 

The overall construction of the firebase was controlled by an initial survey and level run on the first 

day. The 830's dug the slots for living and fighting 

positions under the berm . D7 dozers were used to dig 

the slots for the tactical operations center, mess hall, 

amm unition storage area, S4 area, medical bunker, 

base defense/fi re direction center and post exchange 

bunker. 

The vertical construction Platoon built the frame ­

wor k for the Tactical Oper ations Center and the Mess 

Hall. They also supervised local nationals pouring the 

concrete floors for both structures. 

The TOC was dug eight feet into the ground and 

covered by MBA1 ma tting and the equivalent of seven 

layers of san dbags. Its overall dimensions were twenty 

feet by eighty feet. The TOC consisted of twelve inch 

by sixteen inch footers and columns with four inch by 

twelve inch caps and twenty-four inch wide flange 

beam ceiling joints. M BA 1 matting sides with four 

inch by twelve inch later al bracing were used. The 

opera tions center was located in this building as well 

as the briefing room, offices, and living quarters of 

the Commanding Officer , Command Sergeant Major, 

the operat ions officer, and the ARVN liaison officer. 

An underground tunnel connected the TOC dire ctly 

to the base defense / FDC bunker. 

The Base Defense/FDC bunker, constructed of 

mempa's and conex containers, contained the artillery 

fire direction center, the mort ar fire direction cent er, 

the base defense operations center, the base switchboard, the VHF facility and sufficient living space for 

personnel required to man the bunker. The combination of TOC and base defense/ FDC enh anced the 

command and cont rol of the firebase under all conditions. 

The 105 mm Howitzers were placed on a 200 foot 

equilateral triangular pad raised six feet to provide direct fire over the berm. 

The solid triangular pad had been laid by the 830's. 

A D7 with a sheepsfoot roller and a water truck provided compaction. This pad was more durable than 

the individual circular pads used previously. The 155 

mrn Howitzer pad was raised only one foot to facilitate dra inage. The mortars were sepa rated with two 

tubes in a corner by themselves and one in the corne r 

with the 155'so Th is was done because of the possibility of a short roun d when firing directl y over the firebase and because of falling canisters when illumin ation rounds were used. 

All tubes were set in their own revetted positions 

with their basic load safely store d under the heavy 

cover of sandbagged bunkers. The individual mort ar 

pits were sandbagged to a height necessar y to provide 

cove r for the crews against fragmentation. Slots were 

left in the parapet so as not to interfere with the use 

of aiming stakes or sighting devices. 

Th e mess hall consisted of a 40-foot by 20-foot storage are a and two 10-foot by 20-foot serving areas. By 

using a system of vents (M8 A1 ma tting and 72 inch 

culverts) in the root, the mess hall was well ventilated 

even though it was eight feet under ground. Tr oops 

were not exposed to hostile fire while they were getting their meals. Eating areas were dispe rsed thro ughout the firebase to avoid large concentrations of troops 

dur ing regularly scheduled mealtimes. 

The ASP was a 60-foot by 20-foot structure where 

12 inch by 12 inch columns eight fect high were used. 

T he roof was supported by 10 inch wide flange beams 

covering eight-fo ot open spans with eight inch by eight 

inch stringers on 30 inch centers. 

The entire structure was covered by M BA 1 matting. 

The two entrances were located on opposite end s of 

the building. The main entra nce was a 10 foot wide 

20 
ramp with a minimum six foot height, running 30 feet 

o serve as a mule entrance. The secondary entrance 

was a combination of 72 inch culverts and eight inch 

by 12 inch side wall bents in the form of a ramp to 

serve as a walkway entrance. The floor was dirt and 

all storage was on wooden dunnage. The overhead 

cover was a minimum of three feet of soil on the 

M8A I matting roof. The entire structure was water 

proofed with plastic, and the roof had cement coated 

with peneprirne. 

The 501 st Engineers were responsible for construction of the structures under the berm. The basic design incorporated the majority of the living areas and 

fighting positions as part of the berm in order to take 

full advantage of the protection provided by the eight 

foot high triangular earth berm . A second advantage 

gained WClS a significant saving of space normally taken by troop living areas around the interior of the 

base. When areas must be provided for a minimum 

of three I05mm Howitzers, two 155mm Howitzers, 

and three 81nun mortars, and their accompanying fire 

control centers, interior space becomes extremely critical, especially, in the corners. Conex containers were 

used as living bunkers and had to be positioned in the 

trenches prior to the finalization of the berm . 

Modular design was incorporated whenever possible to reduce supervision requirements and simplify 

the task of the individual squads. By letting one squad 

concentrate on one type of structure, time was saved 

and high quality work insured . Corner bunkers, corner 

positions and supplementary positions were each standardized and constructed alike. The modular concept 

and the diligent efforts of the SOlst Engineers enabled 

the combat engineers to complete their berm work 

prior to the loss of the 557th's equipment. 

The modular building practice was continued 

throughout the base. The TOC, Mess Hall, and ASP 

were all built with the same basic framework design. 

The remainder of the buildings utilized a four foot 

hallway with conexes facing each other. In all, there 

were 38 entrances with one set of stairs, and 14 entrances with two sets of stairs. Modular design was 

again used to simplicity and speed construction. 

The living bunkers were ideal for the individual infantryman. The conexes, with doors removed , provided 

comfortable, dry places to live during heavy monsoon 

rains. This was a very important feature to a "grunt" 

who had been "beating the bush" in mud and rain . 

The bunkers also were ventilated by a 20-inch opening on the inside wall. Safety was excellent with five 

feet of dirt cover overhead and a minimum of five feet 

of dirt between the rear of each conex and the face of 

the berm. Comfort became an individual endeavor and 

troop ingenuity appeared almost immediately. Floors 

were painted, walls paneled and rugs added as personal touches to the conex quarters. The conexes were 

very adequate for two people to share. Malaria control 

was enforced by screening all quarters at the doors and 

windows. The fronts of individual conexes were screened as an added precaution. 

Above the bunkers was the berm , reaching an overall height of eight feet. A row of concertina was on 

the apex. At the outside base of the berm was a row 

of triple standard concertina. Against the concertina a 

10 foot wide stretch of tanglefoot was constructed. 

The 35 meter anti-sapper wire was a double apron 

fence with concertina crushed under the apron and 

backed by a second triple standard concertina barrier. 

The 100 meter anti-RPG fence was triple standard 

concertina. The wire obstacles were reinforced by claymore mines and fougasse (a combination of napalm 

and C-4 demolitions). Huesch flares were located at 

each corner and along the sides to mark the firebase 

perimeter for close air support. Numerous trip flares 

were incorporated within the outer wire . 

The tactical wire Was directly supported by seven 

fighting positions on each side. The design of the fighting positions maximized the principle of primary and 

supplemental bunkers and insured that the two personnel assigned to each position were not tasked with 

an area of responsibility greater than they could effectively cover. The main strength of a triangle lies in 

the corners, and by advancing the corner position out 

from each apex, mutually observed and supported fields 

of fire were gained between the corner bunkers. Conversely, the singular vunerability of a triangle is that 

the extended corner may also be attacked and possibly neutralized from three different sides-only one 

of which may be the side facing the principle direction 

of ground attack. To reduce this vunerability, the Corners were constructed as a three unity module. 

The center conex was oriented with the apex, and 

the units to its left and right were positioned to provide coverage both to the individual position's front 

and exposed flank. The concxes were set into the 

ground four feet, the space between them was backfilled, and the entire position was faced with four layers of sandbags and capped with a minimum of three 

feet of laterite and peneprime overhead cover. The 

supplemental positions were located immediately to the 

flanks of the primary and were constructed flush with 

the face of the berm so as not interfere with observation 

or fields of fire from the corner positions. 

Above each corner, and connected by means of a 

ladder down into the position, was a IS-foot observation tower . The towers were eight feet on a side, faced 

and roofed with MBA 1 matting and sandbags. They 

provided an uninterrupted view of all approaches to 

21 
Fire Support Base Bunker Hill is typical of the tri­ The underground tactical operations center served 

angular firebases constructed by the 3d Brigade (Sep­ as nerve center for combat operations of the 1sf Batarate), 1st Cavalry Division (A irmobife). talion , 12th Cavalry during the period February thru 

Iune 1972 . 

In the safety of the underground FDC, artillerymen 

plotted fire missions. The FDC was connected to the 

TOC by an underground tunnel. 

Wire, light s, and tanglejoot formed a portion of the 

perim eter def enses at FSB Bunker Hill. These were 

augmented with trip flares, claym ore mines and [ouegasse. 

u E IL •

• FORTR 

22 
The elevated lOS artillery pad pro vided good sta­ This medical bunker is typical of the interior bunkers 

bilization and a capability for direct fire across the at the fire support base . Waterproofing was provided 

eight foot high firebase berm. by roofing [elt, soil cement, peneprime and treated 

sandbags. 

The water from this purification system was pumped 

to a sixteen foot tower to provide central distribution 

for showers, drinking, mess hall and other uses. 

The outdo or stage served as movie theater, usa stage and briefing area . Dre ssing rooms are at left. 

THE SUN
 

The food preparation, storage. and serving areas 

were also underground. The gabled roofs cover the culvert and PSP ventilation system. 

23 
the base. The roofs provided an employment site for 

organic radar equipment. Because living space was 

contiguous to the fighting bunkers, troops could move 

from their quarters to assigned fighting positions without having to move across the exposed interior of the 

base. 

The combination of bunke rs and towers allowed the 

nightly guard commitment to consist of 12 to 15 men 

on watch during a given four, depending on cloud 

cover, moonlight, etc., and one man on a walking post 

inside the base. Under conditions of RED ALERT, 48 

men were required to man the fi ghting positions. 

For the relaxation of the troops, three temporary 

volleyball courts were erected. A permanent basketball/ volleyball court was planned. The goals could 

be folded down and the posts removed so that the concrete slab could be used as an emergency rnedivac 

pad. Hors eshoe pits appeared and football was played 

in the several open areas. 

Bunker Hill served as a comfort able and efficient 

operating base for the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry until 

their standdown on 17 June 1972. There were many 

engineering lessons learn ed durin g the construction of 

this base. Some technical considerations and special 

engineering conside rations inherent in underground 

construction in Military Region III are worthy of note­

• Salvage concxes are ideal for underground construc tion. Th ey are strong, waterti ght and convenient. 

Additional strength is obtained by turning a conex 

up-side-down since the bottom is better constructed than 

the top. An ideal salvage conex is one that is in perfect 

watertight condition, but with a damaged door. If one 

attempts to use conexes with major faults such as bad 

skids or rust-outs an additional well planned prog ram 

of bracing and waterproofing must be added to the 

basic work schedule. The over-all work control quality of base construction is greatly enh anced by careful 

inspection and selection of salvaged conexes. 

• Backfilling is a most delicate operation when 

using conexes. A medium-sized boulder can send a 

conex skating for six or seven fcet it it is allowed to 

drop against the side of the conex with uncontrolled 

velocity. 

• The PSP roof should have an overhang of at least 

one foot. However, sandbagging should come flush to 

the outer edge of the PSP. If the sandbags are placed 

back from the edge of the overhang, water has a tendency to pool on the PSP and then work its way back 

into the bunker. This can be prevented in part by sloping the roof to the outside, bu t there is always some 

uneven settlement which will allow the water to run the 

wrong way. 

• Unless there is time to run a soil analysis and 

arrive at an acceptable spread footer design, one should 

always use a continuous footer. This will retard differential settlement to a great degree. 

• If lumber is scarce, a planned utilization of bracing should be undertaken prior to backfilling of all 

major construct ion. If priority lists completion of the 

TOC first, lumber from the mess hall BOM should be 

used to add extra bracing to the TOC prior to its 

backfil l. Backfill pressures at eight feet can run as 

high as 2000 psi. The most feasible solution was to 

use a Case 450 mini dozer and let the backfill material slide slowly down into position. Tamping was unnecessary due to the jetting effect of the ra ins. 

• Around the living bunkers it was found that the 

best waterproofing was twelve foot wide rolls of plastic. 

One hundred foot lengths significantly reduced the 

number of seams. All seams were sealed using peneprime to glue the plastic together. Gluing vertical 

seams was an extremely dirty task . So reducin g the 

number of seams benefitted the work force as well as 

improved the watertightness. 

• The PSP roof was first covered by tar paper, then 

sealed with a coating of peneprime. The most constant problem encountered was voids along the edges 

of the conexes where the PSP and conex roof failed to 

match up properly. In these rough are as sandbags or 

dirt were used to level out the irregular surfaces. If the 

extra work wasn't done, then holes from either backfill or people walking were made into the otherwise watertight seal. Th e backfill of loose soil was then molded into a gable effect in order to enhance water runoff. 

The numerous people walking on or shoveling the 

loose soil yielded acceptable comp action . The soil was 

then stabilized using portland cement handraked into 

the soil. The cement was watered and allowed to set. A 

coating of pencprime was placed over the cement. A 

layer of peneprime-sealed, plastic was added. Peneprimed sandbags were used as a final cover. The sandbags must be the cloth type since the fiberglass type 

disintegrate rapidly when peneprime is placed on them . 

• A road design which minimizes the numb er of 

culverts and good landscaping are the key to good 

firebase drainage. Culverts are a constant problem because large vehicles crush the ends of them and foreign matter continually clogs them. Culverts that were 

found necessary were designed to maintain a minimum 

flow of two feet per second or more where possible. 

The self cleaning properti es of this velocity made the 

drainage system work efficiently. Where slope factors 

were unfavorable, open culverts were utilized to facilitate cleaning. A very essential part of keeping the 

culverts working is to prot ect their ends by some sort 

of culvert marker. This was accomplished by combining 155 canisters and 2x4s. A simple design such 

as this not only keeps the culverts open, but adds to 

24 
the esthetic value of the firebase. The cannister s were 

mounted on U shaped pickets so if hit by a vehicl e 

they were simply knocked down. They could also be 

removed for road spraying and then easily replac ed. 

This eliminated a constant need for repainting. 

• An acetylene set is the workhorse of a conex firebase. Doors must be removed, windows cut, passageways fabricated, firing ports cut, PSP trimmed, and 

many other handyman jobs done. There are defication 

barrels, trash barrels and shower barrels to be cut. 

Pipelines to the showers must be braised, and barrels 

to be used as hand wash facilities must have ven t! 

filling holes cut. 

• To facilitate air traffic control and aid the pathfinders in their duties, the log pad, combat assault pad 

and VP pad were centrally located on on e side of the 

firebase. This allowed the pathfinders to utilize one 

of the corner observ ation towers thus eliminating the 

need for an additional tower. The 35 meter fence was 

moved out to 50 meters to allow plenty of flying 

space for the combat assault and VIP pads and keep 

the troops inside the wire during combat assault operations. The log pad was located outside the 35 meter 

fence but inside the 100 meter fence. Locating the pads 

on one side of the firebase enabled the mess hall to be 

located as far as possible from the pads. The aid station was positioned close to the entrance to the base 

and convenient to the helicopter pads. 

• The water distribution system was centralized . 

Showers were located where water run off would tr avel 

the short est distance to the outside of the berm. This 

minimized standing water from showers. The water 

point pumped to one main 16 foot high tower. Gravity 

fed distribution led to the showers, drinking water 

tanks, mess hall, and mess hall wash rack area. The 

need for continuou s truck hauling on the firebase was 

minimized. The only remaining water haul was to fill 

the 55 gallon wa shing barrels that were maintained in 

the vicinity of the living and latrine areas for sanitation purposes. The distribution method incorpor ated 

at Bunker Hill was similar to a standard high rise 

water treatment plant. In stead of a heavy dut y high 

lift pump, a small 50 gallon per minute pump and a 

two and one-half ton utility veh icle with two 600 gallon pods were used . Water was carried from the river 

to the firebase where it was treated and filtered. The 

security element was required only two hours each 

day . Water runs times could also be altered to minimize the enemy's chances for ambush. 

• If at all possible, the latrines and showers should 

be prefabricated so that they can be set up and used 

early in the con struction ph ase. They should be built 

with durable skids so that frequent movement will not 

ruin them. 

• A grease trap should be installed in conjunction with the wash rack just inside the berm. This will 

aid in the sanitation program, sinc e there will be no 

garbage inside the berm. A sanitary land fill should 

also be put into operation at som e distance from the 

fireb ase. 

In the event the nine mile roa d from Bien Hoa to 

Bunker Hill was cut by the enemy or weather, and 

air traffic wa s grounded, storage facilities to sustain 

the ba se for up to five days were provided. Each fighting position contained a pre-positioned basic load of 

M79 , M60, and 5.62 ammunition in addition to that 

stored in the ASP. All artillery pieces had their basic 

load stor ed on site in well sandbagged bunker s. The 

me ss hall had 800 square feet of pure storage area, 

and the S4 had 1,200 square feet of storage . The 

medics used one complete conex for storage . Water 

tank s with 7,200 gallons of storage cap acity were also 

located on the ba se. 

Construction of a fire support ba se like Bunker Hill 

requires a significant inve stment in time, effort, and 

materials, but the result of the 35 da y effort was a 

highly defensible, self-sustained, and efficient battalionsized operating base. 

While Bunker Hill will probably prove to be the 

last of the major U nited States fire ba ses con structed 

in South Vietnam, the lessons learned in its construction still have lasting validity. e 

Maj or Peter J. Ofjringa is currently attending the 

Command and General Staff College at Fort L eavenworth. He served as the Engine er for the 3d Brigade 

(Separate ), Jst Cavalr v Division (A irmobile) in Vietnam during the period that Bunker Hill was being 

built. He is a /961 graduate of th e United Stat es Military A cade my and later served there as an instructor 

in the Ch emistry Department from 1968-1971 . Th e 

major holds an MS degree from the Univ ersity of California at Davis and is a registered professional engineer in the State of Pennsylvania. 

25 
Ma;or Don W . Barber Equalio lor rnp 

Quality Control-Product Tmprovement! This rather 

simplistic equation is universally applicable to the 

producti on of an y item. Whil e th e product of the 

military training and com ba t devel opments system is 

unique, nonetheless, its production is governed by the 

parameters of the same product improvement equation . 

The achievement of improved readiness, which depends upon both better training and viable combat 

developments, is contingent upon a thorough understanding of the param et ers of th e equation. 

Tn an effort to make true re adiness a reality for the 

Army's engineer, the U SA ES h as embarked on an 

in-depth progr am for th e qu ality con tro l of its products. 

This pr ogr am centers on one of the mo st important 

and unfortunately most ofte n forgotten clements of 

the communication process-feedback . Our products 

a re equipme nt, materials. organization s, doctrinal and 

trainin g literatu re. tr aining aids, a nd tr ain ed personnel. 

Wh en prope rly prepared and bu ilt int o a common 

sys tem- m ilita ry engineering-these pr oducts are capable of performing th eir readiness mission in superlative 

fashi on . The caveat " prope rly prepar ed ," is the fly in 

the ointme nt. Up to now the gauge for measuring th e 

value of our products has been somewhat peremptory 

and a t best cursory. In the past the USAES has reli ed 

upon mailed questionnaires to graduates of school 

courses and an occ asional comment on a field manual 

by a few interested persons to evaluate our products. 

Resp onses to mail ed que stionnaires h ave been poor 

with les s than a 30 % return rate . Thus the d ata used 

for combat and training devel opmen t was sketchy at 

best. Such a ca valier approach ca n no longer be tole ra ted . After an in-depth study. a syste m for data 

collection- T he Fi eld Feedback System-was established . It con sists of th e following eleme nts: field 

visita tion: debriefing of U SA ES staff and faculty: debri efin g of student perso nnel ; MOS test pr oficiency 

data ; mailed ques tionnaires, to USA ES gra dua tes ; and 

resear ch feedback. E ach of th ese elements is dis cussed 

below­

• Fi eld Visitation Program. This program provides 

for annual visits to units which use the U SA E S mission 

products. Th ese visits will be accomplished by a relatively small team (4-5 personnel) of representative 

specialists who will sample Arm y-wide users of the 

schoo l's products with questionnaires and interviews. 

Their intention is to gather data on which to evaluate 

the worth of these products. 

• Debriefing of Assigned PersonneL This data collection mode formalize s a previous informal practice 

by using the basic collection devices associated with 

the Field Visitation Program. It will assure the backgro und and experience th at an individual brings to 

the sch ool on his assignment will be considered in th e 

assessment of the USAES mission products. The 

mechanism for data collection is under development. 

Implementati on is sched uled for 3rd Quarter FY 74. 

• Debriefing of Student Personnel. This mode will 

insure th at the experience and background of selected 

students are tapped in the coll ec tion of appropriate 

field feedback data. A pilot program wa s conducted 

with the current EOAC class. 

• MOS Proficiency Test Data . Thc reports generated by the U. S. Arm y Enlisted Evaluation Center 

pr ovide a valuable sour ce of feedback and will be 

emphasized in the future implementation of the total 

Fi eld Feedback Survey System. The data collection 

device is under development. 

• Mailed Graduate Questionaire . T raditionally this 

data mod e had been the sole collection device . Unde r 

the new F ield Feedback concept, the mailed qu estionnaire will be a stand-by mode for use only as a 

supplement for specified reasons. 

• Research Feedback. This mode us es the feedback data of other service scho ols h aving significant 

blocks of Engineer-related instruction in their curricula . Once implemented , th e ana lysis of such fee dback wiII complement the data received through other 

modes. 

T he major collection vehicle in the Feedback System wiII be th e F ield V isit ation Program. For it is 

through direct , face-to-f ac e co mmu nication th at the 

most reliable data to be used both in th e systems 

engineering of USAES curricula and training developments, and in combat developments will be accrued. 

Systems engin eering is a term that has recently 

26 
roved eadiness Major Matthew J. Jones, Jr. 

entered the lexicon of the service school staffs and 

faculties. In essence, it is an elaboration of the classic 

problem solving scheme-identify the prob lem, determi ne alternative solutions, and redu ce or eliminate 

the problem through the application of the optimum 

feasible alternative solution. Systems engineering is 

being ap plied to all USAES courses and training develop ments. It consists of elements shown in Figure 1. 

In tra ining or in combat developments, qua lity control is fundamental to produc t improvement. Quality 

control cannot be effected without feedback . The refore , feedback is essential to product improvement 

It mu st be a continuous process in order to keep pace 

with the dynamic training and combat development 

environment that surrounds the Army engineer in the 

field. 

Wha t Has Been Done? In order to obtain more reliable data from a more representative sample of product users , the USAES proposed the Field Feedb ack 

System. With concept approval from CONAR C and 

aCE, the USAES fi elded a pilot Field Visitation 

Program to survey 19 engineer units in Europe durin g 

March 1973. 

The Field Visitation Te am (co mposed of 5 personnel) visited two comba t engineer brigade headquarters, 

an engineer group headquarters, seven engineer battalion s, and five separate engineer companies. The 

team survey included questions pertaining to: MaS 

tasks for 24 of the 164 engineer skills; equipment 

usage; training liter ature usage; non-re sident (correspondence) subcourse rsage; a unit training survey 

abo ut training problems (a follow-on to the En gineer 

Dynamic Training Survey of Ja nuary 1972 ) and 

missions assigned to units; proposed assault engineer 

functions; and revision to the Ca reer Management 

Fields (eMF) for engineer soldiers. Overall , the 

return rate for questionnaires was ap proximately 68 % . 

The other 32% did not respond for various, reasons, 

viz, personnel not available at home station, the survey 

was too difficult or too long, shortages of surveyed 

MOS 's, and five of the 1200 pe rsonnel surveyed just 

didn 't give a damn. 

While the data from USAREUR cannot be considered as totally representative of the training and 

combat development universe, several clues evolved 

on how to improve the visitation prog ram, i.e., what 

questions to ask, how to ask them, and how to man age 

the volume of data gathered. This visit proved conclusively tha t the field has many lessons learned that 

need to be passed on and that these lessons are more 

likely to be tra nsmitted to a person through direct 

communication than via a piece of paper to a faceless, 

nameless offic e an infinity away . An initial analysis 

has been made of the unit training portion and cert ain 

of the individual training portions of the USA REUR 

Field Visit. The results arc summarized below: 

• Unit Training. There were 245 Unit Training 

questionnaires sent to USAREU R. Approximately 

60 % ( 144) were retur ned, 51 % (74) enlisted and 

49 % ( 70 ) offic er. By unit, respondents were abo ut 

equally divided between engineer combat and construction units. Highlights of the findings were : 

-Drug/ alcohol abuse and short age of key MaS's 

were the major personnel obstacles impacting on 

training. 

-It is also significant that enlisted personnel reported unit mor ale and discipline as verging on 

being a major problem . 

-Significantly, neither the shortage of TOE, nor 

inoperative TOE, equipment was reported as creating a serious problem affecting tr aining although 

combat units indicated a more severe problem 

( 26 %-major problem) than did construction units 

(l 3% - major problem) . 

- Demolition are as and qua rry/borrow sites were 

reported in short supply with combat units having 

major problems in demolition training area availability (46% -major problem ) . 

- Practice/iner t mine availability was seriously degrading realistic mine-countermine training of combat engineer units. 

- General construction materials such as plumbing 

and electrical supplies, and lumber were in short 

supply. 

-Twenty-five percent indic ated tha t local safe ty/ 

environmental restrictions were major problems af27 
fecting training. This response was primarily keyed 

to the range restric tion for demolition s (ma ximum 

of 40 pounds per shot) and not being allowed to 

cut nati ve timber. 

-Many personnel indicated little or no knowled ge 

of their unit Army Training Program and hence had 

no real concept of what to train or how to train 

- Only 23 % had read ATP 5-35T, but of those 

who had 69% indic ated tha t it was an improvement ove r the existing ATP . 

-There was a wide divergence of opinion between 

offi cer and enlisted personnel regarding the value 

of the ATTS/ORTT'S received in the past year. 

The officers believed that the ATT's were not a 

good test of mission, staff actions, logistics, and 

materiel readiness while the enlisted personnel , in 

the main, felt that the ATT's were excellent. 

- T here was little usage of non-MOS Army Subject Schedul es. 

- Over 33% of those responding had never participate d in a test or exe rcise at the company, platoon , or squad level. Approximately 40 % had never 

parti cip ated in a combined arms FTX and over 

70 % had never parti cip ated in engineer airmobile 

training. 

- The training suppo rt from the next higher headquarters- schedulin g of training facilities, guidance, etc-was rated as poo r to fair. 

- Ap proximately 36 % indicated th at mandatory 

subjects are a major impediment to unit training. 

- On the average about 27 days/ year were spent 

in field trai ning near home station, 50 days in field 

train ing away from home station, and 15 nights in 

field training. Of particul ar significance, however, 

was the low average percentage of personnel available for such field training (over 43% indicated 

that only 60-75 % of the troops were present for 

field training) . Additiona lly, the average num ber 

of days spent in the field was indicated by construction unit pr oject TDY and does not accurately 

reflect the actu al time spent in the fi eld by combat 

engineer units. 

- Onl y 37 % had heard of the Engineer Dynamic 

Training Coun cil. A higher percentage 44 % , had 

read the Dynamic T raining Articles in the engineer. 

Magazine. 

• Ind ividual Training. The indi vidual training surveys ana lyzed to-da te pertain to combat and construct ion officer questionnaire s. The object ives of 

these su rveys were to : validat e job task inventories 

for the 1328, 1330 , 1331, and 1342 officer MOS's ; 

determine on-the-job p roficiency of USAES officer 

graduates in the above MOS's; assess the effectiveness of USAES teaching methods/media as a step 

in quality control of course design ; obtain reactions 

to published training literature for the purpose a 

improving its utility to the user ; and assess the 

effectiveness of USAES correspondence courses. 

Sixty-three combat engin eer and 24 construction 

engineer officers responded to the questionnaire 

comprising a 66 % and 61.5% return rate, respectively. 

Figures 2 and 3 depict the tasks rated most difficult. 

Note in Figure 2 that only one task, No. 26, involved 

a knowledge of combat engineer expertise. Both 

Figures 2 and 3 show a great deal of agreem ent in 

tasks found diffi cult and their relative order of priority. 

Most tasks fou nd difficult were those that fall in the 

general area of L eadership. The preponderan ce of the 

remainder of the tas ks in both Figures 2 and 3 pertain 

to defi cienc ies in Training Managem ent . 

Figures 4 and 5 show the most fre quently done tasks 

and average frequency by functional are a for combat 

engineer officers. Th ese data show that combat engineer 

officers in USAR EUR are spending relatively little time 

on comba t engineer related tasks. This finding correlates with the data in Figure 2 and partially explains 

the dearth of combat engineer tasks found to be most 

difficult, since the level of difficulty will vary with the 

scope of tasks perform ed. 

Figures 6 and 7 show the most frequently done tasks 

and aver age freque ncy by funct ional area for construction engineer offi cers. An analy sis of these data show 

most construction tasks are verti cal in nature and the 

preponderance were in the building ren ovati on and 

self help categories. It appears th at construction engineers in USARECR do not ext ensively wo rk on large 

scale, MCA type, construction projects. Oth er findings 

included: 

- A suggested increase in EOB C instruction for 

comp any admini str ation. 

- A gene ral acceptance of the adequacy of existing training aids and publications. 

-Satisfaction with the tech nical con tent of USAES 

corresponden ce courses. 

Reserve Com ponents Feed back 

The Fiel d Visitation Pro gram is a phased program. 

Ph ase I consisted of the pilot USARE UR study . Phase 

n will consist of visits to both Active Army and 

Reserve Component enginee r units. In view of the 

increase d emp hasis being accorded the Reserve Componnts, the liaison subprogram of the USAES Expanded 

Reserve Compo nent Support Pr ogram was seized on as 

an interim measure for soliciting feedback from the 

Reserve Components until phase II is initiated . The 

visiting team has been composed of officer representatives of the two Deputy Comm andants of the USAES 

to insure full coverage of the two major aspects of 

28 
the USAES mission, viz., training and education, and 

combat and training developments. Units visited to-date 

include the 41 2th ENCOM ( USAR), 416th ENCOM 

(USAR), 41lth Engineer Brigade (USAR), 16th 

Engioeer Brigade (OHARNG ) , and 168th Engineer 

Brigad e (MSARNG ). The feedback through this team 

has pr esented a generally consistent picture of the 

status of tr aining within Reserve Component Engineer 

Units. This picture reveals the following : 

- The mor ale and esprit de corps is high within 

those units visited. 

- A positive desire to improve training was 

abundantly evident in all units visited. 

- The constraints which act upon the Reserve Compon ents are in many cases different from those 

which drive the Active Arm y with time being the 

principa l constraint. 

- By and large the Active Army is uninformed, or 

worse mis-informed, as to the Reserve Components. 

- Training of con struction units is progressing extremely well through a variety of site/ installation 

and domestic action con struction proj ects. 

- Conversely, the ove r-commitment of combat 

engineer units to site/installation and domestic 

action project s is severely degrading combat engineer 

dynamic mission training. 

- T he lack of weekend 101' (Inactive Du ty Training) sites to cenduct realistic mission training is 

also severely degrading training, particularly for 

combat engineer units. 

- The R. C. units need more assets in the way of 

training funds and/ or train ing materiel , both consumable and non-consum able, to ma ke train ing more 

dynami c. 

-Trainin g assistance can be met in man y cases 

from resources close at hand such as increased use 

of USAR Schools, sharing of expertise and/ or equipment among un its in close proximity to one another 

both USAR and ARNGUS, and incre ased use of 

training institutions both public and private. 

- Equ ipm ent availability vari es among the uni ts 

with steady improvement in program. 

- T here was an intense interest in the new ATP/ 

ATT/ N-MOS ASUBJSCD development using the 

systems engineering ap proa ch,-objective/ task completi on rath er th an the cyclic BUT/ AUT approach . 

- T he R.C. units were most receptive to the Field 

Fe edback Visitation Pr ogram and, indeed, anxio us 

to participate and be given the opportunity to have 

a voice in the form ulation of programs gove rni ng 

their training. 

-Although there have been num erou s obvious successes in improved/dyn ami c training, commanders 

recognize that much more needs to be done . A 

principal concern of the commanders and their staffs 

was the devising of some motivation/incentive which 

would stimulate interest in training. Personnel need 

to be stimulated to the point where they are ea ger 

to participate in and , inde ed , look forward to realistic, hands-on, mission training during weekend 

MUTA ( Multiple Unit Tr aining Assemblies). 

- Those units that have received additional paid 

drill time for training preparation have experienced 

a greater level of improved training than those units 

without sueh authorizati on. 

- The engineer mogazine is widely recogni zed 

as a useful media to share the wealth of traininginnovations being developed. 

- A need is seen for larger unit exercises and development of CPX's to train and test major engineer 

headquarters. 

In conjunction with the evaluation of selected Reserve Component unit annual tr aining, a testing of 

questionnaires to be used for the Field Visitation 

Pr ogram during Phase II is being conducted. 

What is Being Done Now? The USAES is curr ently 

analyzing the remainder of the myri ad of data collected in Europe for MOS 's. Th e major results from feedback recei ved to dat e are being used for development 

of USAES and USAT C-Engineer/Fort Leonard Wood 

curricula, MOS ASUBJSCD' s, ATP's/ ATT's/N-MOS 

AS UBJSCD's, and training literat ure such as the one 

sto p MOS study guides. 

What is Planned? 

- Expansion of the Engineer School team VISitS,
 

down to and including separate engineer groups.
 

- Implementa tion of Phase II of Field Visitation
 

Pr ogram with visits by the selected specialist team
 

to Re serve Component and Active Army units in
 

the field .
 

Field Fee dback is the principal element of the en­


gineer traini ng community quality control effort. It 

will be the major driving force in the continuing recvalnation and updating of USAES products. 

All commanders and staffs are ur ged to keep the 

USAES in their communication cycle as we try to 

keep you in ours. For it is only through dialogue (read 

that dual feedback ) tha t Qu ality Control = Pr odu ct 

Improvement. e 

Ma jor Matthew J. Jones Jr. is the Chiej, Reserve 

Com ponent Support Division, Department oj Army 

Wide Tr aining Support, U S Army Engineer School. 

Since his commissioning in 1962 , he has served with 

the 326 th Airborne En gineer Battalion, 8th and 2d 

Engineer Battali ons, U S A rmy Supp ort CommandVietnam, MACV, and Test Command, Defense Nu29 
clear Agency. He has a M asters Degree in civil en­ eluding Sp ecial A ssisian t to th e Commandant of the 

gineering from Stanford Uni versity and is a graduate USA ES , Li eutenants A ssignment Offi ce r for the Enof th e Engin eer Officer Advan ced Course and the gineer Branch, the U. S. Na val Support For ce for 16 

Com mand and General Staff College. m onths in A ntarctic a on the ice, Con struction Staff 

- ------- - ---- ---------_..- Officer in Vie tnam, and with the 27th En gineer BatMa jor Don W. Barber is the fo rm er Chief of th e talion. He has atte nded the En gineer Officer Basic 

Unit Training Branch for the Deputy Commandant of Course, and the A irborne and Ranger courses. The 

Co m bat and Training De velopment at the En gineer major also attended Graduate School at th e Uni versity 

School , Fort Belvoir, Virginia, and is a member of of T ennessee in 1966 and the Command and General 

the Dynamic Training Council. Sin ce entering the Sta ff College in 1970-1 971. A professional engineer, 

A rm y in 196 2 and receiving an R A commission', he he is current ly the S-3 o f the 12 th Engineer Battalion 

has serv ed in a number of engineer assignments in- in Germany. 

Figure 2 

Most Di f f icu l t Tasks - Combat Of ficers 

Sample Size = 48 

Ta sk 11 Di ff % Diff 

1 . Develop r e sponsib ility i n subordinates 2 7 56% 

2 . I mprov e uni t mor ale , espr i t de cor ps, e t c . 26 54/0 

3. Ha ndl e disruptive influences 25 52% 

4 . Motiva te s ubor d i na tes e f f ec t i ve ly 24 50% 

5. Impr ove pe r sonal qua lifi ca t ions t o be be t t e r leader 22 46% 

6 . Develop good human r elations within unit 21 44% 

7. Conduct l awful search/seizur e 19 40% 

8. Identify drug/alcohol a bus e r s for disciplinar y action 17 35% 

9 . Eva l uate unit f or morale, exprit, e tc . 17 35% 

10 . Commu ni ca t e e f fe c t ive l y 17 35% 

11 . Choose pr ope r style of leadership 16 33% 

12 . I dentif y pee r group pressure wi t h i n unit 16 33% 

13 . Initiate elimin ation procedur es 16 33% 

14. Prepare enlisted effic i ency r eport 15 31% 

15. Us e AR 635-206 a nd AR 635 -2 12 14 2 9/0 

16. Ana l y ze time and resources for training 13 2 7% 

17. Pr e pa r e unit training s chedul e 13 2710 

18. ounse~ sub or di na tes 13 2770 

19. Enforce supp ly ec onomy 13 2 7% 

20 . Advi se subordinat es on s e r v i ce bene fits 12 25% 

21 . Interpret pay voucher 11 23/0 

22. Eva l ua t e un it training requirements 11 23/0 

23 . Supe rvi s e unit a th l e t i cs 11 23/0 

24 . Check morning report f or accuracy 11 23% 

25 . Se l ec t training methods 11 23/0 

26 . Pr epa r e demo target r econ report/target folder 10 2 1/0 

27. Develop unit training ob j ec t i v e s 10 21/0 

28 . Pr e pa r e unit tra ining directives 10 21% 

29. Suppo r t drug and alcohol abuse programs 10 21/0 

30. Coordinate operator testing/licensing 10 21% 

30 
Pr oblem 

Identification 

Al ter na t ive 

Soluti ons 

Determination 

Op timum 

Sol ut i on 

Application 

1 

Step 2
 

Step 3
 

4 ep

Step 5 

rep6 

Step 7 

Fi gur e 1. Sys t ems Engineering Pr ocess 

Individual Training Unit Tr aining 

J ob Ana lys i s Mission Ana l ysis 

Selecting Tas ks for Tra ining Selec t i ng Tas ks f or Training 

Tra ining Analys i s Task Ana lysi s 

Developing Tr a i ni ng Ma teria ls 

ATP/ATT/N-MOS ASUBJSCD Developme nt 

Developing Evaluation te i a

Conduct of Tra i ni ng Conduct of Tr aining 

Qualit y Control Quality Contr ol 

Figure 3 

Most Difficult Tasks - Construction Of f icers 

Sampl e Siz e - 21 

Task 

1. Develop responsibility in sub ordinates 

2 . Devel op go od human relations wit h i n unit 

3. Improve personal qua l ities t o be better leader 

4 . Ide ntif y pe er group pre s s ur es wi t h i n un i t 

5 . Prepare enlisted efficiency repor t 

6 . Conduct lawful search / seizur e 

7 . Improve unit mor a le, e s prit de corps , etc. 

8 . Estimate c ompaction equipment r equir ements 

9 . Mot iva t e subordinates effec tively 

10. Handl e disrupt ive i nfluence s 

11. Initiate rec ommendati ons f or awa rd s/de co r a t io ns 

12 . Advise s ubordina t e s on serv ice bene f its 

13. Perfor m a cti vities i n accordance w/profe ssiona l e t h i c s 

14 . Evaluate unit training requir ements 

15. Establish effe c t i ve wor k r elations w/subo rd ina t es 

16 . Establish e f f ective work r elations w/supe rior s 

17. Dir ect EH t o prope r channe l for a s sista nce 

18 . Identi fy alcohol and drug abu ser s for discip linary ac t i o n 

19. Pla n vertica l construction 

20 . Evaluate sui ta b i l i ty of ma ter ia l s ava i labl e 

21 . Ana l yze area being drained 

22 . Select training methods (incl dynamic traini ng) 

23, Instruct a cla ss. 

24 . Coun s el subordinate s 

25 . Evaluate u ni t for mor a l e , espri t , e t c . 

26 . Selec t routes f or unit mov ements 

2 7 . Check unit or de r s 

1t Diff /0 Diff 

11 52% 

9 43% 

9 43% 

9 43 '10 

9 437, 

8 38/0 

8 3810 

7 33

7 33% 

7 33% 

7 33% 

6 29/0 

6 297, 

6 29/0 

6 29/ 0 

6 29% 

6 29% 

5 24% 

5 24/0 

5 24/0 

5 24/0 

5 24/0 

5 24/0 

5 24% 

5 24"10 

5 24% 

5 24% 

31 
Figure 4
 

Most Frequently Done Tasks - Combat Of ficers
 

Sample Size '" 48 

Task 1f Done % Done 

1 . Prepa r e enlisted efficiency report 43 89"10 

2 . 

3 . 

Direct EM to proper cha nne l f or assistance 

Rec omme nd individualS fo r promotion/demotion 

43 

42 

89'1,

8n 

4 . Land Nav i ga t e 39 8 1% 

5 . Pe r f orm duties as class A agent 39 81% 

6 . personal physical fitness 37 77% 

7. Appr ove leave or pass r equests 36 75'10 

8 . Use/supervise us e of M16Al/M203 35 7310 

9 . Use protect ive ma sk 35 73/0 

10. Use tactical radio equipment 35 73% 

11. Inspect wea po ns 34 71% 

12. Use and Supervise use of . 45 cal pistol 32 67% 

13. Supe rvi s e un it athletics 30 62% 

14. Se rve as member o f unit pr omot i on board 30 62% 

15 . Check mor ni ng r e port f or a ccura cy 29 60/0 

16 . Check duty r oster 29 60% 

17. Enf orce supply econ omy 29 60/0 

18. Sup ervis e unit physical t r a i ni ng pr og ram 28 58% 

19. Supervise unit movements 28 58% 

20 . Check military correspondence 28 58/0 

21 . Perform unit mess sanitation insp 2 7 56% 

22. Ana lyze transportation requirements 27 56% 

23 . Supervis e use of equip op e r a t iona l rec 27 56% 

24. Evaluate phy s i ca l secur i ty 26 54% 

25. Select transportation r ou tes 26 54% 

26. Perf orm duties of convoy/serial c ommander 26 54% 

2 7 . Inspect veh i c l es f or proper l oading 26 54% 

28. Insure proper use pho ne t i c alphabet 26 54% 

29. Initiate recommendations for awar ds z'decor a t i ons 26 54% 

30. Supervis e use of DA Form 2408-14 26 54% 

31. Perform preventive ma i nt e na nce opera t ions 26 54% 

32. Obtain mil geog r a ph i c documents for op n 25 52% 

33 . Supervise use of dump trucks 25 52"10 

34. Ana l yze transportation routes 25 52'70 

35 . Perform ve hic le sa fet y inspection 25 52'70 

36. Enf orce authentificati on procedures 25 52'70 

37 . Initiate e l i mi na t io n proceedings. 25 52'70 

38. Super v i s e use equi p ma i nt r ecords 25 52/0 

39. Control platoon/company org ma i nt 25 5210 

32 
Figure 5 

Average Frequency by Functi onal Area - Combat Of f i c e r s 

Se c t ion Av g /v Done 

1. Bridging 27% 

2 . Vertical Construction 19/0 

3 . Hori z ontal Construction 6% 

4 . Ut ili t i e s 4% 

5 . Ce o logy and Quarrying 1% 

6 . Equipment Utilization 15 /0 

7. Combat Construction Managemen t 31% 

8 . Pipeline Construction 0% 

9. Engineer Reconnaissance 3 1% 

10 . Explo sives and Demoliti on 25% 

11 . Mi ne/Cou nte r mi ne Wa rfa re 15'10 

12. Field For t i fi c a t ions 8/0 

13 . Camoufla ge 12% 

14. Co ncrete 12% 

15. Atomic Demolition Mu n i t ions 4% 

16. As saul t Rive r Cr ossing s 19% 

17. Engineer Combat Support 23% 

18. Rig ging 4% 

19. En vironmental Considerations 1010 

Figure 6 

Mos t Frequentl y Done Tasks - Construction Of ficers 

Sample Size = 21 

Task if Done % Done 

1. Esimate c onstruction equipment requirements 17 81% 

2 . Mai n ta i n per sona l physical fitne s s 17 81% 

3. Recommend individuals for promotion/demotion 17 81% 

4. Direc t EM to proper channel f or assistance 17 81/0 

5. Prepare enlisted efficiency report 16 76/0 

6. Evaluat e suitability of materials available 15 71% 

7. Initiate reconme nda t i on s for awa r d s/d e cor a t i on s 15 71% 

8. Ana lyze c onstruction directive 15 71% 

9 . Conduct inv estigation of wor k site 15 71% 

10. De v elop a c t ivi t i e s list 15 71% 

11. Estimate res ource requir ements f or an a c t ivi ty 15 71% 

12. Estimate material requirements f or a n a c t ivi ty 15 7110 

13. Estimate equipment requirements f or an activity 15 71/0 

14. Esti mate manp ower requirements for an activity 15 71/0 

15. Estimate durati on of an activity 15 71/0 

16. Estimate projec t duration 15 711'0 

Prepare c onstruction schedule 15 71/0 

Revise c onstruction schedule 15 711'0 

19. Use c onstruction schedule 15 71/0 

20. Evaluate c anst site (subdiv/drng/eartwk ) 14 67% 

33 
21 . Interpret s pecificati on /construction draw i ngs 

22 . Inspect building constructi on 

23 . Es t ima t e dump truck r e quireme nts 

24 . Prepa re l ogic ne t work 

25 . Appr ove leave or pa s s r eque s ts 

26 . Plan ve rtica l constructi on 

27 . Pl a n si t e pr e par a t ion 

28 . I nspect mas onry cons t r uc tion 

29 . Supe rvise use of TOE con s tructi on t oo l s 

30 . Plan r enovations a nd r emodel i ng 

31 . Inspect r enova t i on s a nd r emode l i ng 

32 . Pe r f or m duties as cla ss A a ge nt 

33 . Super v i se ver t i ca l constr uction 

34 . Sup ervise pl ac ement of con cr ete forms 

35 . Supervise r enovations and r emodeling 

36 . Prepa r e qua l i t y control plan 

37 . Implement quality control pl a n 

38. Pl an unit movements 

39 . Ana l yze transportation requ irements 

40 . Al l oca te trans portati on a s s e t s 

41 . Plan ma s onry constr uction 

42 . Supervi se plac ing/f i nish i ng / cur ing concrete 

43 . Conduct small scale r enovation and r emode l i ng 

44 . Check r enovati on/r emodeling of buildi ng 

45 . Esti ma te scoop loader r e qui r ements 

46 . Admi ni s t e r physica l prof i ciency t ests 

4 7. Use /supervise use of . 45 cal pi s tol 

Figure 7 

Average Frequency by Functional Area 

Sample Size = 21 

Section 

1. Bridging 

2. Vertical Construction 

3. Horizontal Construction 

4. Utilities 

5. Geology and Quarrying 

6. Equipment Utilization 

7. Construction Management 

8. Pipeline Construction 

9. Engineer Reconnaipsance 

10. Explosives and Demolitions 

11. Mine/Countermine Warfare 

12. Field Fortif ications 

13. Camouflage 

14. Concrete 

15. Atomic Demolition Munitions 

16. Assault River Crossings 

17 . Engineer Combat Support 

18. Rigging 

19. Environmental Considerations 

20 . Soils Engineering 

14 67% 

14 67h. 

14 67'7. 

14 67'7. 

14 67% 

13 62% 

13 62% 

13 62'70 

13 62'70 

13 62% 

13 

13 

62/0

6n 

12 5 71. 

12 5 7% 

12 5 7% 

12 57% 

12 5770 

12 5710 

12 5 7"10 

12 5 7"1. 

11 5n 

11 52% 

11 52io 

11 52% 

11 52'70 

11 52% 

11 sn , 

- Construction Officers 

Avg % Done 

5% 

40% 

10% 

10% 

1% 

19% 

71% 

010 

5% 

4% 

3% 

l io 

5% 

no 

Oio 

0/0 

5% 

1% 

5% 

5% 

34 
.....UJ LL
 

au 

SergeClnt First Class Cha rles T. Lewis 

ancient times, the term "explosives" meant only In 

one thing: black powder, a mixture of po tassium 

nitrate, sulfur, and charcoal. It was Roger Bacon who, 

in 1249, first published the formula to save himself 

from an accusati on of witchcr aft. 

Of course, black powder con tinu es to survive to 

this day but the commercial produ ction of th is first 

generation explosive by civilian manufacture rs ha s had 

a rap id decline in recent yea rs. The U.S. Army is 

currently the greatest single consume r of bl ack powder , 

and during 1967 and 1968 the Army pr ocurement 

was more than 4,00 0,000 poun ds per year, and about 

1,500,000 pounds in 1969, and about 800 ,000 in 1970. 

The " boom" also ha s fad ed from the business of 

manufacturing and using dynamite a long and faithful 

workhorse for both civilian and military engineers. The 

DuPont Corporation , the giant of the industry, has 

closed down all but two of its dynamite manufacturing 

plants and the number of facilities owned and oper ated 

by ot her com pa nies th at remain so engaged has. in 

just the pa st l2 years, gone from 36 to only 14. 

Estimates ar e that dynamite will drop to five percent 

of the explosives mark et by 1890. 

With the apparent passage of an explosive that ha s 

done a "bang-up" job for so many years. one must 

wonder what factors co nstribute to its demise. Safety 

is a definite factor but so phistic ation in the state-of-theart has resulted in blasting agents which can do a 

bett er job , mor e efficiently, and ar e 80 percent less 

expensive than dynamite. One example is ANF O (Ammonium Nitra te/Fuel Oil) . ANFO. as of 197 i , has 

"blown-up" to the 70 percent mark on the scal e that 

measures the nation 's explosive mark et. A cost of 

from four cents to six cents per pound make s ANFO 

ver y attrac tive for large scale production blasting and 

ea rthmoving. 

A second example of a bl asting agent that ha s rapidly 

gained in popularity as a repl acem ent for dynamite 

is an explosive closely rela ted to ANFO cal1ed slurry . 

To comprehend fully the evolution of slurry explos ives, 

one must start with the discovery tha t adding fuel oil 

to pelletized ammonium nitrate. (fe rtilizer) . called 

prills, resulted in the making of ANFO. 

Unfortunately, ANFO is not with out se vera l drawbacks, including its low den sity and ability to attra ct 

and abso rb moisture. Paradoxically, it was found tha t 

through the addition of water . with suitable sta bilizing 

agents, and, if desired , gelling agents, most problems 

could be overcome . Hence. slurry. And. as a bonu s, 

hand ling of the explosive is simp lified. Water-based 

slurries or gels vary in consiste ncy from a heavy paste 

of jelly to a solid rubbery mass, depending on the gelling agents used, the most common being a type of 

gum. Gelling agents se rve to insure a homogeneous 

consistency and fac ilitate handling. 

It can be only too obvious, even to the casual 

observer, that the recent intr od uction of ANFO and 

slurries ha s already revolution ized construc tion bla sting 

with the adva ntage s of econom y. sa fety. varied applicati on . compatabili tv with rock tran smitt al velocities, 

and rap id. voidless le ading of holes. Unlike his civil 

counterpar t, the milit ary engineer is fortun ate in th at 

the conv entional demolition-type explosives main tain ed 

in the Army 's arse nal includes M-l milit ary dynamite. 

which because of the exclu sion of nitro-glycerin in its 

make-up and its ready ava ilability in the face of dwindling comme rcia l dynamite sources. offers the user some 

of the adva nt ages sought after. and obtained, from 

AN FO/ Slur ries. In a word, military dynamite, etc., 

provides a natur al stepping-stone to that day in the 

future when ANFO/Slurries are in common usage by 

U.S. Army En gineers. 

Ju st a little foresight allows one to visualize a mobi le. 

pump-equi pped , transit-mi xer arr iving at the construction Engineer Battalion 's qu arr y, safely blending the 

slurry chem icals at the blast site to a va riable, contro lled density, and pumping it int o a boreh ole all 

in a single, smoot h opera tio n.- Fi re-In-The-Hol e! e 

Sergeant First Class Charles T . Lewis entered the 

A rmy in 7961 and has served with the 17th Engineer 

Battalion, 2d A. D.; 11th Engineer Battalion , Korea; 

78th Engineer Battalion, Germany; and the 65th 

Engineer Battalion, 25 th ln fantry Division in Vi etnam. 

His military education includes graduation from the 

Combat Engineer Noncommissioned Officer Course in 

Germany, the En gineer NCO Course and the Engineer 

NCO Advanced Course at Fort Belvoir, Virginia . The 

sergeant is currently assigned as the senior enlist ed 

Instructor of the Dem olition and Mine Warfare Division, U.S. Army Engin eer School at Fort Belvoir. 

35 
E-CU TER 

Why can't the Army do a better job of training 

for mine-countcrmine (M /CM) operations? Is is 

because: 

•	 Commanders are not conc erned?
 

TRUE FALSE
 

•	 Of poor guid ance from the Pentagon?
 

TRUE FALSE
 

•	 Of inadequate advice from Engineers?
 

TRUE FALSE
 

•	 M/CM doctrine is wrong?
 

TRUE FALSE
 

In my opini on, all are true. Commanders are not 

concerne d- at least not enough. Current guidance 

from the Pentagon is poor, in part because it was 

based on inadequ ate advice from Engin eers. Our minecountermine doctrine is wrong, when it comes to who 

is responsible for what. 

Th ese views obviously do not represent a n. offi cial 

position of the Army nor The Engineer School at Fort 

Belvoir, Virginia. They do, however, reflect a consensus 

(% OF TOTAL CASUALTIES) 

KOREA 

PERSONNEL 3 13 

CO M BAT 

VEH 2\ 38 7 9 ICLES 

Colonel W. R. 

of the Working Group on Training Chaired by (me) 

Colon el Hylander at a Barrier/ Countcrbarrier Conference held at Fort Benning in May 1973. As such 

the y are causing a new look at a number of actions, 

and they should be of interest to trainers in the field, 

Mine and boobytrap personnel casualties, as percentages of total casualties, rose from three percent 

in World War II to 13 percent in Vietnam , Combat 

vehicle ca sualties, alread y high in World War If almost 

quadrupled in Vietn am. Commanders in Vietn am did 

get concerned, and in the late sixties that concern triggered studies by a board of general officers, by the 

Combat Developm ents Command, and by others. But 

it's now 1973, and let's look at that concern as it is 

reflected in mine-c ounr errnine tr aining today, 

In Ba sic Combat Training, trainees get only two 

hours (of a seven week, four day course) ; it is essentially an introduction to countermine warf are plus 

how to employ a Claymore mine . Th is is half what 

it was in 1971, but at least better than noth ing in 

BAS IC r,:,Q .~ ~. ..l!:JJ.r\.!.q. 16 HR, 

2 HRS 

o _1_" 19 ..,n 19 6 0 1971 1973 

PATr l RN CM CM 1\ 

LAYING CLAYMO RE 

Mine and Boobytrap Casualties	 Mine-Countermine Emphasis in Basic Combat Training 

36 
MIN TRAINING
 

Hylander, Jr. 

,'1966 . It is mu ch less than th e BCT trainee gets in 

Fir st Aid, CBR, or gua rd duty, for example. In advanced Individual Training there are similar patterns: 

In fantry cut in half; Armor by 80 percent ; Artillery to 

zero ; and Engineer from 33 to 30 hours. This deemphasis of min e-countermine training is also evident 

in NCO and officer courses. The re ason s for these 

reductions are obvious : course lengths have been cut 

to save money and manpower ; and min e-counterrnine 

training has suffered bec ause it was not as important 

is other subjects. 

So the trainees are not getting taught mu ch about 

mines and boobytraps, and-marc importantly-the 

NCOs and officers who will have to teach them during 

unit training are not being adequately taught how to 

fill the gap. Are commanders concerned? 

It should be noted that th is does not necessarily 

co nde mn unit commanders for downgrading training 

conducted in th eir units. There is some good training 

at Fort Carson, where the 4th Engineer Battalion is 

ADVANCED INDIVIDUAL ENGR 

TRAINING 3 3HRS 

ARMOR ARTY 

10HRS 

9HRS 

2HRS 

[l 0 

71 73 71 73 71 7 3 

Ih!J:l' l 

givmg mine-counterrn ine and LAW trammg to all 

elem ents of the 4th Division. There is good mineco untermine training elsewhere , fr om our observations 

on liaison visits, but there is also poor tr aining and 

none at all sometimes. If the shoe fits, you be th e 

judge . I kn ow it fits some commanders in the Engineer s 

as well as th e combat arms, in the Reserve Components 

and in th e acti ve Army. 

Let's look now at guidance from the Army Staff in 

the Pentagon, and at the Engineer advice upon whi ch 

that guidance was ba sed . 

In 1971 , the CDC Enginee r Ag ency completed its 

Mine-Counterrnine Study (MICMIS ), calling on the 

Army to: 

• Increase emphasis on countermine and nonstandard mine warfare, and including scatterable mines. 

• Teach the total resource approach in all NCO, 

OCS , and officer school programs. 

• Expedite boobytrap simulation devices. 

• Establish mine-countermine exp erts in all combat 

· t~ t:J .~ !' f) !:!. ..L~~ ~~.l .U'.! !tJ.G. 16 HRS 

12 HRS 

S HRS 

6H RS 

1960 19 66 19 7 1 1973 

PA1H RN INTRO CM BALANc e D LAY ING M!C'Il 

Mine-Countermine Emphasis in Advanced Indi:vidual Mi ne-Countermine Emphasis in Infantry Advanced 

Training Individual Training 

37 
and combat support units, and teams on high staffs. 

• Train these experts by quota and identify them by 

Speci al Qualifi cations Identifier (SOl ) or prefix. 

Th e Army Staff approved this study a year later, 

in 1972, but que stioned the recommend ed den sity and 

location of mine-countermine experts, particularly those 

below batt alion level. In 1973 , still another year later, 

we ar e still trying to refin e the requirements for these 

experts. Disagreements still exist, and we are a long 

way from seeing ;.IDy of them appear in uni ts. 

The first three po ints above are motherhood . Nobody in his right mind would disagree. Nonetheless, 

we sec no increase of emphasis, and I haven't been 

able to fi nd out just what the " total resource approach" 

is. It isn't being taught, at any rate. Th e expediting 

of boobytrap simulation devic es has hit some snags, 

too, that ar e covered in another article in this issue. 

So let' s examine the recommenda tions to establish 

mine-countermine experts in un its, and to train them 

by quot a and identify them by SOlar prefix. 

Th e original Mr CMI5 recommend ed density placed 

one enlisted specialist in each infantry and engineer 

squad, with ot hers at platoon level. At company level 

there would be an M/ CM NCO or officer, or both, 

and there would be an M / CM offi cer on the battalion 

staff (IN, AR, FA , EN , MP , MI ) . There would be 

team s of t\VO to five M/ CM experts on brigade and 

higher staffs. In an effort to refine this density downward to me et DA guid ance , the Engineers proposed 

that there be one officer and one NCO on each battalion staff. the same teams at higher level, and two 

MOS-rrained expe rts in each comba t engineer squad. 

Combat engineer plat oon leaders and NCOs would 

also receive special M/ CM training as part of their 

regul ar tr ainin g courses. with emp hasis on their roles 

to advise, assist, and train others. Engineer experts 

would be identified by MOS ; others by SOl or prefix; 

and all would be called "Sappers." This appeared to 

be a good compromise , but objections arose over two 

features : 

• Units have too man y special du ty positions now. 

Th e infa ntry , in particular, object s to any new specialist 

tags. The Army is too short of manp ower to add 

M/CM experts to TOEs, so the only recourse is to 

mak e it an additional dut y for someone like an assistant 

53, and to iden tify him and his position by a prefix. 

It is similar to the system for CBR specialists. All too 

often, the man becom es a part-time assistant S-3 and 

a par t-time specialist, proficient in neither and not 

really his fault. 

• A lot of people, myself included, believe that 

training by quota and identification by SOl are not 

really viable. To get an expert, a unit must obtain a 

quota, then send a man off and pa y his TDY for 

several weeks, and then when he returns try to spread 

him over his normal job plus his added special duties. 

Even if a man alrea dy has the SOI or prefix added to 

his MOS, the Ar my's present computerized personnel 

replacem ent system just cannot identify him and get 

him to a unit where his skill is needed. 

The Engineer School is designin g a rigorous handson training course for enlisted mine- counterm ine experts, and oth er training for the combat enginee r tra cks 

of officer and NCO basic courses. We are also seeking 

to reach some solution to the problem of providing 

minc-counterrni ne experts in the combat arms, and 

we hope by the time this issue of the engineer is 

published that problem will be solved. 

In the meantime, however, this problem is with us 

because the Engineers gave poor advice to the Pentagon , and it resulted in equally poor guid ance com ing 

back from the Pentagon. One oth er part of th at 

Engineer advic e was a conclusion that mine-countermine doctrine is sound. The more we struggled with 

the training problem, the more I began: to look into just 

how sound the doctrine was. I've become convinced 

it has some flaws. 

FM 20-32 outl ines mine-counterrnine responsibilities 

as follows : 

• All troo ps are respon sible for ind ividual countermin e actions. 

• Combat arms and combat engineers are responsible for empl acing mines and for deliberate 

countermine actions. You should note that there is no 

difference between combat arms and engineer responsibilities here. You should also note th at it doesn't 

specify wheth er they are individual or unit responsibilitie s or both-just " combat arms" and "e ngineers." 

• Engineers also provide technical advice and assistance, and " participate" in the planning, coordina ­

tion, and emplacement of large- scale barr iers. 

Elsewhere in the manu al, the small unit comm ander 

is reminded th at he is resp onsible for anything and 

everything to do with mine-c ountermine operations, 

but he's told very little about how to do it. 

There are two fl aws in this doctrine as it is currently 

stated. The first is that individu al and unit respon sibilities are not clearly spelled out-either for combat 

arms or engineers. As a result, mine-counterrnin e responsibilities have not been picked up and carri ed over 

into MOS definition s nor TOE capability statements, 

except for combat engineers. In today's Army, with 

it's con straints on manpower and resources, individual 

and unit training is being very carefully analy zed 

38 
,{I
 

(systems engineered) . Those sub jects not cle arl y requ ired by MOS duties or unit ca pability statements are 

being screened ou t of or ganized training and left up 

to the harassed unit co mmander to "insure proficiency." 

I believe this is th e fun dament al reason for th e decrease d emphasis described above; it has be en systems-engineer ed out, in favo r of other high er priority 

subjects. 

The other flaw conc erns a gap between the respon sibilit ies of combat a rms and engineers. Both are rea lly 

res pon sible fo r ever ything, but combat arm s officers 

ca n look at the enginee r's role for adv ice an d assistanc e 

and decide very conveni ently "I don 't re ally have to 

train mu ch for this; I can call on the engineers whe n 

I need them. " Enginee rs, on the other ha nd, do almost 

no training for that adv ice and assistance role ; they 

tra in themselves for employ ment in mine-coun tcrmin e 

operations and decid e. aga in very co nveniently. "If 

I'm ever aske d for advice , I'll give it; meanwhile we 

have a lot of other things to do." So th is ro le rar ely 

gets exercised in pe acetime trai ning. Wh en the casualties 

start fallin g in wartime, eac h can poi nt to the ather 

an d say, " It's your job, go out there an d lay (or clear) 

.' a th ose min es." It hap pen ed in Vietnam, an d Korea, and 

•	 in World War n. If you do n't train for it before com ­

bat, you do n't do it ve ry well when the guns ar e going 

off. 

I n order to co rrect th ese do ctrinal gaps, Th e Engi neer 

School is pr op osing to rephrase the responsibilities of 

ind ividu als and units, and of unit commanders. These 

are described in an other ar ticle in this issue. an d are 

intended to be in the 1974 edition of FM 20 -32, Mi neCoun ter min e Operations. 

The re is one ad dition al combat engineer un it responsibility being co nsider ed for incl usion- -to provide 

training in min e-c ou ntermine ( a barrier z'counterbar ­

rier ) oper ations. This is rea lly the heart of the solution 

to the overal1 pro ble m. If others habitually com e to 

comba t engine ers for help in tr aining. and if engine ers .. ar e ready to provide it, then we will be practicing -the 

way it ought to wo rk in wartime. Tt's already happening 

at Fort Carson and a few oth er pl aces. and it ought 

to be happen ing everywh ere. 

In addition to ch an ges to th e ma nu al, T he Enginee r 

School has un dertak en the followin g: 

• TF 5-425 6, Mine and Booby tr ap Training. R eleased in 1972 , this is a good color film aimed at th e 

ind ividu al sold ier. 

• "Don't Ge t Blown Up", a confidence-builde r cartoon pamphl et bein g dev eloped jointly with the Co mbat 

Arms T rain ing Board . It shoul d be distributed this fall. 

• A new rnine-counterrnine manual, with an accompanying unit tr aining kit, aimed at telling the 

small un it lead er (of all arms) how to do it and how 

to tr ain to do it. Th is is pictured as the future "Bible" 

for the co mbat engineer's adv isory and tr aini ng role. 

.. Actions to create a "Sapper" min e-countermine 

enlisted exper t and to deve lop an M OS p rod ucin g 

course. 

• C hanges to combat en ginee r officer and NCO 

MOSs. and training courses, to add more mine-counte rmi ne expertise. 

• Addin g the mine-counte rmine training ro le to the 

capability statements in combat engi neer unit T OEs. 

. T her e are also ac tions to ex pedite the developm en t 

of new trai ning devices for bo obytraps and scatter able 

mines, bu t th ese are ou tside th e scope of this already 

Ierigt hy article . 

Tn summa ry, the re a lot tha t need s to be done 

to get the Army ( and the Engin eers ) with the pr oblem 

of mine-counterm ine tr ai ning. M uch of it is underway. 

If you have ideas about how 

or do it more quic kly. just le t 

If you would like to kn ow 

camou flage tr ainin g, go back 

insert " ca mouflage" wh erever 

mi ne ." 

we	 can do a better job , 

us kn ow. 

about the p robl ems with 

th rou gh this a rticle and 

yo u	 see "mine-c ounterColonel Walter R . R ylander, Ir., Deputy Com ­

mandant for Combat and Training Development, at 

the En gineer School, has had tours with the l st, 2nd, 

Srd , 138t h, and 288th Engineer Com bat Battalions; 

the 487th Aviation En gineer Battalion (USA R), and 

at the Republic of Vietnam A rmed Forces Engineer 

School. He holds a master's degree in Civil En gineering from MIT. , and is a registered professional engineer in New Y ork and a Fellow, A m erican Society of 

Civil Engineers. 

39 
The Henry LarC0l11 Abbot Award 

Contract Construction
 

For A 

Troop 

Unit 

Captain Wordsworth A. Soders III 

"To work on a multimillion dollar construction 

job." "To share the joy of participating in the construction of something BIG that will remain long after 

our lives have ended ." Dreams of engineer soldiers 

of the seventies are written in those lines. 

Only a small lot of us normally see the cement and 

aggregate of tho se dreams become concrete. Ordinarily, 

the joys of seeing such dreams become reality are reserved for those whose assignment darts pierce the 

Engineer District ring on OPO's big board. For the 

enlisted engineer soldier of the seventies; the dozer 

operator, or the carpenter who shares those dreams, 

the chance of awakening in his next assignment and 

finding them is slim, and more often than not, next to 

impossibl e. Th e average soldier reads about the big 

projects, or passes them on the highways and thinks to 

himself: " J surely would like to operate a pan on a 

big job like that", or "My squad could work rings 

around those guys" , or maybe even, "What I wouldn't 

give to command an outfit on that kind of a job." 

Recently, such a dream became a realistic challenge for one of the Army's construction battalions, 

and consequently, for many of the Corps' young officers and hundreds of its enlisted personnel. The project of projects came to life when directive for construction of the Chinh ae Ammunition Storage Facilities Depot was received by the 44th Engineer Battalion (Construction ) , (THE BROKEN HEART BATTALION), 2d Engineer Group, Eighth Unit ed States 

Army, Kore a. 

The Depot comprises better than half of a multimillion doll ar Military Construction project under supervision of the U. S. Army Far East Engin eer District of the Pacific Ocean Division , and is the largest 

troop construction proje ct in the world today . Included in the tot al project are a new port facility capable 

of handling oceangoing ships, and a facility to store 

and maint ain large quantities of ammunition. Con40 
({astruction of the port was contracted to a civilian firm, 

'Wand the maintenance and storage facilities construction was divided between a civilian contractor and the 

44th Engineers. In essence, the battalion is working 

as a constructing agency for the District. 

The scope of work for the Depot includes construction of 26 earth covered, reinforced concrete Stradley 

ammunition storage bunkers, seven maintenance buildings of reinforced concrete and masonry construction, 

a railroad loading and off-loading facility, and construction of several miles of all weather access road 

to the above mentioned structures. 

The average dimensions of each storage bunker are 

25 feet wide by 80 feet long with a height of 1g feet. 

The configuration is that of a concrete shell arch 30 

inches thick at the base and eight inches thick at the 

apex. Due to the continuous pour volume requirements 

of the bunkers and other buildings, their construction 

was let to the civilian contractor. This left the excavation of bunker sites, preparation of the maintenance 

building pads, construction of the access roads and 

parking areas, and construction of the railroad loading 

off-loading facility to the letter companies of the battalion . Companies "B" and "C" are accomplishing the 

major eartlunoving task, while Company "A" provides maintenance, quarrying, and paving support. All 

roads and parking areas of the Depot will be paved. 

A typical bunker site is 50 feet above the toe of the 

slope of the mountains in which it is built, with a horizontal inset distance from the toe of slope of 150 feet. 

Such severe locations necessitated average vertical cuts 

I of 30 to 40 feet through earth and rock with extremes 

of as much as 93 feet through solid rock in order to 

bring the sites to proper elevation for construction. 

Each bunker cavity requires a floor space of approximately 103 feet by 96 feet to allow proper orientation 

for construction of the critically spaced bunkers. Each 

bunker requires a horizontal distance of ] 80 feet at 

its closest points to adjacent structures. The tolerance 

in elevation between adjacent structures is ] 8 feet. 

This critical layout in the rugged terrain of a South 

Korean mountain range was enough to keep at least 

two of the battalion's survey teams working continuously during that phase of the construction, Specifications required that the rock faces of the cavities be 

cut to given slopes, thereby producing a need for close 

coordination between the survey teams and the quarrying crews. Coupled with the tremendous volume of 

blasting work to cut the cavities was the requirement 

to crush the blasted rock for use in concrete and paving work. To keep up with these requirements, Company "A" operated four pneumatic track drills and 

a 75 ton per hour crusher seven days per week to keep 

on schedule during critical times. Frequent quality 

control inspections were conducted by the battalion 

civil engineer section during this phase of the construction since failure to complete work meeting the required specifications on scheduled dates would result in 

delay of the contractors vertical work and substantial 

penalty cost. 

The railroad loading off-loading facility consists of 

a one mile access spur and a platform capable of 

handling two bays of freight cars for loading or offloading simultaneously. The entire railroad facility as 

well as fi vc of the seven building pads and a large portion of the road network were built on rice paddy surface . 

During the latter part of 1972, following a contract 

mixup, the battalion found itself having to construct 

an embankment approximately 80 feet high and 500 

feet in length to provide road access to three of the 

26 Stradley bunkers. Having this unforeseen require41 
These five photos vividly 

show how engineers get their 

job done in any place where 

u. 5. troops are stationed. Looking clockwise from top left: First 

photo-Five ton trucks haul fill 

that will be placed on a completed bunker by 0-4 dozer. 0­

4 can be seen on the top of a 

bunker in the right center of the 

picture. Second photo-This 

road will be the same elevation 

as the bunker in the upper left 

hand corner when the massive 

fill job is completed. Third photo-Thousands of yards of fill 

will be needed to brin.9 this 

road to final grade in front of 

the bunkers at the upper left 

and upper center of this picture. 

Fourth photo: A completed 

bunker awaits its turn for water 

proofing and back filling. Fifth 

photo: This bunker 

is ready for 

ammunition. Grass will be 

planted to prevent erosion of 

the backfill. Of course, all of 

these actions were completed 

-mission a success. 

42 
ment placed on them in addition to having to construct 

several protective berms in front of various structures, 

and being hampered by a long rainy season, the decision was made to augment the battalions earthmoving 

capability. This augmentation was accomplished by a 

platoon of earth movers from Company "B" of the 

S02d Engineer Battalion (Construction) . 

While the earth movers hammered out their work 

between rains, the concrete work on the bunkers was 

being finished. With the earth movers bogged down in 

work, the ta sk of backfilling the completed bunkers 

was assigned to the vert ical construction platoons of 

the battalion . This task was accomplished using five 

ton dump trucks, front end loaders, D-4 dozers, Dhandle shovels and gasoline powered hand compactors. 

From its beginning in lat e 1970, until its completion , the total volume of earth moved for this project 

will be in excess of 1.5 million cub ic yards including 

the bunker site excavations and backfilling, the road 

network cuts and fills, the pads for the maintenance 

buildings, the railroad loading off-loading facility and 

the berms for protection of various structures in the 

complex. 

To provide security for all of this, several small security buildings will be built by the battalion. Additionally, there will be fences buill totaling approximaely three miles of triple standard concertina and one 

and one-half miles of chain link fence. 

Naurally, no project of this magnitude could be undertaken without giving due consideration to adequate 

drainage. Moving as much earth as this project dictates constitutes a considerable change in the natural 

runoff of the area. Consequently some of the major 

vertical construction effort is being expended on drainage structures. These include a 45 foot span steel 

stringer, reinforced concrete deck bridge, a reinforced 

concrete double box culvert spanning a 30 foot stream, 

and a double barreled 72 inch reinforced concrete pipe 

culvert. Also being constructed as an intgral part of 

the drainage system is a 2,300 foot paved tr apozoidal 

canal with varying bottom width. 

When the Depot is completed, there will be an inherent danger of possible explosion from the arnmunition stored there . For this reason, its location had to 

be an isolated one . Due to the isolation, the 44th En­ e gineers were also tasked with construction and maintenance of a temporary cantonment to quarter themselves during construction. The battalion strength 

during the project has averaged 22 officers, 460 U. S. 

enlisted personnel, 340 Korean Augmentees to the 

United States Army, and approximately 200 Korean 

Nationals of the Korean Service Corps. 

The camp built to house the soldiers contains some 

semi-permanent buldings that will be left for use by 

the units manning the Depot. The major shelters and 

other needed faciliti es of the camp however, are comprised of portable moduls called Porta-Kamps. These 

are lO ft. by 30 ft. and 12 ft. by 30 f1. trailer hou se 

type structur es mounted on skids which the battalion 

has found suitable for every practical purpose from 

sleeping quarter s to supply and orderly rooms as well 

as day rooms and recreational clubs. The camp is 

completely self-supporting. 

Soldiers of the battalion along with their Korean 

co-workers man a mini Facilities Engineer Shop for 

the camp. This has provided the opportunity for soldiers to install and maintain an electrical distribution 

system, a water purification and distribution system, and 

a limited sewer system. All of the se systems were designed in the battalion civil engineer section. Even the 

electrical power distributed throughout the camp is 

produced by troops in the appropriate MOS. 

The living conditions at the "Broken Heart Compound" , as the camp is called by the members of the 

BROKEN HEART BATTALION, are not the best, 

and the soldiers often complain, but the morale is 

high when the work is good, and what better work is 

there for the engineer soldier than that contracted by 

a District Office of the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers? 

Captain Wordswortli A . Soders III calls Marlin , 

Texas home. He is a graduate of Prairie View A & M 

College of Texas, with a BS Degree in Architectural 

Engineering. He was com m issioned in The Corps of 

En gineers upon graduation in August, 1967 through 

the ROTC program. Military assignments have been: 

Platoon Leader, 497 En gr. Co. (PC) , Vietnam, 68-69; 

Engineer Representative to the U. S. Army Military 

Police School, Ft. Gordon, Ga . 69-71 ; S-3 Officer, 

44th Engineer Battalion (Const.); and Commanding 

Officer, Company C, 44th Engineer Battalion (Const.) , 

71-72 . He is presently a student in the Engineer Officers Advance Course, class 1-73. 

43 
MIN -C UNTERM E
 

T AN G
 

DEV CES
 

Major A. J. Christensen 

The best way to train a soldier in mine-countermine 

subjects is to train him using live mines and fuzes. Most 

Americans would disagree with this type approach 

and moth ers would have ap oplexy if they thought their 

'Sons were going to be trained in such a dangerous way. 

Since these situat ions exist, there have to be training 

devices available which can be used repetitively; which 

will assist in making the train ing effective, and which 

are of little or no danger to the trainee. 

Th ere are pr esently seven AP mines (non-chemical) 

in an inert or practice version listed in Supply Catal og 

1340 / 98IL. Of the AP mines listed, there ar e existing 

stocks of the inert M1 8A 1 and the pra ctice M8 (compone nts only) . 

The situation on AT mine s is not much bette r. There 

are two practice versions listed in the supply cat alog; 

however, only the M20 pr act ice mine is avail able in 

any quantity. Since the practice and inert versions ar e 

not presently stocked in sufficient quantity for issue , 

there needs to be a rapid means available to mak e up 

a model mine that can be qui ckly and economically 

produced . 

A plastic mine model approa ch has been taken by 

the Combat Arm s Training Board (CATB ) at Fort 

Benning, Georgia. Two AP and three AT plastic 

mines wer e produced for the CA TB and tested at Fort 

Carson, Colorado by the 4th Engineer Battalion ( C) 

and Infantry and Arm ored Units of the 4th Inf antry 

Di vision (Mechanized ) . These plastic mines were 

very effective trainin g devices. Other agencies have 

been wor king on a differ ent appro ach. 

A recommendation was submitted by the US Arm y 

Engineer School (U SAES) to HQ CO NARC for 

changing CTA 23- 103. This chan ge, if adopted, will 

authorize issue of practice or inert mines in suffi cient 

types and quantities to allow Combat Engineer Battalions to inst all a 300 meter-front minefield with a 

1-2-2 density using M20, M35 and Ml7 practice mines 

and for classroom hands-on instruction for a platoonsize class on the M2, M3 , M16A 1, MI 8A 1, M26, 

MI9, M2I, M25, and M14 inert mines. 

Forei gn mine s, both friendl y nad enemy types, must 

also be duplicated in necessary quantities to enable 

them to be used for classroom instruction . These mines 

are essenti al for rounding out the mine-countermine 

training of the US Army. There also needs to be a 

meth od developed for adding realism to mine-countermine training. 

An urgent requirement exists for more effective and 

realistic tr aining in the detection, recognition and 

avoidance of mine antidisturbance devices. Th e need 

is for a modul ar device which provides stress and 

realism in mine-countermine training by simulating 

the characteristics and effects of existing service mines. 

One solution is a universal scoring modul e (USM ) 

which is now under developm ent. Triggering of this 

device by personnel or equipment causes a noise and 

a spray of a nontoxic, easily removable, dye or powder 

which marks the triggerin g cause, if it is within the 

spraying pattern. 

Th e proposed USM is compatible with M 16, 

MI6AJ , MI8AI , M14, M19 , and MI2 mines but it 

does add to the depth of cover requ ired , and burying 

it in soil affects its performance. 

Soluti ons to the current shortage of training devic es 

must be arrived at as expeditiously as possible , but 

any solution must not sacrifice the ultimate goal of 

being able to conduct realistic and meaningful training. 

M ajor A . .I. Christensen is the Chief, Training 

Publi cations Bran ch. Doctrine and Training Literature 

Di vision, Department of Doctrine and Training Development, US A rmy Engineer School. He was with the 

Combat Developments Command Engineer Agenc y 

as Chief, Doctrinal Literature Branch. Organization 

and Doctrine Division for two years prior to the merger 

with USAES in Mar ch 1973. He holds a BS in Agricultural Engineering, MS in Mechanical Engineering and 

is a graduate of the Basic and Advanced Officer courses 

at Fort Bel voir, Virginia. The major has served with 

an engine er brigade in Europe, Construction battalions 

in CONUS and Thailand, as an advisor in Vi etnam 

and as a Facilities Engineer. e 

44 
Bridging
 

the Gap
 

FIXED QUOTAS TO BE SET
 

FOR MAINTENANCE WARRANTS
 

NEW rNTERMEDIATE COURSE IN FY 74
 

BEGINNING IN FISCAL YEAR 1974, fixed quotas will be established for those eligible individuals 

who desire to attend the new Maintenance Warrant Officer Intermediate Course. The course, comparable to an 

officer's advanced course, was launched last year through the combined efforts of the Ordnance and Engineer 

Schools. Th ose selected will be considered in light of manner of performance, potential value to the Army , 

education and type of assignments in which the officer has served. The course is conducted in two phases: the 

first, approximately 11 weeks in duration, consists of general military subjects and is taught at Aberdeen Proving 

Ground , Maryland, to both Ordnance and Engineer Warrant Officers; the second phase, lasting approximately 

five weeks for MOS 621 A, consists of engineer technic al subjects, and is tau ght at Fort Belvoir, Virginia . Since 

/ the entire course is less than 20 weeks duration, it must be funded as TDY from local training funds. To be eligible 

' for consideration, an individu al must have completed the Engineer Equipment Repair Technician Course and 

have between 5-13 years of warrant service. For those individuals who have not had the opportunity to attend the 

EERTC, there are qu otas available that can be allocated on a TDY and return basis. The Engineer Branch will 

provide the quota, the individual's unit cuts the orders and funds the TDY. For EERTC quota information, call 

the Engineer Branch: AUTOVON 325-7434. 

ENGINEERS MUST NOW REQUEST 

THAT NEW MAP READING HANDBOOK 

FROM AG PUBLICATIONS CENTER 

THAT NEW DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY Training Circular 21-26, "Don't Get Lost," a cartoon style 

pocket hand book that simplifies map reading for the individual soldier is going over big. Conce ived by the U.S. 

Army Engineer School at Fort Belvoir, Virginia , and developed jointly with the Defense Mapping School and 

the Combat Arrns Training Board, this new look in informal training litera ture will soon be followed by "Don't 

Get Shot " (Camouflage and Field Fortifi cations) and "Don't Get Blown Up " (Mines and Boob y Traps) . Engineer 

units that need copies should send their requests to the U.S. Army Adjutant General Publications Center , 2800 

Eastern Boulevard . Baltimore, Maryland 21220. Earlier, Engineer units were requesting copies from the Comb at 

Arms Training Board at Fort Benning, Georgia. 

OA SELECTION BOARD PICKS 

THREE SFC'S FOR ATTENDANCE 

AT PHOTOLITHOGRAPHY NCO COURSE 

THE ADVANCED COURSES of the NCO Education System (NCOES) were initiated in January 1972 . Th ese 

courses are designed to prepare personn el in grades E-6 and E-7 to perform duty as noncommissioned officers 

in grades E-8 and E-9 . A DA Selection Board comprised of officers and noncommissioned officers selected a 

number of personnel to attend the advanced courses programmed for Fiscal Year 1973. Three Sergeants First 

Class Everett D. Bogle, Frederic M. Church, and Donald W. Koons were named to attend the Photolithography 

Chief NCO Advanced Course at Fort Belvoir, Virginia from April 22 through July 18 of this year. 
&!llX THE CORPS OF EN INEERS
 ~9

They've a song about the Army, The Navy and Marines; 

They've got one fo r the Air Force, 

The whole damned works it seems; 

But they've never taken trouble, 

Though we've served them all these years, 

To even pen a line, 

For the Corps of Engineers 

We've built all their roads and airfields, 

Their pipelines and their camps; 

From underground munition dumps, To concrete loading ramps ; 

Railroads, dams, and bridges, 

Ele ctric high power lines,
 

Canals and docks and harbors,
 Even coal and iron mines;
 

But the Engineers aren't kicking, 

For when those outfits do come in , We know it's just another place, Where we've already been; 

Before they even got there, 

We had to break the ground, 

And build it all to suit their needs, Solid, safe, and sound; 

If the Army and the Navy, Ever look on heavens scenes, 

They may find that it is guarded, 

By the United States Marines. 

Now who will guard the streets up there, We aren't disposed to say, 

But we offer this suggestion, 

If they look at things that way; 

When the Marines have taken over, In the land that knows no years, We're:sure they'll findIt w as all designed, 

By the Corps Of Engineers. H. W. Willhoite