SPRING 81
 

ENGINEER 

MAGAZINE 

1971 - 1981 
UNITED STATES ARMY 

ENGINEER CENTER 

AND FORT BELVOIR 

COMMAN DER/COM MANDANT 

MG Max W. Noah 

DEPUTY COMMANDANT 

COL Robert M. Bunke r 

CHIEF OF STAFFID EPUTY 

INSTALLATI ON COMMANDER 

COL David O. Cooksey 

COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR 

CSM Frederick J. Eisenbart 

DIRECTORATES 

DIRECTORATE OF TRAINING 

AND DOCTRINE 

COL Stanley R. Johnson 

DIRECTORATE OF TRAINING 

DEVELOPMENTS 

COL John W. Devens 

DIRECTORATE OF COMBAT DEVELOPMENTS 

COL Philip R. Hoge 

DIRECTORATE OF EVALUATION 

AND STANDARDIZATION 

LTC Terrance C. Ryan 

UNITS 

ENGINEER TRAINING BRIGADE 

COL James H. King, Jr. 

ENGINEER CENTER BRIGADE 

COL Robert A. Dey 

EDITOR 

SP4 N.P. Lang 

ILLUSTRATOR 

Ron Perkins 

PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER 

MAJ James E. Kiley, Jr. 

THE COVER 

Engi neer Magazine celebrates its 10th anniversary, 

SPRING 1971·SPRING 1981, 

with the publishing of this 

37th issue. We are able to 

enter our 11th year only 

because of the many contributors who have supported 

ENGINEER over the years. 

Thanks to all for making these 

first 10 years such a huge success. 
E - YJD1 nglneer
 

TH E MAGAZINE FOR A RMY ENGINEERS 

VOLUME 11 SPRING 1981 NUMBER1 

FEATURES 

10 TO SECOND L1EUTENANTS...AND TO ALL 

by Maj. Gen . Clay T. Buckingham 

13 PROFESSIONAL REGISTRATION FOR THE MILITARY ENGINEER 

by Captains Robert W. McBride and Thomas B. Nelson 

16 VERTICAL CONSTRUCTION TRAINING FOR SECOND LIEUTENANTS 

by Maj. Lester C. Roth 

18 THE EARTHMOVING PLATOON IN TANK DITCH OPERATIONS 

by Capt. Michael L. Hoots 

22 BRIDGE DEMOLITIONS IN THE FACE OF THE ENEMY 

by Maj. Allan E. Yo ung er 

26 IF ITS QUALITY YOU WANT...
 

by Capt. Thoma s B. Nelson
 

Page 10 

Page 13 

DEPARTMENTS 

Page 26 

2 CLEAR THE WAY 25 THE PROFESSIONAL SOLUTION 

4 NEWS & NOTES 30 ENLI STED CAREER INFO 

8 FORUM 32 OFFI CER CAREER INFO 

21 THE PROFESSION AL ENGINEER PROBLEM 34 RESERVE COMPONENTS 

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photog raphs , and general corre spo ndence should be sent to : Editor, ENGINEER Magazine, US Army Engineer Center, Fort Belvou, VA 22060. 

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Maj. Gen. Max W. Noah, a 1953 graduate of the 

U.S. Military Academy at West Point, NY, also attended the Engineer Officer Basic Course at Fort 

Belvoir, VA that year. Today he is Commandant 

of the U.S. Army Engi neer School. 

Other early assignments included airborne 

training at Fort Benning, GA, and a year as the 

assistant to the Area Engineer on the Corps of 

Engineers' Oahe Dam project in Pierre, SD. After 

completing his Master's Degree in Engineering 

at Purdue University, IN, Noah served as instructor, and later as assistant professor, in the 

Department of Electricity at the U.S. Military 

Academy at West Point. In 1966 Noah joined the 

newly-formed 45th Engineer Group, travelling 

THE WAY
 

with them to Vietnam as S-3. August 1968 Noah 

assumed command of the 307th Airborne 

Engineer Battalion , 82nd Airborne Division, Fort 

Bragg , NC. 

His service then led him to Washington, D.C. 

where he was a military assistant to the Deputy 

Unde r Secretary of the Army for Operations 

Research in 1971. In 1973 he took command of 

the 2nd Engineer Group, Korea. In September 

1980, Noah was assigned as the Commanding 

General, U.S. Army Engineer Center at Fort 

Belvoir, and, Commandant of the U.S. Army 

Engineer School , where he began his Army training nearly 28 years ago. 

... 

2 SPRING 1981 
by Maj. Gen. Max W. Noah
 

"We Have A Job To Do!"
 

As Commandant of the Engineer 

School I am inaugurating a personal column in "Eng ineer" to 

highlight important aspects of our 

mil itary engi neer business. This , 

tog ether with your heightened perso nal intere st as the engineer 

so ldier read er, and your contributions, should serve to make thi s 

magazine a more professional and 

useful journal. In the true spirit of 

the military engineer I felt the best 

title of my piece sh oul d be 

"CLEAR THE WAY " . 

We engineers serve the Army in 

many ways. We are well known in 

combat as we assist maneuver, fi re 

support, and combat service support forces on the battlefield . We 

provide the means to enhance 

mobility. We build protective struc ­

tures for survivabili ty. We are the 

first ones called to deal with mines 

and obstacles. On less active combat fronts, our design and con ­

struction skills are applied and 

known world-wide, and ou r con ­

st ruct ion ca nt ract management 

skill in the mi litary and civil construc tion areas is wi thout peer. Our 

burgeoning rnissron In facility 

ma intenance is a challen ge me t 

daily. Our topographic support is 

an absolute must for a widelydeployed Army . Our work in 

generator s and environmental 

equipment design and maintenance 

is key to the operation of the Army 

in the field. Clearly our mission is 

many-faceted and we must use a 

rnynad of skills to do our job and 

do it well . 

Our mission at the Engineer 

School, one of 16 branch cente rs in 

the Training and Doctrine Com -

ENGINEER 

mand, reads: " Provide th e Army 

with Military Engineering Doctrine, 

Syst em s, and Training to improve 

readin ess and moderni ze the 

force ." 

This includ es all the aforementioned tas ks. Param ount to doing 

that job correctly is good communicat ion between you and the 

sc hool. To that end I am hoping to 

Visit as many engineer un its as I 

can in the United States and 

overs eas . Where we cannot visit, 

there is always th e telephone and 

correspondence chain- I invite you 

to use those means. I have alread y 

visited a few units here in the 

United States and on ly recently 

returned from a trip to Europe. I am 

pleased with what I saw and I 

learned a lot. 

A very critical area of current 

con cern is the mode of operation, 

organization , and equipping of 

engineer unit s in the combined 

arms at Corps level and below, to 

perform in mission area s of mobility, counter-mobility, and survivability (M-CM-S) . In the series of Army 

'86 studies a new thrust has been 

generated in how we, as combat 

eng ineers, do our business. For example, in ord er to be more responsive on the battlefield, the engineer 

unit in many situations is being 

assigned or attached at the lowest 

possible echelon. In this respect , 

the more decentral ized we get in 

execution , the greater problem we 

have of overall co ntrol and preparation for engineer tasks at higher 

levels. 

The engineer company which 

reports to the maneuver brigade 

commander must be more independent than in the past , know 

how to do its engineer unit mission 

well , and know equally well how to 

support the combined arms mi ssion. The provision of an Assistan t 

Brigade Engineer section should 

aid in this change . 

Newer combat engineer equipment is vitally needed In order to 

provide more rapid, more responsive combat support of man euver 

forces in the future. The M-9 

Armored Combat Earthmover 

(ACE-UET is its old name) Will 

make its debut in the 1982 procurement. New artillery delivered mines 

and GEMSS are in th e Army's program. We are concentrating on the 

best solution for the countermine-SLUFAE, and other countermine equipment arena. I recently 

visited German, Engl ish , and Israeli 

engineer schools specifically to 

look at machines and ideas in 

M-CM -S. I found we have significant room for improvement in 

equipment and systems to support 

M-CM-S . 

The Chief of Staff of th e Army, 

as well as the Chief of Engineers , 

is very interested in moving forward . During early April , the 

Engineer School conducted a Sys ­

tems Program Review (SPR) at 

Fort Belvoir in M-CM-S for the Vice 

Chief of Staff, General Ves sey . The 

two-day program looked at the 

threat, the environment, and solutions to our problems in the com ­

bat engineers . With over 50 general 

officers from all branches present 

at the SPR we exp ect to profit 

greatly. We will report to you on 

the SPR in future co lumns. 

We have a job to do. 

" CLEAR THE WAY" . 

Noah
 

Engineer
 

3 
__n NEWS & NOTES
 

BT:LONGER,TOUGHER 

The US Arm y Training and Doctrine Command ha s announced that a lon ger , toughe r basi c tra in ing will soo n 

face soldiers coming into this service. Th e new eight-week 

progr am is expecte d to repl ace th e current seven-week 

training at some insta llations this year, with all training 

installatio ns making th e change by th e end of FY 82. Th e 

revamped training leans heav ily on th e belief th at a 

ph ysically fit Arm y begin s with tough , dem anding standards estab lishe d in basic , and conti nues through all 

phases of a soldier' s professional growth . In creased emph asis will be placed on the ba sic soldiering skills, and 

new technical sub ject materials will be added, includi ng 

communications, map reading, identificati on of opposing forces, and obstacle courses for confidence and condition ing. Ch anges are aimed at develop ing b etter tr ain ­

ed, more d isciplined soldiers who ca n contribu te to Army 

uni t effe ctiveness early in their careers. St eps will also be 

taken to assure soldiers better underst and th eir role a nd 

commitment to the Arm y. 

SEVEN NOMINATED FOR BG 

The Pentagon has annou nced that the President 

nominated seven Corps of Engineers officer s for promotion to the rank of brig adi er gene ra l. Co\. John H. 

Moellering, executive to th e Army's Ch ief of Staff, will be 

the first of the Corp s officers promoted , on approval of 

the list by th e senate . Oth ers nom inated were ; Col. James 

W. Van Loben Sels, commander of the 18th Engineer 

Brigade in Europe ; Col. Jerome B. Hilmes. the facili ties 

enginee r at Fort Bragg. NC; Co\. Forrest T . Gay III, Executive Dir ector on th e Chief of En gineer s' Staff; Col. 

George S. Rob ertson . Depu ty Direct or of Civil Works; 

Col. Thoma s A. Sands, New Orl ean s District Engine er; 

and Col. Anthony A. Smith, of the immediate staff of the 

Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff. The new generals 

will be rea ssigned within the next yea r to general officer 

posts through out th e Arm y. Th eir new assignments will 

be announ ced lat er . 

PHYSICAL TRAINING STANDARDS RAISED 

MEN UNDER 40 

Age Push- ups Sit-ups Two-mile run 

17-25 40/68 40 /69 17:55 /13:05 

26·30 38 /66 38 /67 18:30/13:40 

31-35 33 /61 36/65 19:10 /14:20 

36-39 31160 34/63 19:35 /15:05 

The Army's new Phy sical Read iness T est will be ap ­

plied to men and women , who will be tested in three 

events this year. Th e scoring tab le abov e shows the 

minimum /maximum needed to pass th e test , which is 

given bi-annually, All soldiers exce pt th ose in b asic training must score at lea st 60 poin ts in each event. and have a 

total of 180 points . Sold ier s more than 40 years of age 

mu st ha ve a medical clear an ce by an Army doct or before 

WOMEN UNDER 40 

Age Push-ups Sit-ups Two-mile run 

17·25 16/40 27/61 22:14 /17:10 

26-30 15/38 24/5] 22:29/17:25 

31-35 14/34 23/41 24:04/19:00 

36·39 13/30 21/31 25:34/20:30 

taking part in th e program. Once the sold ier has been 

clea red , a six month conditio ning pr ogram must be com ­

pleted before the two-mile run test will be given. Th e 

Over -40 run is gra de d on a go/ no go basis. DA training 

ofti cia ls say a new APR T manu al publish ed in Januar y 

1981 sh ould pr ovide you with complete detail s of t he 

overall program . 

4 SPRING 1981 
CORPS GETS OFFICIAL CREST 

The US Army Institu te of Heraldry has approved an 

official unit crest for th e US Army Corps of Engineers, 

recognizing its sta tus as a Major Army Command . The 

crest \s expected to be issued in pairs ea rly this year, and 

is authorized to be worn on the uniform shoulder loops of 

the Corps comma nde r, his deputy, and all Corps milita ry 

personnel in field operating activities. The same personnel will continue to wear the red and white unit patch on 

their uniform sleeve, as well as the cast le insignia on their 

lapels. The crest shows a gold eagle. symbolizing the nation , standi ng behind a scarlet and white cast le tower 

that symbolizes the Corps and its construction mission. 

The worldwide scope of the Corps' mission and its service 

to the nation in the past. present, and future are 

represented by a blue globe surm oun ted by a rising sun. 

Th e globe is garlanded on one side with gold olive branches, denoti ng the peace ful nature of the Corps mission , 

and on the other side with oak leaves, symbolizing 

strength and fortitude . The br anches also represent the 

Corps' concern for the environment. Jn its beak , the 

eagle holds a blue banner inscribed with the Corps 

historic motto "Essayons" . 

CHIEF VISITS CORPS DAM 

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Edward C. Meyer toured the 

M calpine Locks and Dam at Louisville, KY , dur ing a 

day-long visit to the Corp s' Louisville District Office in 

December. It was believed to be the first visit to a purely 

civil works district by an Army Chief of Staff. Meyer's 

tour included stops at the Louisville Repair Statio n, 

home of the District Repair Fleet, and the constr uction 

site of the multipurp ose Taylorsville Lake near Louisville. 

According to District Engineer Col. Charles E. Eastburn , 

the Chief s visit was "tremendous for District morale." 

ENGINEER DINNER DATE SET 

us Army Engineer Offic ers should circle Friday, 

May 15 on their cal endar in red! That's the date of 

the 114th Annual Engineer Dinner at M ack enzie 

H all . Fort Belvoir. Va. Engi neers fr om all over the 

wo rld will gather for an eve ni ng of reunion , an d to 

see wh o will receive th e annual Itschner a nd Sturgis 

Awards, presented to the outstanding Engi neer 

com p a ny an d the outsta n ding Engineer enliste d 

soldie r. Ch ief of Engineer Lt. Gen . Joseph K. Bratto n will be the keynot e speake r for t he even in g . T he 

5th An nual Counterpart Dinner for spouses of 

Engineer Officer s will also be held M ay 15 , and the 

Castle Ball is sl a ted for Saturday. May 16. Ti ck e ts 

for the Engineer Dinner are $13 .35 per person a n d 

m ay b e ordere d in adva nce by sending ch eck o r 

mon ey or de r, paya bl e to the 114th Ann ua l 

Engi neer D inner. to th e P rotocol Office. U S Ar my 

Engineer Center, Fort Belvoir , VA. 22 060 . For 

futh er inform ation. contact th e Protocol Offi ce a t 

(703) 664-4300 , or Autovon 354-4300 . 

TDFO FORMED 

The newly organized Tr aining Development Field Office 

(TDFO) has combined th e training development office of 

the Directorate of Plans, Training, and Security, USATC 

Engineer and Fort Leonard Wood. the USAES Engineer 

Field Office, and the 62B Team from the Directorate of 

Training Development , USAES, Fort Belvoir, Va. 

TDFO is now a tenant unit at Fort Leonard Wood , MO. 

Th e Tr aining Development Field Office has the mission 

of developing new courses and revising existing courses of 

instruction for Engineer MOS 's trained at Fort Leonard 

Wood, reconfigur ing engineer resident courses for use by 

the US Army Reserve Component , implementing a staff 

and faculty development pr ogram , and performing sta ff 

functions for OPTS as resources permit. In additio n, the 

TD FO serves as the US Army Engineer School's point of 

contact at Fort Leonard Wood a nd provides interface 

between Fort Leonard Wood and proponent schools for 

Basic Training, Ordnance, and Tr ansportat ion training 

conducted there. 

ENGINEER 5 
__R NEWS & NOTES 

76TH ENGINEERS SUPPORT SCOUTS 

Wh en the Tenth National Scout Jamb oree gets underway 

at Fort A.P. Hill , VA, next summer, the 76th Engineer 

Battalion will be there-in spirit if not in body. Over the 

last yea r, the Fort Meade, MD ba sed engineer unit has 

acco mplished th e bulk of extensive physical site pr epa ration s necessary for an event expected to involve JO,OOO 

Boy Scouts a nd staff, and 10,000 visitors per day. The 

centerpiece of their efforts was th e const ruction of a 17'/2 

acre natural amphitheatre, scheduled to serve as the 

focal po int of jamboree activities. The amphithea tre will 

seat 70,000 spectators on a fan- shap ed hillside which 

slopes inward toward a three acre stage area . T he Jam ­

boree. sche duled for July 29 through Augus t 4, 1981 , will 

create. virtually overn ight, a sma ll city within Fort Hill. 

POV HEADACHES 

De spite an em ba rgo on the shipment of all pri vately owned vehicles (PO V's) manufactured afte r 1976, many 

un auth or ized POV 's have reach ed the Yokoh ama Te rminal. Jap an in recen t mon ths. The embargo-in effect 

since 1977-was imp osed by DOD because of the personal an d fin anci al hardship on service members shipping their POV 's to Jap an or Okinawa. Extensive, and expensive. modifi cat ions must be mad e on vehicles in ord er 

to meet th e strict environme nta l and safety standards set 

by the governmen t of Japan . Alth ough POV 's made 

before ' 76 are not embargoed, soldi ers plan ning shipment still need to tak e pre cau tion s. Contact your sponsor 

on the cost of insurance , taxes. and registration fees, and 

the local transportation office for inform ation on Japan 's 

vehicle emission standards. Plan before an anticipated 

move to Japan or Okinawa and save yourself a head ache. 

MOBILE HOME MOVING 

A new bill went into effect recentl y that allows the full 

cost of moving a mobil e home during a PCS move to be 

paid by the govern ment. Before th e bill was signed, 

soldiers were only allowed 74 cents a mile to move their 

mobile homes to a new du ty sta tion. Now the govern ment 

will pay, as long as th e cost does not exceed the amount it' 

would cost to ship a soldier's maximum weight of 

hou sehold goods . There are a few catches, so contact the 

tra nspo rtatio n office for full det ails. 

457 MILLION VISIT COE SITES 

More th an 457 million people visited US Army Corps of 

Enginee rs lakeside recreation areas in 1980, six million 

more than the pre vious year. Four hundred twenty-six 

Corps lakes and reservoirs provided a wide variety of out ­

door recre ation opport unities, and nearly 80 perc ent of 

thes e areas are within a SO-mile radius of urban areas 

with a population of more than 50,000. Although Arm y 

Engineer recreati on areas are water-ori ented , offering excellent boating and fishing opport unities, the y are attr acting an increasing num ber of tent . trailer, and 

motorh ome campers. Usage by day visitors is up as well. 

There were 30 million days of use in 1952 when the Army 

Engineers first sta rted counting visitors. A day of use is 

counted for every person ent ering an Army Enginee r 

recr eation area for recreation activities during a 24-h our 

period . In 1971 ther e were J IO million da ys of recreati on 

usc , and in l q79 tha t figu re jumped to 449 million. The 

top five Corps lakes and reservoirs, according to CaE 

day use tabul ati ons. were: Buford Dam, in Lak e Sidn ey 

Lanier, GA; Hartw ell Lake , in the sta tes of Georgia and 

South Ca rolina; Deni son Da m. in Lake Texoma, TX ; 

Allato on a Lake. in the state of Georgia ; and 1. Percy 

Pri est Dam and Reservoir , in th e state of Tennessee. 

6 SPRING 1981 
M·9 ARMORED COMBAT EARTHMOVER 

The Universal Engineer Tractor is no more, at least not 

in name. The vehicle. designed to give Engineers a tactical earthmoving capability and essentially the same 

mobility at the units they support, has been re-named the 

M-9 Armored Combat Earthmover, to reflect the wide 

variety of missions it can accomplish in a combat environ ­

ment. The M-9 is much more than just a tractor. It will 

provide combat engineers, especially those supporting 

mechanized and armored units, with a versatile, tactical 

earthmover sufficiently mobile to provide support in the 

ground gaining environment of the forward battle area. 

It is designed to travel light and work heavy. Features include a front loading scraper bowl and a hydraulically 

operated apron with positive load ejector. The dozer 

blade is hinged and can be folded to increase the angle of 

approach when the tractor is used as a transporter. The 

M-9 converts to an armored vehicle by closing an armor 

hatch stored behind the operator, who is the only crew 

member. Dozing and scraping are accomplished by raising and lowering the entire front of the tractor by means 

of the hydropneumatic suspension system, rather than by 

independent operation of the blade and bowl. The supension system can be altered according to the type of terrain 

that needs to be crossed. The M-9 is capable of speeds up 

to 30 mph, and it has a limited swim capability approximately equal to that of the MIIJ APC. The M-9 will increase the survivability of other combat vehicles , too, as it 

can rapidly dig protected positions for tanks, and firing 

positions for artillery. 

ENGINEER 7 
- FORUMONE EXAMPLE OF
 

INEFFICIENT EQUIPMENT
 

by Staff Sgt. Philip Powell 

"Basically, all these components are adapted from com ­

mercial blasting supplies.. .tand) are neit her quick nor 

efficient in combat. .. 

After three years as a front line 

combat engineer with US 

forces in West Germany. I am of 

the opi nion that slow acquisition, 

and in many cases slow development, of essential materials is 

hindering engineer effectiveness 

an d readiness. The majority of the 

equipment used by our engineers is 

either World War II vintage, or a 

quick adaptation of commercial 

equipment. As a result of not being 

properly equipped. not only are 

engineers hampered, but their 

potential contribution to the combi ned ar ms team is reduced. The 

following example illustrates this 

ineffectiveness in one engineer area, 

demolition materials. 

In the current state-of-the-art. 

explosive demolition cha rges are 

primed for one of two means of ignition: electric or non -electric. The 

materials used date from World 

War II and before. and consist of: 

blasting caps. electric or nonelectric; crimpers, for crimping 

non-electric ca ps to fuse; friction 

tape. for fixing caps to detonating 

cord; and detcord clip s for joining 

B

several branching lines of detcord 

into one main firing circuit. 

asically, all these com ponents are adapted from commercial blasting supplies. As such. they 

are neither quick to use nor efficient in combat. As a result. the 

combat engineer, just to prime a 

circuit. carries a gadget bag of 

caps, clips. crimpers, and tape. 

The dexterity needed to use these 

components requires bare hands. 

In total darkness. under enemy 

lire. and with numbed lingers. this 

is like trying to button a shirt 

without using your thumbs. 

The solution to the particular 

problem lies in setting aside the 

civilian expedients an d designing a 

new compo nent strictly for military 

use. This component, which I ca ll 

an Exploding Connector - or Exploder-would be cheap, effective, 

and extremely versatile in military 

demolitions. (Figure 1). 

2 COMBINATION BLASTING CAPS 

WIRE BRIDGE 

BARBS PREVENT WITHDRAWAL 

/ OF FUSE/DET CORD 

,,'

rr 7 

INTERMEDIATE CHARGE 

Figure 1 

8 SPRING 1981 
TO FUSE 

--LIGHTER 

WIR ES 

" 

C onstructed of hard plastic, the 

Exploder would measure approxim ately 3" by 3;4" by 1/2". Two 

fuse wells, sized to accept standard 

time fuse or detcord, would extend 

thro ugh the length of the device. 

Aligned end to end, between the two fuse wells, would be 

two unique, combination bla sting 

caps . These caps are unique 

because they may be ignited either 

electrically or non-electrically. 

On each end of the Exploder, 

one corner of the case would be 

notched to facilitate use in the 

da rk. Each of the combination caps 

could be ignited by a fuse inserted 

through either fuse well. Barbs lining the fuse well would prevent fuse 

or detcord from pulling back out 

once it has been inserted. 

The opposite ends of the two 

BASE 

TAPE 

-

...
 

Figure 2 

combination caps would be equipped with base wires for electric ignition, laying along the top and 

bottom sides of the Exploder. 

These wires would lie in a shallow 

groove in the plastic body, and be 

covered with adhesive tape if not in 

use. (Figure 2). 

Using an Exploder to prime a 

firing circuit would be fast and 

simple compared to current 

methods. For electrical deto nation 

or detonation of detcord, the detcord is inserted into either fuse well 

and th e base wires are connected to 

the firing wire. For non-electric 

priming of detcord, time fuse is inserted irito either fuse well, and the 

detcord is inserted in the other 

well. Compound priming is accomplished by combining the two 

methods (i.e., the circuit is rigged 

to be fired either electrically or 

non-electrically). 

Since the Exploder contains two 

independent blasting caps, either 

one of which can function electrically or non-electrically, a failsafe 

factor is incorporated that would 

allow dual priming, per current 

Army policy, with a single Exploder. 

Under combat conditions, the 

Exploder could quarter the time 

currently required to prime a firing 

circuit. It would elimin ate the need 

for seperately issued electric and 

non-electric caps, and require no 

crimpers, clips, or tape to inst all. 

Best of all, it could be easily and 

quickly installed in complete 

darkness, it would be easier to handle than a standard blasting cap, 

and would be impervious to corrosion. 

That such a device has not yet 

become a standard comp onent in 

engineering demolitions sets is indicative of a serious problem: the 

lack of cogent rapport between the 

industrial producer and the military 

consumer, and the failure of current acquisition programs to address fundamental engineer problems within the constraints of cost 

and technological feasibility. 

SSG PHILIP F. POWELL is a 

combat engineer currently assigned 

to Ft. Polk, Louisiana. having 

recently returned from assignment 

in Germany. 

The Profes~ional Journal 

of Army EnJ;ineers 

Doctrine 

Combat Developments 

Tactics 

Weapons & Equipment 

Career Management 

Significant Erents 

The Professional Journal 

of Army Engineers 

ENGI NE ER 9 
To Second
 

Lieutenants...
 

And To All
 

by Maj. Gen. Clay T. Buckingham 

Maj. Gen. Clay T. Buckingham . Assistant Chief of 

Staff fo r Automa tion and Comm unications. recently 

addressed Second Lieutenants gradu ating the U.S. 

Army Engineer Sch ool Officer Basic Course. His 

remarks fo llow. 

I want to talk to you this morning ab out what One of the first th ings you must do is to take 

kind of Army you are going into, and what your measure of your pl atoon , both the people and the 

role is in that Army. equipment . Determine the status of training and 

Most of you are going to be assigned to a specific ma intena nce. Establish this as the baseline, accept 

unit somewhere. either in the continental United the platoon as it is, and start from there to make it 

States or overseas; Korea, Alaska , Hawaii, th e best plat oon in the United States Army. You 

Panama, or Europe. This unit is prob ably going to mu st apply your total energies toward making this 

be understrength in both noncommissioned of­ platoon the best one in the Army. Complaining 

ficers and enlisted men , and will have a mixture of about th e abilities of your people, the shortage of 

modern and obsolete equipment. people, or the condition and capabilities of your 

The soldiers (men and women ) will be young , equipment will not help . 

with an average age of 18 or 19. Your platoon will 

be multi-racial. and probably multi-lingual. Many L et me say right here that the Army understands 

of your men and women will have graduated from the situations that you ar e going into and is 

high school , but some will not have graduated from str iving to improve th e gen eral, personal, and 

high school. They will come from all parts of the equipment st atus ofthe Army. You must have faith 

United States and its possession s. They will repre­ th at the Army's lead ership is doing this . I can 

sent a wide vari ety of attitudes, values, moral stan­ guar an tee you from having just spent a solid week 

dards, motivations, and abilities. Your non com­ in the Army Four-Star Commanders' Conference 

missioned officers will also be relatively young, th at the Army leadership understands your situamostly in th eir 20's . You will be short cert ain key tion and is doing everything within its power to 

noncommissioned officers, and th ose th at you ha ve mak e improvements. So. complaining about your 

will also represent a variety of abilities and motiva­ situation is not going to help anything , As a matter 

tions. of fact , it will detract from your primary mission , 

You will immed iately recogni ze th at your pla­ which is to build your platoon int o th e best one in 

toon has an awful lot of equipment. All of this the US Army. 

equipment has been assigned to help you perform Now, I want to give you some hints as to how you 

your mission . This equipment will range from the can do all of this. First let me tell you th at there are 

individual weapons and equipment of the soldiers two people who will rapidly 100m as the most imto the collective equipme nt of th e platoon . That is, portant two people in your life as a platoon leader. 

th e vehicles and other mission oriented equipment. Th e first is your Company Commander and the 

10 SPRING 1981 
second is your Platoon Sergeant. With regard to 

your Compan y Commander, you are a follower. 

With regard to your Platoon Sergeant, you are a 

leader. 

Never forg et that your Company Commander is 

just that: he comma nds the company of which your 

platoon is a part . He is your boss. You must learn 

to relate to him in a healthy, constructive. 

subordinate-superior relationship . You must continuallv look at yourself as he looks at you , and 

seek to be the kind of platoon leader that you 

would like to have if you were th e Company Commander . You may disagree with him on things and, 

of course , it is your right and responsibility to make 

recommendations to him in an objective and 

responsible manner. But he has the final say and 

you must support him loyally a nd effectively. You 

mu st seek to help him to do his job and to make 

him successful in his job as Company Commander. 

You can do this by making your platoon the be st 

platoon in th e Army. 

Your Company Commander is not really interested in where you went to college , or whether 

you were a football star, or whether you were President of your fraternity , or have an MS in Civil 

Engineering. What he is interested in , is how well 

you command your platoon. 

With regard to your Platoon Sergeant, you are a 

leader. You ar e his Commander , and you should 

seek to develop with him a he althy, constructive, 

superior-subordinate relationship . Once again , you 

must look at yourself from his viewpoint and seek 

to be the kind of Platoon Leader that you would 

like to have if you were the Platoon Sergeant. 

I 

Thus, I say to you that these two people, your 

Company Commander and your Platoon Sergeant, 

will be the most important two people in your life 

as a Platoon Leader. Of course, there are other 

people to whom you must relate: th e First 

Sergeant, your fellow platoon leaders, the Company Executive Officer-if your have one- the 

other noncommissioned officers within your platoon, and the enlisted men within your platoon. 

But, never forget the importance of these two people , the Company Commander and your Platoon 

Sergeant. 

must emphasize that you are a Platoon Leader 

and not a Battalion Commander, a Brigade 

Commander, or an Army Commander. During 

your four years of academic training at the University of your choice, you have studied a variety of 

subjects. Basically, that education was designed to 

teach you how to think . Now, as a Platoon Leader, 

it is your job to focus all of the intellectual powers 

th at you have specifically on your platoon. Do not 

seek to solve the world's problems or the Army's 

problems or even your Battalion Commander's 

probl ems. Confine your attention primarily to your 

own company, and specifically, toward your own 

ENGINEER 

platoon. Throughout your career, the people who 

are most important to you are your contemporaries; your immediate superior, and your immediate subordinates. 

Your two most important ta sks will be the training of your men and the maintenance of your 

equipment. You may have a lot of other things on 

your mind, but the most important things that you 

will ever do as a Platoon Leader will be to train 

your Platoon and to maintain your equipment . 

Superior training and superior maintenance are 

your primary goals. In training, you must be the 

coach. You must know your men , the stat us of 

their training, where th ey are coming from, and 

then you must train them to do the job s th at they 

are specifically responsible for within your platoon . 

With regard to your equipment, you must learn 

not only what the equipment is used for but also 

how it operates and how it should be maintained. 

You must become the expert on the equipment in 

your platoon . You must study the manual, crawl in 

and out of th e vehicles, learn to operate the vehicles 

and weapons, learn to operate every piece of equipment that you have in your platoon, and know 

specifically what standards of maintenance the 

Army requires. You must then set the standards 

for your platoon and enforce those standards. 

Now, with regard to the relationship between 

you rself, your Platoon Sergeant, and your noncommiss ioned offi cers. If you do not have a copy of 

Field Manual 22-600-20 , dated March 1980, entitled, "T he Noncommissioned Officer Guide, " you 

should get one. This little manual identifies the 

place of the noncommissioned officer in the United 

States Army. There are chapters on leadership, 

11 
authority, the officer chain of command, the NCO 

support channel, duties and responsibilities of the 

noncommissioned officer, and the relationship between noncommissioned and commissioned officers. It is specifically written for the noncommissioned officer. but you should read this manual, 

comprehend it. understand it. and then insist that 

your noncommissioned officers comply with the 

provisions of this manual. 

Y our job is to train your noncommissioned officers to do their jobs and then to insist that 

they do those jobs. You are not to do these jobs for 

them. This is a fundamental mistake which many 

junior officers make and that is to bypass their 

noncommissioned officers and deal directly with 

the enlisted men of their platoon. The noncommissioned officer is the first line leader in the Army. As 

the platoon leader, you must insist that your squad 

leaders or section leaders do their jobs. And I say 

again , you are not to do th ose jobs, but you must 

insist that your NCOs do their jobs. 

The noncommissioned officer at this level is the 

glue which holds the Army together. You can 

subvert the whole system of discipline within the 

Army if you try to do the NCOs job for him , or if 

you do not insist that he do his job . I cannot overemphasize this point. Give your noncommissioned 

officers the responsibility and the authority identified within this manual and then insist that they 

fulfill those responsibilities and exercise that 

authority. By so doing. you will be training your 

NCOs in leadership. 

Now, for a few one-liners which apply to your 

resp onsibilities as a Platoon Leader. 

1. You are responsible for everything your Platoon doc s or fails to db, 24 hours of every day , 

seven days a week. You will have more responsibility as a Platoon Leader than most people have in a 

lifetime. 

2. The Army is built on integrity. You should 

never , under any circumstances, compromise on 

integrity. However, you must learn to tell the difference between an issue which involves integrity 

and an issue which simply involves procedures. 

Ninety-nine percent of the issues are procedural, 

and probably only one percent specifically involves 

issues of integrity. I say again, never compromise 

where integrity is involved. but be flexible with procedures and learn to tell the difference between an 

issue involving integrity and an issue which is 

simply one of procedures. 

3. Troops want a strong. intelligent leader. 

They thirst for leadership. They want tough training. They want tough , competent leaders. Do not 

let them down by being a weak and ineffectual 

leader. 

4. Do not be fooled. The small percentage of 

your tro ops who will be squawkers do not represent 

the majority. And even those who constantly 

squawk respect and want strong leadership. 

S. Your appearance does make a difference. 

Learn to present a strong and confident ap ­

pearance. Keep your hair cut , your boots shined , 

and your shoulders back. 

6. Do not take counsel of your fears. Just go 

ahead and do your job. 

7. Physical training is extremely important. 

You should strive to be in better physical shape 

than any man in your platoon and then you should 

strive to bring them up to your standard. 

8. Remember that in any operation, or in 

training or maintenance activities, 10 percent of 

your effort will be in planning and giving instruction. The other 90 percent should be in the followthrough and supervision. 

9. Not all of your soldiers will succeed. Even 

with the best leadership, some will fail. Learn to 

determine the difference between those who ar e 

simply immature, but have potential, and those 

who simply will never be able to make it. 

10. Build confidence. Confidence comes 

through a series of little success es. Every time a 

soldier does something right it adds to his confidence. Good soldiers are confident soldiers. You 

can build their confidence by leading them from 

success to success in little things. 

11. There are three things wher e you must be 

absolutely preci se. These are in the handling of 

money . in the handling of supplies and in the 

handling of classified documents. 

12. Do not give your signature away lightly. 

Know what you are signing. 

13. Never, under any circumstances, lend 

money to an enlisted man. It is simply bad practice. If he really needs money. there are ways of getting it for him through the Red Cross , through the 

Army Emergency Relief or through a partial payment. 

14. Respect your First Sergeant. Do not hang 

around his office, do not lean on his desk. and do 

not sit in his chair. Remember, the First Sergeant 

is the top noncommissioned officer in your company and deserves your respect. Listen to him . He 

can teach you milch. 

IS. In your personal conduct, you must be 

moderate and self controlled. A drunk or a playboy 

has no place in the Officer Corps. 

Lastly. recognize that your career is built one day 

at a time. Th ereto strive for excellence in all things. 

And particularly, develop an excellent spirit. In the 

Old Testament, Daniel rose to the top of his profession because he had an excellent spirit. Don 't be 

simply a critic. No one will follow a critic. Look at 

everyday and every situation positively. For after 

all, "This is the day that the Lord hath made. Let 

us rejoice and be glad in it." 

I envy you the opportunity once again to command a platoon . You can make it a gre at exper ience and thereby establish a small but important island of competence within the US Army . It's 

in your hands. 

--------_...
 

12 SPRING 1981
 
PROFESSIONAL REGISTRATION FOR
 

THE MILITARY ENGINEER
 

by Captains Robert W. McBride and Thomas B. Nelson 

R egistration as a Pr ofessional Engineer establishes an accepted standard of technical excellence within the en gineering profession. 

Registration also provides a tan gible method of 

qualifying an ind ividual's level of expertise as an 

engineer and as a professional within the military 

structure . Supplemental to the recognized standard established by registration , the continuing 

development of technical proficiency is achieved or 

tine tuned. 

In September 1979. in a letter writt en by the 

Chief of Engineers, an objective was established 

that by the summer 1981 " all District engineers be 

professionally registered, and that all Deputy 

District engineers be reg istered as Professional or 

In Training" . I In th e coming years, selection for 

District engineers will thu s be based less on 

whether an officer 's initial entry is Specialty Code 

21, but more on the individu al' s managerial , 

t echni cal and d emon stra ted e ng in ee r in g 

capabilities. Professional registration is an indication of th ese capabilities. Alth ough registrati on is 

not an immediate con cern for the junior military 

' Letter. Subject: OPMS and Professional Engine ering 

Excellence. dtd 19 Sep 79, from LTG l .W. Morris. 

ENGINEER 

enginer, the effort necessary to obtain registration 

increases tremendously as the years away from formal schooling mount. 

As evide nce of thi s recent emphasis on Professional Engineer Registration for military officers, 

the US Arm y Engineer School has experienced a 

dramatic increase in inquiries and requests for 

assistance from the active military sector. In view 

of the above desires for PE registration by military 

engin eers , this article is provided to outline the 

steps leading toward registration. These steps are 

deri ved from experience with the registration process in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and with 

study programs available in the Northern Virginia 

area . Most of the steps desc ribed , with some variations, can be applied to the registration process in 

other sta tes. 

STEP ONE: MEET BOARD PREREQUISITES. 

The three general prerequ isites for examination 

are : 

a. Graduation from an ACPD I ABET' accredited school with an engineering degree. Several 

states will accept degrees in engine ering from non­

'Enginee rs Council on Pr ofessional Developmen t , 

renamed Accred itation Board of Engineering and 

Te chnology on 1 Janu ary 1980. 

13 
accredited schools. while others allow sub stitution 

of additional experience in lieu of gr aduati on from 

non- accredited schools or for degrees other than 

engineering. Che ck with your State Board of Ex ­

ami ners for verification , as necessary. 

b . Certification as Engineer-in-Trainin g (EIT) . 

EIT certification is achieved by passing an eight 

hour examination on Fundam entals of En gineering . This is a national exa m given twice annually. 

Ex cellent referenc es describing the content of the 

exam are ava ilable in most libraries and enginee ring or te chnical book stor es. Some states a llow applicants for PE registrati on to take both the EIT 

and PE exams on successive days . 

c. Four years of approved engineering experience. Military exper ience is acceptable if it 

shows " responsible charge" of engineering work ; 

" respons ible cha rge" meaning a position requiring 

initiative , skil1 and independent judgement in th e 

planning, desi gn and supervision of engineering 

projects and activities. The experience gained by 

the junior military officer in the Corps of Engineers 

often involves th ese fun ctio ns, and should 11 0t be 

overlooke d by the applica nt becau se he did not 

carry the title of "Civil Engineer" or " Project 

Engineer". The applicant mu st describe his experience in ter ms understood by board members 

unfamiliar with the militar y. For example, expe rience as Platoon Lead er can rea d: Respon sible 

for operations and training of 40 engineering personnel and equip ment. Design ed , pl anned and 

supervised cons truction of a 2 mile bituminous 

road ; 250 sq . yd. parking apron . 30 ft. timber 

tower and 3000 ft. of fencing. Supervised borrow 

pit operations and compl eted barracks renovati on 

project budgeted at $250, 000. Avoid acronyms and 

abhreviations. Experience in non -en gin eering 

military assignments should not be listed as qu alifying experience. 

Use as many different study 

materials as you can find. 

STEP TWO: COMPLETE THE APPLICATION. 

Ob tain an app licatio n fro m the State Board for 

Profession al Registrat ion . usually located in your 

state 's capi tal. Virgini a applications a re ava ilable 

from th e P .E. Progr am Coordinator at Fort 

Belvoir, as well as fro m the state board. Wh en requ esting the application, also request a copy of 

regulat ions governi ng registr ati on necessary to help 

you satisfy any special state requirements. Type the 

info rma tion neatl y and completely. Do not use con ­

tinuation sheets unl ess specifically permitt ed . 

STEP THREE: VERIFY EXPERIENCE AND 

EDUCATION. 

Military experi ence can usu ally be verifi ed by the 

signature of the Inst allati on Records Officer who 

maintains your personnel files. Civilian experience 

mu st be verifi ed by personnel manager s from each 

engagement. Education must be verified by the 

school directly; th rough sub mission of an official 

tr anscript or completion of a form supplied with 

the applicati on. EIT certification is verified by the 

Stat e Board . 

STEP FOUR: GET ENDORSEMENTS OF 

PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS. 

Most sta te boards require endorsem en ts of three 

to five registered PE's; some of whom must be 

registered in the sta te of application. Junior officers should start keeping a record of possibl e endorser s as ea rly as possible in their careers, and 

sho uld not be hesitan t to ask uni versity professors 

or Engin eer School fac ulty to make such an endorsement. Recommen dat ions from reg istered 

En gine ers sh ou ld be b ased up on work 

demon strated while under t hei r supervision or instru ction. 

STEP FIVE: PAY ALL FEES . 

Submit the required fee by che ck with your application . Most fees will range from $25 to $100 

(Virginia cha rges $30), with an exam fee to be paid 

14 SPRING 1981 
following approval of your application. The exam 

fee is currently $18. 

STEP SIX: ENSURE TIMELY SUBMISSION OF 

ALL PAPERWORK. 

The state board will require submission of the 

application and all supporting endorsements and 

transcripts 60 to 90 days prior to the examination. 

Submit your paperwork early and follow up on en ­

dorsements. Boards will not act on an incomplete 

file . 

STEP SEVEN: STUDY 

Utilize as many different sources of study 

material as you can find. Some excellent sources 

are: 

a. Texts. Reference books from the Engineer 

Schoo l or college with which you are familiar are 

excellent study materials. Review class notes and 

refresh your knowl edg e of engineering disciplines. 

b . USAES Correspondence Cours es. PE study 

courses are available in several disciplines, and 

may be requested by completing an application, 

available from: US Army Eng ineer School , ATTN: 

ETM Branch, Fort Belvoir , VA 22060. 

c. University R eview Courses. Many universities 

offer review courses in several disciplines at their 

main and regional campuses. Th e University of 

Virginia , for example, conducts courses at Fort 

Belvoir and other Northern Virg inia locati ons prior 

to each exam. Contact your education center for information. 

d. Informal Group Review. USAES pers onnel 

conduct a Civil Engineering lunch hour review four 

weeks prior to exam dates, and are currently 

writing a course which can be used by other 

military installations. 

STEP EIGHT: TAKE AND PASS THE EXAM. 

The Professional Engineer exam is an eight hour 

exam administered in April a nd October/ 

November. Specific test dates and locations are 

determined by each state board. Most states, including Virgin ia, use a national exam. Examinees 

ma y take the exam in anyone of the following 

disciplines: 

Civil Agric ult ural Petroleum 

Chemical Ceramic Sanitary 

Electrical Ind ustrial Structural 

Mechanical Manufacturing Aeronautical/ 

aerospace 

Combined* Nuclear Mining/Mineral 

*The combined engineering exam includes the 

disciplines of civil, chemical, electrical and 

mechanical engineering. The discipline to be examined must be selected prior to the morning session, and cannot be changed once th e exam ha s 

started . 

Each examinee will be given a problem booklet 

for the four hour morning session containing 10 

problems in the discipline selected. The examinee 

will work four problems for credit. The afternoon 

pr oblem book will contain ten problems, nine new 

problems in each discipline and one engineering 

economics problem common to all disciplines. As 

with the morning session, four problems will be 

worked . In most states the engineering economics 

problem may be included as one of four problems 

solved, while some states require that it be worked 

by all examinees. A small number of states do not 

allow the problem to be solved for credit. Check 

with your state board for specific requirements. 

Examinees selecting the "combined" discipline 

may work any four problems from the disciplines of 

civil, chemical, electrical and mechanical in each 

session. Problems may be selected from one 

discipline or any combination within the combined 

selection. 

Problems are gr aded bas ed on work accomplished, with partial credit given for partial solutions. 

10 points are allowed for each problem , with a 

perfect score of 80 points. 70% correct, or 56 

point s, are required to pa ss th e exam. All problems 

have equal grade weight. 

All bound references are allowed in the exam , as 

ar e silent calculators. Check with local exam sites 

about availability of electrical outlets . All assumptions made in th e solution, as well as references 

used , should be listed on th e solution to ensure full 

credit. 

These steps and descriptions are not going to 

answer all questions, and may raise additional inquiries. Questions should be addressed to state 

boards, registered PE's or the PE Program Coor ­

dinator at the Engineer School. We hope that the 

engineer, military or civilian , reading this article 

may be encouraged and assisted in his pursuit of 

registration . Engineer registration is the most acceptable and most important evidence of professional competence, and although th e preparation 

may be trying , their final results ar e well worth the 

effort. 

Capt . Robert W. McBride is the Assistant 

Secretary to the General Staff, U.S. Army 

Engineer Center and Fort Belvoir. M cBride is a 

licensed Professional Engineer and serves as proctor f or PE/EIT examinations f or th e State of 

Virginia. Capt. Th oma s B. Nelson is an instructor 

in the Roads and Airfields Branch, Department of 

Military Engineering, U.S. Army Engineer Schoo l. 

Nelson also serves as Program Coordinatorfor Prof essional Engineer Registration. 

-----------------------111
 

ENGINEER 15 
VERTICAL CONSTRUCTION
 

TRAINING
 

for 

SECOND LIEUTENANTS
 

by Maj. Lester C. Roth 

T
 he mod ern battlefield is en­ ing , therefore , is to prepare youn g the Army Facilities Component
 

visioned as a short, intensive engineer officers to manage a con­ System (AFCS) are used by the st u­


conflict with engineer effort stru ction project as opposed to the dent to prepare a bill of ma terials,
 

priority in support of the Combined designing of bu ildings or utility correctly specifying all pipes and fit­


Arms Team. Accordingly, vertical systems. Such tr aining, requires at tings.
 

construction tr aining for second least a rudimentary underst and ing Next, the second lieuten ant per­


lieutenants has been reduced in re­ of the t echnol ogy invo lve d . forms a four -hour , hands-on prac­


cent years. However , th e vertical Classro om instruction focuse s on ter­ tical exercis e in installing plumbing
 

construct ion mission still exists, min ology and a few of the basic pri n­ systems. Students are split into
 

especially in support of peacetime re­ ciples involved . Let's follow a typi cal groups of 4-5 an d given a set of con­


quir ements. It is important, EOS C student through his prog ram stru ction plan s. They are required to
 

therefore, that field commanders be of instruction: install and check the plumbing.
 

aware of the capabilities and limita­ The student first receives a two­ They mu st int erp ret th e plan s, sub­


tions of second lieutenants assigned hour class on plumbing systems. mit the appropriate BOM . and use
 

to th eir commands fro m t he Nomencl atu re , a dvantage s a nd the pipefitters tool kit to install the
 

En gin eer Officer Ba sic Course disadvantages of various materials iron and copper pip ing. Their
 

(EO BC) . available, select ion of fittings, and plumbing is pressuri zed with a water
 

An increasin g numb er o f functioning of the dr ain, waste, and hose and critiqued. Demonstrations
 

lieutenants commissioned in th e vent systems are covered. The next a re given on plastic and other types
 

Corps of Engineers do not have three-hour block deals with con­ of piping.
 

enginee ring or engineerin g-related struction print readin g as it applies Electri cal classes follow th e same
 

degre es. The thru st of EOS C train- to plumbing systems. Drawings from basic format. A two-hour class on
 

SPRING 1981 


 

) 

16 

v 
nomenclature, principles of operation and basic circuitry, followed by 

a thre e-hour class on print read ing 

and preparation of BOM s. Onl y interior wiring is covered. A four-hour 

practical exercise follows in which 

small gro ups inst all outlets. lights, 

3-way switc hes, special purpo se 

outlets. circuit breakers, etc., according to a given set of plans. 

N ext is a two-hour inspection 

cla ss. Students ar e provided 

with a set of construction dr awing s 

for the electrical and plumbing 

system of a Theater of Op eration s 

bath house and latrine which have 

been constru cted with variou s deficiencies. The students are ta ught 

how to condu ct an inspection as well 

as the typical things to look for. Emphasis is placed on identi fying the 

deficiency; determining why it hap ­

pened ; eva lua ting the deficiency's effect on the system ; and if necessary. 

stating th e corre ctive action required. 

Short classes totaling six hou rs in 

wood fra me construction cover print 

reading, nomencl atu re of buil ding 

components, stair design . use of the 

fra ming squa re and othe r' carpentry 

tools, and tool account ab ility at a 

project site. 

During the same timefr ame , 

students also receive instruction in 

engineer management. They learn 

how to conduct a site investigation at 

a proposed const ruction site; how to 

develop a critical path method 

(CPM) network with corresponding 

ea rly start schedules; how to use TM 

5-333. Construction Manageme nt , 

for estimating crew sizes and duration s; how to prep ar e activity 

estimate sheets in conjunction with 

material take-off lists and BOM s; 

an d how to develop resou rce constrai ned CPMs. 

Afte r completion of these individ ual classes . a comprehensive integ rated construc tion exercise is condu cted which requires students to 

utilize the skills th ey have learned in 

the classroom . The platoon is once 

agai n split into small groups and 

given a construction directive to plan 

ENGINEER 

and construct a 16x24 Theat er of 

Operations bath house, utili zing 

pre fabricated plywood panel constru ction . A CPM, resource constrai ned to an Ll -rnan squa d, is requ ired of each group. as ar e activity 

estimate sheets for installing th e 

piumb ing and elect rica l syste ms 

along with two other activities. Each 

gro up must present their plan at a 

pr econs truction conference in which 

instructors represent battalion S-3 

and Facilities Engineer personnel. 

Group presentations include layout 

of the site, impact of the constrained 

CPM, safety and tool acco unta bility 

plan for the project. how VIP visitors 

will be handled, materi al requisition 

and storage plan s, and support required from other units. 

An 18-hour practical exe rcise 

follows in which th e student officers act ually construct the bu ilding 

an d insta ll the plumbing and electrical system. The small gro ups are 

combi ned once aga in to form a 

squad size element. Ea ch squad has 

its own building. The squad leader is 

pretty much left on his own and 

allowed to ma ke mist ak es that do 

not materially affect the structure or 

delay progress. For example, if a 

squa d forget s to order an item on its 

BOM , the instru ctors might require 

that squad wait 30 minutes before 

the item is issued , emphasizing the 

imp ortance of having a complete 

BOM . Throughou t th e constru ction, 

le adership sk ills a r e c lose ly 

monitored and critiqued . Lead ersh ip 

positions are rota ted at various 

ph ases of the const ru ction. Use of 

the CPM at th e project site is stressed . 

Sometime during the pr oject , each 

squa d is visited by a YIP. It might be 

the battalio n com mande r, th e 

Facilities Enginee r. or even the unit 

chaplain. The project leader mu st 

alter his briefing to match the interests of the YIP. This has been 

noted as an area where second 

lieu tenants are initiall y very weak 

and may requi re additiona l training 

once they get to the field . 

E ach squad is required to construct a truss. set of st airs, wall 

panel , etc. , as time permits. Thus, 

the student receives good introduction to the skills and tech niques 

which enlist ed members of his platoon mu st use as well as the tools 

t hat a re no rmall y availa ble . 

T h ro ug hout the con str u ct ion. 

pointers of "tips-of-the-trade" ar e 

given , realizing that such know ledge 

is normally gained only by exper ience . 

Several inspections are conducted 

by the instructor s. to show students 

how to conduct an inspection as well 

as what to look for and how to cor ­

rect it . Emphasis is placed on 

discovering the cau se of defici enci es 

so tha t they ma y be prevent ed in the 

fut ure. 

Wh en th e se cond lieuten ant 

reaches the field, he will not be able 

to perform construction design . He 

receives only a brief introduction to 

electrical, plumbing . a nd wood 

fra me construction in EOSe. He 

will, however. know how to use a 

CPM to organize and prepare for a 

constructio n project. He sho uld be 

abl e to do BOMs and read construction prints . He should be able to conduct an on-site inspection and direct 

corrective action for deficiencies 

discovered . Commanders, however, 

must rem ember that a second lieutenant's exposure to construction tasks 

is very limited . He must rec eive extensive on-the-job training at his first 

permanent duty station. 

Maj. Lester C. Roth is presently 

assigned as Chief. S tru ctures and 

Utilities Bran ch . USAES. He has 

served with the 307th Engineer Battalion at Fort Bragg . NC and th e 2nd 

Engineer Battalion , Korea. ... 

17 
::.' ,: ,. :. 

The '\ " , , " 

Earthmovind"'\ ,', , 1/ / , 

PI t • , k \\ ;~ J!l '11 

, a oon In an \)~ ~"

,:Jll£ Ditch Operations ;J« }' 

by Capt. Michael L. Hoots 

''A balanced US tank and mechanized infantry com ­

pany team of 12 tanks and 12 armored personnel carriers. occupying U battle position in the active def ense. 

may confront afirst ech elon array 0/ som e 90 to 100 

armored vehicles. To de/ par such a formation, first 

slow the attacker's momentum; th at provides time to 

kill his tanks and infantry fighting vehicles. .. 

- TRADOC Bulletin No, 12
 

Battle Report Terrain Reinforcement:
 

Tank Ditches
 

28 March 1980 T he e ffect iveness of properly co ns tructe d a nd well
 

position ed antitank ditch es ha s bee n well documented . The Co rps combat he avy e ng ineer bat tali on co nc erttrates a tr em endou s amoun t of terrai n res ha ping eq uipmen t in th e ea rt h moving pl ato on s of each of its three line 

co m pa nies , These three pla toons ca n p roject enoug h 

com b at e ngineering power to a lte r th e course o f ba ttle if 

th ey are pr op erly and effic iently employed . 

In Au gu st and Se p te mber of 1980 . the S48 th Eng ineer 

Battalion (Comba t) (Heavy) co nd uc ted test s to det ermine 

\ 

y 

18 SPRING 1981 
---

the most effective em ployme nt of ea rt h mo vin g pl at oon s 

in tan k d it ch opera tion s, and to determin e the most cfIectivc con str u ction techniques uti lizing cur re n t T O & E 

eq u ip me n t. The text s were conducted a t the S48 lh' s 

h om e station . F Ol1 Br ag g , NC. 

Each co mba t h ea vy eart hmoving (E M) p la toon h a s 

three ORK bulldoze rs . fo ur 290M whee led tractors with 

18 CY scra pe rs, and one 5 CY scoop loader. 

Company B of the 548th was selected to cond uc t th e 

ac t ua l ta nk dit ch fiel d testing a nd to complet e th e p la nn ing a n d coord in a tion o f nil other pha ses of th e operalion . T he plat oon leade r a n d platoon se rgea nt we re conrrmued wit h th e following very p ro b a b le b att lefield missions: 

• Organize th e pl atoon in su ch a manne r a, to effccti \"Cl con stru c t a s many d itc hes xim ul tan cou sly as possib le : 

• Det e rmi ne th e most efficien t me th od of constru elion for eac h " tea m " orga nized . 

The k eys to orga nizing the indepe nd en t team s were 

rat es of co nstruc tio n and overall effi ciency. reliability, 

a nd flexib ility . The most effe ct ive te a m en visione d con ­

sisted of two D 8 K b ulldozers using th e p ush / strik e-off 

m ethod of co ns t r uc tion . Th e D8K b ul ldo zer is well 

known fo r its a ll-weat he r ca p ab ility. man eu verabi lity, 

a nd ea se a nd relia b ility of maint en a nce . 

T he lea st rel ia bl e te am envisione d woul d h ave co nsist ed of a ll 290 M tractors or tract or/ pan s (t hree sc ra pin g. one p u sh ing ). Eve n u nd er th e contro l of a n experien ced op er a to r. th e 290 M is d itfi cul t to o pe ra te in 

un st abl e so il co n d it ions . T he reliabilit y of the 290 M tru etor a -, a p u she r is a lso h ig hly suspec t. A recen t construction proj ect by Com pa ny B a t Carrb oro . NC. confir rnre d 

the weak pus her ability of tandem 290 M tea m s in 

anything bu t id ea l wea th er a nd soil co ndi tions . Also . 

becau se o f th e ag e of th e eq uip me nt and its unique 

design withi n the con st ru ction equipmen t com m un ity . a 

con sisten tly goo d o pe ratio na l rea d in ess po stu re is oft en 

diffi c ult to ma intain . 

W hen ac t ua l con str uc tio n te chn iq ue s were an alyzed , 

th e sim plic ity and ove rall su periority of th e double D8K 

bulldo zer t eam wa s obv io us . T he p ush / strike -off method 

IS a two-st ep co n tin uou v process. It can be con tinued in ­

definitely , and cycle times a re negl igib le . A team consisting of a ll 290 M tr acto r/scra pe rs co nstructing a 

U-sh a pe d diich might be fairly effic ien t in th e beginn ing . 

b ut it woul d event ua lly lose effi cie ncy throu gh excessive 

cyc le rimes a s th e dit ch lengthen ed . A co nsta nt ra te of 

co ns tru ct ion co uld b e ma int ain ed if the 290M trac ­

to r/scr ap e rs built th e d itch in seg me nts, b ut "dea d 

sp aces" in th e overall d it ch p attern wou ld resul t. 

T he so lut ion wa s a tea m o f on e bull dozer a nd one 

tr ac tor/ scraper const ruct ing a Uvsha ped d itch . The 

290M tracto r/scrnpers wou ld provi de th e d itc h -di gging 

im petus. The bulldo zer wo u ld en su re a rel iable pusher 

ca p ab ility. an d wo u ld also pe rform a unique fun ct io n to 

ens ure a const a nt r ate of con stru ction . 

T he b ull?ozers would dig ent ry slots into the enem y 

CROSS 

SECTION 

---. ENEMY 

"-r 

1.5M 

.i 

I 

PUSH 1

, ..._ STRIKE_ OFF 

TOP 

VIEW 

ENEMY. 

Figure 1 

side of th e d itc h a t p redetermined in tervals. Then the 

290 Ms co u ld ente r th e ditch and conti n ue const ru ction a t 

a cons ta n t ra te . If th e time for slot con struct ion could be 

minimized , an effic ien t rat e of co ns tr uction co u ld be 

maintained . It me ant sacrifi cing a highly efficient 0 8K 

bulldoze r te am. b ut it was hop ed that inc reased t eam 

reli abilit y and flexibility wo u ld be gaine d. 

Th e pl a toon 's scoo plo ader a nd a b orrowed D8K 

b u lld ozer wou ld both be used in th e p ush / st rike- off 

me th od (us ing a 0 8 K p usher) to gain a comparison of 

each machine's ca pah ilities in the st rik e-off ph ase of co nst r uc tio n . No great d ifference in effi cien cy wa s env isio ne d 

for t his relatively non-taxing portion of the d itch ing process. 

T est in g co nc luded th at th ree teams co uld be effective ly 

d epl oyed by th e o ne D8K bulldozer. Team J co nsisted of 

one scooploa der an d one bull dozer. T hes e te ams were 

d esigned for maxim um utili zation of indiginou s E M pl atoo n eq uip ment and were tailored for effec tive mission 

accom plish men t. 

The g ro u nd ove r wh ich con st ru cti on wa s pl anned for 

t he sc ra per/ dozer tea m incl uded fl at to ge nt ly ro lling terra in . Th is made the e rec tion of a h igh . spoil berm in com ­

patible with th e use of direct fire . a nti ta nk wea pon s suc h 

as T O Ws, Dragon s and tan ks. 

T errain co nditio ns for th e loa de r/dozer team were 

ENGINEER 19 
I 

CROSS 

SECTION 

..-. ·'" --

1.5M t Ii 

i ~''''~'j- ,".~.,A

PASS 

T 

r Y 

+

T 

Y 

+

T 1 Y

-+ 

TOP 

VIEW 

t 

290M 

DUMP 

-ENEMYassumed to bc broad and steeply rolling , ideally suite d 

for a high berm. Th e soil was anal yzed to be 70 to 75 percent sand an d th e rema inder clay and fines . 

Con siderin g the equipment available and th e relative 

effectiveness of each ditch design (U -sba pe, tri angul ar. 

and side- hill cut), th e U-sh aped ditch was selected for 

construction . The loader/dozer team would buil d a 

U-sha ped ditch using the push /strike-off method . This 

two-step , continu ous process ditch ha s proven to be the 

qui cke st to construct and the hardest to cross . The plan 

called for substituting an additional D8K bulldozer (pro' 

bably fro m the maintenance and eq uipment support 

company) for the 1758 scooploader in the stri ke-off 

ph ase of constru ction. The loader could then be 

employed to dig road craters in the sha pe of sma ll 

tri angular antitank ditches elsewhere in the de fensive 

secto r . 

Th e stra ight forwa rd approa ch of the push / strike-off 

method resulted in few un exp ected findin gs. It is worth 

noting, however, that the relatively simple meth od of 

const ruction was not so simply transmitted to even experien ced ope rators. Mor e than an hour of carefully 

supe rvised pr actice was required for operators to achieve 

an efficient construction rythmn . (Figure I). The fina l 

pr odu ct was effective in accomplishi ng th e mission . 

The rate of construction for the bulldozer /bulldozer 

tea m was measured approximately 140 meter s per hour 

in all terrain condition s. This result was surprising , as 

only 100 meters per hour ha d been anticipa ted. 

SPOil 

"~"~'l'rJ,~1'~_. 

-ENEMYt 

290M 

DUMP 

I 

Figure 2 

I 

The constru ction meth od for the scraper/ doze r team 

was also relati vely simple in concept , but proved to be 

complex in executi on . The 290M scrapers were to make a 

digging pass, accompa nied by a push dozer . At the end 

of the digging run , th e dozers were to make a dumping 

run to distribute the spoil on the friendly side of th e 

ditch . Th e dozer wou ld th en return to the beginning to 

rejoin the scrapers. (Figure 2). 

The tests revealed that th e tractor/scrapers began to 

seriously outcycle the dozers at approximately 100 meters 

of construction , depending on terrain conditions (rolling 

versus flat ). Therefore . a decision was made that scraper 

ent ry slots would be constructed about every 100 meters 

of dit ch. The de cision was ba sed on the following criteria: 

• Efficient cycle distance was determined to be ap · 

proximatel y 100 met ers ; 

• When b acking up, th e D8K dozer begins to lose 

final drive lubrication at approximately 120 meters. 

Afte r considerable practice, a slot construction time of 

ab out five minutes was obtained. Ironically, an overall 

rate of construction of 100 meters per hour was obtained 

after operato rs and supervisors gain ed proficien cy with 

the techn ique . 

It was also obse rved that the tr actor/ scrapers were 

more efficient when operated in tand em with the pu sh 

dozer, rather than independently of th e dozer. Coordination between operators was diffi cult at first , bu t pr oper 

supervision resolved the problem . En sur ing efficient cycle times and distances was essential to th e success of the 

operation . 

20 SP RING 1981
-----------------------

AII that remain ed to be do ne was to compar e the effectiveness of the D8K dozer. the 175B scooplcader 

and the 290M bob tail trac tor in the strike-off phase of 

the two-st ep. continuous process ditch techniqu e. 

Th e rate of construc tion using the 17SB loader in the 

strike-off ph ase was disappointing. A maxim um rate of 

only 90 meters per hour was ob tai ned. A lack of firm 

trac tion and the absence of a clam shell buc ket were 

ch iefly respon sible for the slow rate. Usi ng the 290M 

bobtail in the strike-off phase yielded a constru ction rate 

of approxima tely 110 meters per hour. The lack of tr action was agai n the reaso n for the relati ve inefficiency. 

Th e obvious conclusion was th at there is no substitute for 

a hea vy duty blade and a tracked veh icle with deep 

gro users. 

A summa ry of the test results follows; 

• two D8K dozers: 140 meters per hour 

• one D8K dozer an d one 290M tractor/scraper: 110 

meters pe r hour 

• one D8K dozer and two 290M trac tor/pans: 100 

meters per hour 

• one D8K dozer and one 175B loader: 90 meters per 

hour 

Aga in. a tea m of th ree 290M tra ctor/ pans and one 

tractor pus her was not considered becau se of its inability 

to sustain a constant rate of const ruction. tra ction and 

maneuver ability problems. and low level of maintenan ce 

reliab ility. 

Various ind igenous platoon vehicle combina tions 

yielded two best aggregate construction rates: 

• two team s of two 290M tra ctor/ pa ns and one D8K 

dozer and one 17SB scooploader: 290 meters per hour 

• three team s of thre e D8K dozers and th ree 290M 

bobtail tractor s: 330 meters per hour. 

Again , there is no sub stitute for big blades and 

grousers . A bulld ozer obtai ned from an outside source 

would definitely cha nge the platoon 's team configurations. Any possibility of creat ing a tea m of two bulldozers 

without sacrifi cing overall platoon flexibility or efficie ncy 

must be eagerly exploited . The add ition of only one 

bulldozer can mean a ga in in the platoon rate of constru ction of almost 20 percent . It is imp ortant to realize, 

of course, that individual test results will vary with soil 

cond itions, operator efficiency, terr ain and weather 

cha rac teristics, and sup ervisor competence. 

The most significant lesson learn ed by th e tests was 

that there is no sub stitu te for ha nds-on tr aining in tan k 

ditch cons truction. Even simple techn iques such as th e 

push/strike-off meth od requ ire trai ning time and effort . 

Int angibles such as team organiza tion , ope rator proficiency an d supervisor knowledge cannot be ade qua tely 

tested in a classroom environment. Th e perfect classroom 

is the terra in an d th e best tea che r is experience . 

Capt. Michael L. Hoots currently com mands Company 

B. 548th Engineer Battalion Fort Bragg, North Carolina. 

... 

THE 

PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER PROBLEM 

Th e Professional En gineer Problem 

be low is presented cou rtesy of the Fort 

Belvoir Chapter of the Society of 

American Military Engineers. The P.E. 

Prob lem is designed to provide study 

a nd sti mulus for engineers aspiring 

toward s Professional En gineer Registr ation, and to act as a review for currently licensed engineers. Th e Eng ineer 

School Probl em will resume next issue, 

along with a new Professional Engineer 

Problem . Questions or sugge stion s 

regarding Professional Engineer Proble ms should be addressed to 

E NGINEE R MAGAZINE, ATTN: 

Society of American Military Engineers 

P.E. Problems. Public Affairs Office, 

Fort Belvoir, VA 22060. 

Two highways intersect at point " B" , as shown 

above. Line AC is 475.6 feet long, originating at 

Station 13 + 25. A nine degree curve is planned to 

475.6' 

join the two highways. Compute the following: Station of PC. PI, & PT; Angle of Intersection; 

Radius; Tangent; Length of Curve. 

ENGINEER 21 
BRIDGE DEMOLITIONS IN
 

THE FACE OF THE ENEMY
 

by Major Allan E. Younger, Royal Engineers, British Army 

The following article taken from the MILITAR Y 

REVIEW. Command and General Scaff College. 

Fort Leavenworth. Kansas. Volume XXXIII. No. 

4. July 1953. is reprinted to furnish background 

information and to illustrate one of the more important of the countless problems facing military 

engineers on a division level and below in the 

employment of obstacles. 

T his article was prompted by an earlier one entitled 

" Who Dictates Destruction?" by Lieutenant Colonel Harold 1. St. Clair, which appeared in the October 

1952 issue of the MILITARY REVIEW. 

There is one aspect of the German failure at Remagen, 

however, which Colonel St. Clair did not emphasize. He 

stated that there had been no prepared demolition plan 

at the bridge and this surely was the key to failure . It is 

not with the desire to criticize his article that this has 

been written, but rather to investigate the type of orders, 

that if given to the Remagen bridge demolition COmmander, would have ensured destruction of the bridge or 

at least saved him from execution later! 

As Colonel St. Clair correctly stated, we are likely to 

have to tight a retrograde action in the initial stages of a 

future war. Men's lives will depend on the thoroughness 

of their training and the exactitude of their thought 

before this test comes . Therefore, we must ensure that 

the complexities and uncertainties of this type of warfare 

do not result in a "Rernagen" by careful and detailed 

planning and through execution of all operations during 

a retrograde movement. 

From a purely engineer viewpoint, the main problem 

in demolition remains as it always has been, "What shall 

I do if the enemy arrives on my bridge and I cannot get in 

touch with the superior officer who is authorized to order 

to fire?" 

The reason that this question is so difficult to answer is 

that there are so many variables involved. These are: 

1, The circu mstances of the appearance of the enemy 

at the bridge and of their strength. 

2. The strength of our own troops cut off on the far 

bank . 

J . The strength of our troops in close proximity to the 

bridge. 

4. The relative air situation . 

S. The time factor, including the efficiency of communications. 

6. The importance of the bridge. 

To illustrate these, let the reader decide whether he 

would order the demolition if he were a sergeant faced 

with this situation and able to blow a bridge but lacking 

any superior orders. 

You are a German sergeant at the Remagen bridge. 

You have been told that at least three divisions of German troops are on the far bank. Suddenly a group of the 

enemy, you estimate a platoon. which is about the same 

strength which is available to you, appears at the bridge. 

Will you tire the demolition? Obviously, the answer is no. 

Alter this situation to an enemy armored division arriving 

at a less important bridge, with one battalion of your own 

on the far bank. Will you fire this time? Obviously. yes. 

However, there are many situations between these two 

extremes where the answer is not so simple and in these 

22 SPRING 1981 
instances remember that all th e variabl es have not been 

included. The problem, th erefore, is how to obtain th e 

ma ximum chance of ensuring success whe n faced with so 

many variables and above all with the uncertainties of 

battl e, particularly th e lack of inform ation so apt ly ca lled 

" the fog of war." 

THE HUMAN ELEMENT 

Anoth er fact or in bridge demolition is ofte n forgott en 

by staff officers, namely, th at of th e strai n on th e 

engineer resp onsible for th e demolition. It is doub tful 

whethe r any othe r single situation in war implies such a 

strain on a junior officer or noncommissioned officer as 

the demolition of a bridge in th e face of th e enemy. Th e 

reas on for this is that no man can ever be com pletely certain that a large and complicated dernoliton will be successful. A chance bullet or mort ar shell may have cut his 

leads, a well directed bom b is almost certain too . There is 

always a danger of premature demoliton from similar 

cause s, pa rticularly when blasti ng caps have been inserte d . Above a ll, no one on ea rth can give him an exact 

time for blowing, so he mu st be on the alert conti nuously. 

At th e back of his min d may loom the pot ent ial pen alti es 

for failure . The ph ysical re lief th at he feels if the demolition eventua lly succeeds is comparable with that felt by 

the airborn e soldier whe n his parachute opens. Also it 

mu st be born e in mind that no country, however rich , is 

likely to be ab le to provide bridges for pra ctice dernolition s by newly commissioned officers or by noncomrnissioned officers. 

This all points to the importa nce of the or ders to the 

enginee r firin g part bein g rea lly accura te. comprehensive, and realistic . A junior officer bearing such tec hnical 

responsibil ity an d subjected to such ment al strain must 

be protected as far as possible from th e chan ce of h aving 

to ma ke decisio ns of great consequence. 

IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATIONS 

If communica tions are adequate, there is little problem, A liaison officer in good contact with his head ­

qu arters ca n obtain a ruling on any eventuality; however , 

dare one rely on radio in these circumstances? During the 

Rh ine crossi ng , th e leading wave of LVTs on one sector 

was about to enter th e water when an officer ran up to the 

comm ander of the wave: " There has been a slight change 

of plan ," he said, "The artillery will not lift on a time 

basis, but when you give the code word " splash" over the 

radio ." 

Seconds later, the wave set off. As it did so. someone 

chose to send out a signa l, successfully jammin g the radio 

net . Helple ssly the commander yelled "S plash, I say 

agai n , Splash, " into his micr oph one, receiving no reply. 

Inevitabl y th e first wave dr ove into our own barrage. 

Th is exa mple is onl y introduced as being typical of circumstances all users of radio have experie nced. It is suggested th at to rely on radio as being the an swer is courting failure by not eliminatin g one of the varia bles of the 

pr oblem . Everyth ing possible mu st be done so tha t the 

commande r at th e bridge site has no need to fall back on 

the outside advice unl ess totally unforeseen cirENGINEER 

curnst ances a rise. Th is ind icates a need for written orders 

at the brid ge. 

SEQUENCE OF EVENTS 

Disregarding an y type of demolition not being fired or 

likely to be tire d in the face of the enemy, let us run 

th rough a typical set of circumstances to dear the problem in our minds . 

A division comm ander wishes to convert a river int o a 

complete obstacle and withdraw behind it. He, th erefore, 

orders his enginee r to prepare the bridge for dem olition 

in adva nce . Th e front line may be 10 miles beyond th e 

river and the loss of th e bridges of this st age is unlik ely. If 

th ey are lost, say to un expected airborne attack , the commande r will fight to regain them. At this stage, the sensitive blast ing caps should not be insert ed into th e 

demolit ion circuits on th e bridge for there is littl e que stion of destruction. To avoid th e chance of error, th e 

engineer at th e site should be given written orde rs not to 

tire. This will not pr event an officer senior to him from 

giving him contrary orders, but it does protect him if he 

insists on a written authority from this senior officer an d 

he will obviously attempt to check with his divisional 

headqu arters first , if it is possible. 

If the bridge is important, the division comma nder 

normally will send a unit to protect it . Th e demolition 

team sho uld be int egrated int o this unit so th at th e whole 

becomes the bridge garrison . The bridge garrison commander (demoliton guard comma nder), probably an infa ntry officer , is now the final link between the division 

comma nder and th e demolition team lead er (firing party 

comma nde r), on th e site . 

What the engineer at the site now requ ires is a chec k 

23 
----------------------

list to tell his new commander th e technicalities, such as 

the time requ ired for inserting bl astin g caps . and to remind him of the extra danger of prem ature explosion 

when such caps have been insert ed . 

At this stage. the engineer also must be quite sure that 

a ll his men know how to fire th e demolition in an 

emergency, and also that a seniority roll is prepared so 

th at there will be no confu sion if ther e are cas ualties. 

Similarly, th e bridge garrison comma nde r must be in 

close contact with the engineer and must plan to avoid 

confusion if he bec ome s a cas ualty. 

Normally, communicat ion s can be assumed to operate, 

and th e division commande r can always order the 

destruction of the bri dge. Ob viously , he needs to appreciat e two situations to give this ord er , nam ely the 

sit uati on at the bridge and th e wider situation over the 

entire front. To keep him in touch with event s at the 

bridge site, and to pro vide him wit h a qu ick alternative 

means of passing the orders to tire , the division commander may station a liaison officer there , in radi o con ­

tac t with him at his command post . 

all the com munications at his command. an d kept it 

there until th e demoliton was complete, there would be 

litt le difficulty. Th ere wou ld , however. be a great wast e of 

the division st aff in th e process. 

Therefore , the man at the site mu st be kept in the pictur e. in the same way th at he is responsible for keeping 

his superior inform ed of event s occurring near him . If 

this has been con scienti ou sly done there sho uld be littl e 

danger of the wron g decision be ing t ake n in an emergency. If the ene my arriv es unexpect edl y and cuts off the 

garrison. th e seni or officer on th e spot will take charge. If 

he knows th e outside situa tion he sho uld have little dif ­

ficulty in meeting his respon sibilities. 

One human weakness must always be borne in mind . 

The jobs of both the bridge gar rison commander and the 

engineer are complete whe n the bridge is demolished . 

Furthermore, th e soon er it is de molished the greater th e 

chance of a technical succe ss. Th erefore , there is an 

und erstandabl e tend ency on th e part of both parties on 

the site to interpret even ts in such a way as to favor ea rly 

demolition . Here, the presenc e of th e division commander's liaison officer ma y help to keep events viewed 

in their right perspec tive. 

DELEGATION OF AUTH ORITY 

As th e bulk of the covering troops withdraw over th e 

bridge, or as the local tactical situat ion changes, the tiring of the demoliti on may cease to be a vita l divisio nal 

probl em. At thi s sta ge the division commander will frequently delegate authorit y to blow the b ridge to a 

regimental commander, who may in turn delegate it 

lower. This raises no probl em excep t th at th ere mu st be 

no doubt in the mind of th e commander concern ed th at 

he is responsible for the giving of th e order. Moreover, 

th e bridge ga rr ison commander mu st be in no doub t 

about from whom he will receive his ord er s. This may be 

elem entary, but it is the very delegation of auth ority too 

early or too lat e th at ca uses failure. 

U NFORESEEN ENEMY ACTION 

Th e whole difficulty of dem oliton orders can be summed up in th e need for th e junior regimental officer to 

know accurately the " big pict ur e." This is an over ­

simplification , but it ca n be seen that if the division com ­

mander set up his command post at th e bridge site with 

CONCLUSION 

The lesson of history is that where in battle th ere is 

un certainty and a paramount need for determinati on and 

clear thinking , succ ess depend s, above all, on clear-cut 

command. Th ere are man y instanc es of dem olition 

failures in battle becau se of lac k of pre cise orders. 

Most often, in th e past. the trouble has arisen throu gh 

confusion as to th e office r empowered to give the order. It 

is contende d, therefore. that th e ch anc es of succ ess depend primarily on abso lute insistence on a recognized 

drill which must include: 

I. Definite specification in writing by appointment 

and nam e of th e officer a uthorized to order demolition . 

2. Clear written instructions to th e engineer officer or 

noncommission ed officer leading the dem olition team 

regarding technica l aspects of the demolition . 

3. T he possession by the dem olition lead er of a 

checklist to cover th e engineer responsibility in various 

eventualities. 

This pr ecision is all the more necessar y in modern war 

in the face of possibilities of attack by air or armor.

... 

24 SPRING 1981 
R The Professional Solution 

475.6' 

SOLUTION: a = 180° - 148°10' = 31°50' 

c =180° - 131°48' =48° 12' 

b=180° - (31°50' + 48° 12') = 

99° 58' or 99.97° 

Angle of Intersection: 1= 180° - 99°58' = 

80°02' or 80.03° 

Radius: R = 5729.58 = 5729.58 = 636.62 feet 

D 9 

Tangent: T = R tan 1/ 2 = 636.62' tan 40°01' = 

534.51' 

Length of Curve: L = 100 (l iD) = 100(80.03) 

9 

= 889.26 feet 

Determine AD: AD = AC 

sin c sin b 

AD = (475.6) sin 48°12' = 

sin 99° 58' 

(475.6) .745	 = 359.72 feet 

.985 

Station of PI: PI = Sta A + AD = (13 + 25) + 

(3+ 59.72) =16 + 84.72 

Station of PC: PC = PI - T = (16 + 84.72) ­

(5 + 34.51) =11 + 50.21 

Station of PT: PT = PC + L = (11 + 50.21) + 

(8 + 89.26) = 20 + 39.47 

ENGIN EER 25 
If It's Quality You Want...
 

by Capt. Thomas B. Nelson 

Q uality control of materi als used in construction cannot be over emphas ized. The end product is a direct result of the materials used. The 

best design and the most energeti c supe rvision cannot build a successful road or airfield if th e 

materials used do not meet specifications. And it is 

this field of quality control, unfortunately, that 

often recei ves onl y half-hearted attention. In order 

to ensure thi s quality we have an asset that we can 

use; th e Materi al Qu ality Spec ialist, MOS 51G . 

The state d purpose of the Material Quality 

Specialist (MQS) is to perform field and lab oratory 

tests on soils and const ruct ion materials. The tests 

on soils, wh ich includes rocks, or geology, are emphasized , becau se all horizontal con struction projects are built on soil or ro ck , and with soil or 

rocks . 

The specialist, in the rank of El through ES, 

learns th e basics of his job in Advanced Individual 

Training (AIT) at Fort Belvoir , Va . Perfection of 

his ba sic skills and the learning of new techniqu es 

26 SPRING 1981 
t. 

are dependent on practice of his skills, completion 

of correspondence course work and on-the-job 

training. The success of a construction project 

often depends on the SI G's training, and 

associated skill. This article will highlight the 

Sl G's formal training and provide recommendations for his continuing education. 

The typical MQS student is an E1, straight from 

Basic Combat Training. Army students also include National Guard and Reserve Component 

EM 's in the grade of El through ES. Most students 

are high school graduates, and all must have a GM 

score of 100. The sister services, including the 

Seabees and Marines, send students in the grade of 

ES through E7 for future assignments as instructors or supervisors. Allied countries; notably 

Canada in recent years, send students in the grades 

E4 through Warrant Officer, again , usually for 

future instructor positions. The school welcomes 

these students and finds that their slightly differing 

needs and backgrounds add to the classroom training and the class interaction. This diversity is a major factor in promoting the tcam effort which helps 

the learning experience. 

The Material Quality Specialist Course is taught 

by instructors of the Roads and Airfields Branch, 

Department of Military engineering, US Army 

Engineer School, emphasizing material quality 

work in support of horizontal construction. The 

course length is eight weeks, one da y, with a total 

of 324 hours of instruction. The typical academic 

da y includes six hours of class , with the remaining 

2 hours being devoted to physical training , 

studyhalls, or open time . A full 700/0 of all training 

is "hands-on" , actually working with the equipment and materials. Tests performed and procedures taught conform as closely as practical to 

those standards set by federal agencies, to include 

American Association of State Highways and 

Transportation Officials, (AASHTO) and 

American Society for Testing & Materials 

(ASTM). 

T he course is composed of four subject blocks: 

geology and drainage, soils, concrete, and bituminous. The soils block is further subdivided into 3 phases: Soils I covers the basic soil properties 

and tests; Soils II covers compaction and strenght 

parameters; Soils III covers advanced techniques 

of stabilization, unconfined compression and soils 

report writing . 

ENGINEER 

A student checks soil samples in the lab. 

The geology and drainage block provides the student with a knowledge of rock types and their 

origins. Students learn to identify the 18 basic rock 

types and the rocks' usefulness as a construction 

material. They then learn how to measure rock 

orientations in the field and how a particular alignment of bedding planes may affect a project. The 

location of surficial materials is covered extensively, teaching the student where he can find 

materials is covered extensively, teaching the student where he can find materials for construction 

without expensive quarrying/crushing. Ground 

water, quarrying, and drainage fill the remainder 

of the block, which is tied together with a field trip 

to actually apply the knowledge gained. 

Basic soil identification and properties tests 

make up the instruction in the Soils I block . 

Students learn soil identification by the Unified 

Soil Classification System and a hasty field method 

utilizing limited equipment. Atterberg limits. grain 

size distribution, specific gravity and moisture content, tests which determine the properties of soils, 

are covered in depth, with students spending most 

of their time actually performing the tests in the 

soils laboratory. 

Compaction, California Bearing Ration (CBR) 

testing and field density determination comprise 

the 54 hours of the Soils II block. Students learn 

how to determine and test specifications for soil 

27 
MATERIAL QUALlT." 

., 

comp acti on using the sand cone and the nuclear 

moisture density gauge. 

Training in the nuclear moisture density gauge 

includes eight hours of instruction ending with a 

combination written and hands-on exam . The 

MQS Course is one of two sources of licensing on 

this equipment. Students passing the test are 

licen sed to operate the gauge. CBR testing and 

analysis complete this block. 

The Soils III block compl etes the soils instruction, and includes teaching the students exploration, stabilization . unconfined compression testing 

and technical report writing. During this period of 

instruction , students perform an actual soils test 

problem from the exploration phase through submission of a technical report. 

Th e concrete instruction teaches students th e 

properties of concre te, mix design , test ing and 

quality control of concrete projects. Students perform the tests on samples mixed to their specifications. 

In the bituminous block students learn indentification of bituminous material s, their uses. mix 

design by the Marshall Method and testing the 

SITE SELECTION 

STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY 

SURFICIAL GEOLOGY 

EXPLORATION 

ROCK IDENTIFICATION 

STRIKE & DIP READINGS 

FIELD IDENTIFICATION OF SOIL 

SOIL BORINGS 

CONE PENETROMETER 

MATERIALS TESTING 

SIEVE ANALYSIS 

HYDROMETER ANALYSIS 

ATTERBERG LIMITS 

UNIFIED SOIL CLASSIFICATION 

LABORATORY COMPACTION TESTING 

CALIFORNIA BEARING RATIO TESTING 

FIELD CBR (IN PLACE) 

PLATE BEARING 

UNCONFINED COMPRESSION 

EARTHWORK INSPECTION 

MOISTURE CONTENT
 

SPEEDY MOSITURE GAUGE
 

EXPEDIENT METHODS
 

quality of bituminous materials. A trip to an 

aspha lt plant and a commercial testing lab 

highlights this block of instruction. 

The successful completion of th e course prepares 

th e Material Quality Specialist to assist the 53 and 

using units in a wide range of projects. His edu cation qu alities him to perform exploration, testing, 

advising and insp ection. The specific capabilities 

in support of th ese roles are shown in the accompanying table (table 1). 

Although the specialist is qu alified to perform 

th ese functi ons, his education is far from complete. 

and requires the assistance of his sup ervisor s. 

Perfection of techniques requires practice, so 

utilization of the SlG in his skill in the field is 

essential. Too often units compl ain about poor 

qu ality control, while a quali fied Sl G is being 

util ized as a jeep dri ver. Th e specialist need s to 

pr act ice his skills as much as an expert marksman 

needs to hone his shooting skills. 

This practice of skills should not be limited to 

periods when projects are being constructed . During th ose between-project periods of tim e th e 

spe cialist can be performing tests on local borrow 

28 SPRING 1981 
Sr-:CIALIST CAPABILITIES 

FIELD DENSITY TESTS 

SAND CONE 

NUCLEAR DENSOMETER 

CORRECTIVE ACTION 

BITUMINOUS MATERIALS TESTING 

FIELD IDENTIFICATION OF BIT. 

MATERIALS 

MARSHALL STABILITY OF MIX DESIGN 

AGGREGATE BLENDING 

SURFACE TREATMENTS & PAVING 

OPERATIONS 

PAVING QUALITY CONTROL 

CONCRETE MIX 

MIX DESIGN-SLUMP TESTS 

COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH 

MODULUS OF RUPTURE 

QUALITY CONTROL 

MAINTENANCE 

SOIL STABILIZATION 

SLOPE STABILITY 

CONSTRUCTION ADVISOR 

DRAINAGE 

SOIL STABILIZATION 

,­

pits, compiling a file on the characteristics of all 

sources of soil available to the particular unit, 

possibly saving valuable time at the start of a future 

project. In addition , he can be practicing skills not 

used on past projects through working in his 

Soldiers Manual, the guide to what the man must 

know for future skill progression. The Commanders Manual will give further guidance on how 

you can help his progression. 

Y OU can also help the SlG by employing him as 

part of a "team" effort. His work is used by a 

draftsman in putting the numbers on paper, and 

checked in the field by a surveyor. The S1G should 

be familiar with their functions to better assist 

them, and to prepare himself to one day progress to 

the S1T level, when he will be the supervisor of the 

three fields (as shown on the career progression 

scale) (tig 1). While he will learn MQS skills at the 

Engineer School , the other skills must be learned 

in the field through experience or correspondence 

course, if he is to become an effective supervisor. 

As an instructor and a developer of the course I 

have pride and confidence in the graduates of our 

ENGINEER 

school. The students have a similar pride in their 

abilities, if not complete confidence yet. They know 

they can do their job and want to do it. It is only 

through utilization of their skills that confidence 

can be built. As supervisors, use these Sl G's, 

building up their skill levels, their confidence and 

your quality control on projects. With manpower 

and construction resources limited, proper employment of the trained specialist can help you get the 

most for your money. 

Capt: Thomas B. Nelson is currently assigned as an 

instructor in the Roads and Airfields Branch . 

Department of Military Engineering, U.S. Army 

Engineer School. At the time this article was written. Nelson was the Officer-in-Charge of the 

Materials Quality Specialist Course. 

29 
__r1 ENLISTED CAREER INFO
 

II 

BECOME A WARRANT 

Warrant Officers a ren 't grown in cab ­

bage patch es, in fact , most were once 

enlisted soldiers ju st like you. 

The Warrant Officer Procurem en t 

Progr am for FY 1981 is outlined in DA 

Circ ula r 60 1-80 -1, dated IS September 

80 . The cir cul a r encou rag es a pplica tions 

fro m personnel wh o are qu al ified for appointment and entry on ac tive d uty as 

war rant officers, 1t identifie s seven warrant office r ca ndidate tra ining programs 

de sign ed to produ ce a ppoi ntees in MOS 

OlI A, 03lA, 100B , 222C, 223B, 2248 , 

and 841A. It also lists opening and closing dat es for other MOS and provides instruc tions on processing the application. 

In a ddition to eligibility and proce ssing 

criteria given in AR 135-100 , there a re 

ot he r reg ulatory requirements suc h as: 

• M andatory MOS p rerequisites 

th at cite sp ecific military training 

courses. 

• Pr eferred MOS qualifications th at 

outli ne job experien ce , military training 

and civilian education. 

• Ge neral qualification s, incl uding 

len gth of serv ice, experie nce, military 

tr aining , civili an education level, ment al 

capac ity, cha ra cter, and conduc t. 

In man y instan ces, the mandat ory or 

prefer red prerequisites include th e requirem en t to complet e resident courses 

of ins truction , In cases wh ere th e re o 

qu ired training is availa ble throu gh exten sion or correspond enc e co urse , 

n onre sid en t co u rse complet ion will 

satisfy th e resident requ irement. 

30 

Applicat ion s for a warrant appointment ma y be sub mitted a t any time, but 

around six yea rs of en listed service is 

pr eferred in most cases. An exception to 

this is aviation . Solid iers wh o me et the 

qualification s may apply for the avi ati on 

training pr ogram with ou t any required 

time in service. 

T he number of fema le warrant office rs 

is just beginning to grow be ca use it was 

on ly in 1972 th at expans ion of wome n in 

th e Army began, The Army str ongly encourages 'Nom en to apply, 

If you're inter est ed in becoming a warra nt officer . ta lk to you r personnel office r 

for det ail s on how to apply. 

SQT NOTICE 

The Skill Qualification Test (SQT) is a 

major tr a inin g diagn ostic for the Army 

individua l tr aining syste m. It provid es 

feedb ack for trai ners to deve lop eff ecti ve 

training programs. Under the provisions 

of AR 600-200. soldi er s/ commanders 

may requ est SQT administration to sup· 

port specific per sonnel man agem en t 

fun ct ion s s u c h as p r o m oti on s, 

ree n list m en ts , EPMS , a n d the 

q u a lita t ive manag ement progr am . 

Primary Mil itary Occupation Spe cial ty 

(PM OS) testing by SQT is mand at ory on 

an annua l basis. 

RESERVE OFFICERS' TRAINING CORPS SCHOLARSHIPS
 

One plus eq ua ls t hree . acc ord ing to a 

new formul a ROTC has co me up with . 

On e year of en listed ac tive du ty plu s one 

year of college could win you a three-year 

college sch olar ship. Not bad arithmeti c 

whe n you consi de r it adds up to a com ­

mission as a second lieutenant , 

In addition to the new program, the 

Arm y RO TC Scho la rship Pr ogr am still 

offers two-year sc ho larships for th ose 

who have com p leted two years of co llege . 

Both pro gr ams are desi gn ed to give 

enlisted men and women a ch an ce to get 

both a coll ege degree and a commission 

as an army offic er. 

The application period began January 

IS, a nd select ion s will be ann ounced in 

June , so apply now. 

The awards will pay full tuition , 

book s, and cert ain educational fees , plus 

pr ovide a subs ist ence allowa nce of up to 

$1,000 a yea r each year th e scho larship is 

in e ffect. In addi tion , winn er s will be 

paid for a tte nding ROTC Advanced 

Ca mp, normally held du ring the summer 

betwee n th e junior and senior yea rs of 

college . Winners may a lso ta ke advant age of Vet er an s Administration b en efit s 

they wo uld norm ally be entitled to . 

Com petition for scholarsh ips is limi ted 

to enlist ed per son nel who hav e: 

• served at least one yea r on activ e 

duty, 

• completed one year of co llege and 

h ave three remaining, or, 

• not reach ed their 25th birthday on 

30 of the yea r they a re eligib le for commissioning. 

• been accepted by a college for next 

fall 's enrollment and hav e a GT score of 

115 or high er . 

• US citizensh ip . 

Winner s may a tte nd an y of th e co llege s 

and universities offering Army ROTC or 

one of the more than 500 non-host colleg es that h ave cross- enrollment 

agreem en ts with a nearby host sch ool. 

Enlistment in the US Army Reserv e is required prior to enro llment in t he Army 

ROTC Advan ced Course. Upo n su ecessfu l completion of their military 

science and bacca laureate degree requirem en ts, th ese former enliste d per ­

sonnel will be com missioned as seco nd 

lieu ten an ts and obligated t o serv e four 

year s on act ive d uty. 

Applications must be re que sted by 

April IS and sub mitted not later than 

Ma y 1. For information an d a pplication s. contact HQ T RADOC, ATTN : 

AT RO -CM , Fort Mon roe, VA 23651. 

SPRING 1981
 
The following criteria sho uld be used 

as guid elines for determini ng eligibility 

for annual testing: 

• Soldie rs must have completed a 

mi nimu m of 12 mo nt hs ac tive Federal 

service as of the dat e of testin g. 

• Soldiers must be pr operly classified 

in a ccor dance with Chapter Two, AR 

600-200. in a PMOS ide ntified in the ap ­

plicabl e SQT anno uncement circular. 

• Soldiers in pay gra de E4 and below 

must have held PMOS , rega rdless of 

time in gra de, a minimum of 90 days immedi ately pr ior to testing. 

• Soldie rs in pay grade ES and above 

must have held their PM OS and grade a 

minimum of90 day s im medi ately prior to 

testing. 

To qu alify as exem pt fr om an nua l 

SQT. soldiers must: 

• Be participating in a course of instr uction whic h, up on successful com pletion , qu alifies them for advan cemen t to 

commissioned or warr ant officer status. 

• Be a ttendi ng a civilian college or 

un iversity on a full time basis un der the 

provisions of AR 62 1-1 or AR 621-7. 

• Be attending an MOS pro ducing 

cours e or fun ction al schooling . 

• Be assigned as a pati ent to a 

medi cal holdin g unit. 

• Be withi n six mon ths of an approved volu ntary retirem ent date or have requested retiremen t in lieu of accepting a 

PCS or reassignme nt . 

• Be confined in a civil or military 

detent ion facility to include the US Army 

Ret rain ing Facility and US Army Personnel Control Facilities. 

• Be atte nd ing th e resident phase of 

an NCO ES Course. 

• Be within 90 days of ETS. This exem ption a pplies only to first- term 

soldiers who have pr eviously verified their 

current PMOS and grade th rough SQT. 

• Be un der an exemption gra nted by 

Comma nde r, MILPE RCEN . 

• Be at a new duty sta tio n less tha n 

60 days prior to th e scheduled test date . 

• Be in rece ipt of SQT noti ce less 

th an 60 days pr ior to sche d uled test dat e. 

• Performing duties outside of the 

PMOS for a peri od in excess of 90 days 

under th e exce pt ion of utilizati on 

pri orities au thorized in pa ragra ph 3-Sb 

(3) and 3-Sb (7), AR 600-200. 

So liders may volunta rily request 

testing while in an exempt status. or pri or 

to the 90 day period afte r terminat ion in 

an exem pt status . Such volunta ry testin g 

can be accom plished during th e regul ar 

test peri od . Soldie rs missin g a sche duled 

SQT will be resc heduled only up on approval of thei r commander (0-5 or 

above). 

SERVE FULL-TIME
 

WITH GUARD OR RESERVES
 

The Army Reserve and National 

Guard are lookin g for soldiers to serve 

the new " Full-t ime" Manning Program". 

adopted by the Army in a n effort to increase the un it readiness of Army 

Reserve and Nat iona l Gu ard units. 

Under the program, soldiers from active comp onent s, Reserve, and Nationa l 

Gu ar d units, are assigned to high priority 

Reserve and Gu ard units on a full time 

basis. The full-timers are expected to improve tra ining , mob ilization planning. 

su p p ly, mainten an ce . a nd o t her 

readiness-relat ed areas. 

Soldiers assigned to full-t ime manning 

du ty ar e actu al unit workers. They live 

nea r. work , an d deploy with th e Reserve 

or Gu ard unit to whic h th ey are assigned . 

These un its mu st meet most of the tr ain ­

ing sta ndards th at appl y to the Active Army, but only have two days eac h month 

and a two-week training period once a 

year to do so. Full- time ma nning personnel should make th is goa l a lot easi er to 

meet. 

Junior and midgr ad e NCO 's sho uld 

check with nearby USAR Centers a nd 

Arm y Recruitin g offices abo ut job vacan ­

cies. 

EARN PROMOTION POINTS 

Are you looking for a way to ea rn pro ­

motion poin ts? If so , Ar my Corresponden ce Courses may be the ans wer. 

If you're in grades E- I through E-5, you 

ca n now ea rn one promotion poi nt for 

every five cr edit hours you complete . 

There are three ways to study, indi vidually. as a gro up, or on-the-job . 

The inidividua l study progr am lets you 

deci de which courses or subcourses lit 

your need s, ca reer obje ctives, or plans for 

self-developme nt. Group st udy gives you 

the opportunity to d raw from the 

resources a nd experiences of others. 

Su pervised on-t he-job trai ning offers 

" ha nds on" learni ng. 

Th e course s, offe red through the Army 

institute for Profes sional Deve lopme nt, 

are divided into profession al development, skill progression and fu nctio na l, 

and individu al subcourse ca tegories. 

Wh en you have satisfactorily completed a course or subcourse you will get 

a certificate of com pletion . A copy of the 

cert ificate is forwa rded to your offic ial 

personnel file , however, you are resp onsible for making sure it gets there. You 

mu st have it to get those prom otion 

po ints. Army Corresponde nce Courses 

a re accredited by th e Nati on al Home 

Stu dy Council. 

Chec k out th e courses avail able to you 

by talking to a counselor at your education center. 

ENGINEER 31 
__M OFFICER CAREER INFO
 

PROMOTION 

CHANGES 

On 12 De c 80 th e President sign ed 

into law the Defense Officer Personnel Management Act (DO PMA) 

with an effect ive date of 15 Sep 81. 

The tran sition provision s of Defen se Officer Personnel Management Act pro vide th at all Colonel 

and below Regular Army officer s 

serving in a temporary gra de highe r 

th an their cur rent Regular Army 

gra de will be prom oted to th e 

Regular Army grade which is th e 

same as their temporar y gr ade on th e 

Defense Officer Personn el Management Act effective date. This pr ovision does not a pply to officers currently con sidered as having on ce or 

twice failed selection for promotion 

to the grades of CPT , MAJ, and LTC 

Regular Army. 

Officers in a twice nonselected for 

Regular Army promotion status to 

th e grades CPT, MAJ, and LTC will 

be retired , discharged or continued 

on active duty (e.g. officers with in 

the 18 year sanctuary) until eligible 

to retire, under curren t law . 

Officers in a once nons elected for 

Regular Army promotion status to 

the grades CPT. MAJ , and LTC 

must be considered for promotion by 

a selection board. The Army Promotion List and Ch aplain Selecti on 

board to be convened under th is provision is scheduled for 6-16 Oct 1981 

with the AMEDD Board scheduled 

for 19-23 Oct 1981. Officers selected 

by th ese boards will be pr omoted. 

Officer s not recom me nde d shall, 

unl ess under new Defen se Officer 

Personnel Management Act provisions be selectively con tinued on active duty , be retired , disch arg ed or 

continued on active duty (I8 year 

32 

sanctuary) until eligible to retire , 

under cu rrent law . 

The Defense Officer Personnel 

Management Act provision s described ab ove eliminated th e requirement to convene COL, LTC, 

MAJ , and CPT Regular Army promotion boards in 1981: therefore , 

th e previously annou nce d 1981 

schedule of Regul ar Army promotion boards is cancelled. 

Officers on Regular Army promotion lists as a result of 1980 selection 

boards will continue to be promoted 

under current law until 15 Sep 81 at 

which time th e Defen se Officer Per ­

sonnel Management Act provision s 

de scrib ed in paragraph 2 be come effective. 

VETERANS 

PREFERENCE 

Veterans preference for certain 

high-ranking military officer retirees 

has come to an end. 

Effective October I, 1980 , retired 

members of th e armed forces (I) who 

are not disabled verterans and (2) 

who retired at or ab ove the rank of 

major or lieutenant commander are 

no longer eligible for veterans 

preference in competitive examin ations and appointments. 

The change is contained in the 

Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 . 

However , disabl ed veterans and 

veterans who retired below the ra nk 

of major or lieutenant commander 

will continue to receive veterans 

pr eference. 

The decisi on to dis continu e 

veterans preferenc e for high ranking, 

nondisabled veterans is based on th e 

grounds that they are full y equipped 

to compete for Feder al jobs on an 

equal footing with the civilian 

population . 

ASSIGNMENT ALERTS 

In a major polic y change effec tive 

1 December 1980, commanders and 

supervisors have be en given an expanded role in the personnel 

management of their subordinates. 

Unit commanders and supervisors 

now play an integral role in informing their subordinate offic ers of 

fort h coming reassignments. 

The new assign ment notific ati on 

procedure applies to all warrant officers and commissioned officers 

through th e rank of major (0-4). 

Only officers stationed in th e continental Unite d States (CO NU S) are 

involved initially. Plans to include 

officers stationed overseas are still 

under study. 

The policy change was recommended by MILPERCEN action officers following tests conducted be ­

tween February and May 1980 in ­

volving units at Forts Riley , Benning. and Meade. The new procedure includes th e coordination of 

assignment information-location. 

spe cialty, reporting date-between 

th e officer, his commander/ supervisor and th e MILPERCEN assign ­

ment officer. 

Under the old system, the 

MILPERCEN assignment officer 

called th e offic er at his hom e or unit 

and alerted him of th e proposed 

move. Now, officers ar e informed by 

their commanders or supervisors, 

thu s providing them with an oppo rtunity to initially discuss the rea ssignment with someone othe r th an 

th eir MILPERCEN assignment officer . 

SPRING 1981 
Additionally, the senior officer/supervisor is immediately aware 

of the possible loss of a subordinate 

officer. 

Assignment officers now call a 

designated point of contact at each 

post or installation-usually within 

the G-1 office of the Directorate for 

Personnel and Community Activities 

(DPCA)-and inform him /her of the 

officers scheduled for permanent 

change of station moves. The point 

of contact is provided with the name 

of each officer, his Social Security 

number, the date being considered, 

the utilization specialty, the location, and the name and telephone 

number of the MILPERCEN assignment officer involved . 

This information is provided to 

the appropriate commander or 

supervisor, who makes the initial announcement to the subject officer. If 

the commander/supervisor elects to 

do so, he may call the assignment officer prior to , during, or after the 

counseling period for further information . The announcement is expected to be made to the officer 

within three working days after the 

installation point of contact has been 

alerted. 

Assignment officers are prepared 

to discuss with the commander/ 

supervisor and /or the officer, the 

assign merit rationale, professional 

development requirements, and the 

needs of the Army . The officer's performance information is not made 

available to commanders/supervisors unless the individual officer 

gives approval to release that information. 

If the MILPERCEN assignment r. 

officer doesn't hear from either the 

commander/supervisor or the subject officer within three days, he 

prepares a request for orders and 

completes the reassignment process. 

201 FILES CHANGING 

Ofticer Field 20 I Files will be 

undergoing some changes in the next 

year, because of the implementation 

of the new AR-640-10 which became 

effective 1 March 81. The regulation , which will be phased in over the 

next year, classifies many documents 

now in the 201 File as "excess". 

Your AG Records Section should be 

able to give you local advice on what 

will be pulled, when, and how they 

will return these "excess" documents 

to you. 

OFFICER PERSONNEL 

RECORDS 

The Officer Personnel Records 

Division is responsible for the 

maintenance of the Official Military 

Personnel File (OMPF) for all active 

duty commissioned and warrant officers , and the administration of the 

Officer Evaluation Reporting System. Major functions of this division 

include: 

• Initiate, update , amend , and 

transfer officer OMPF's. 

• Provide records to the DA 

Secretariat to be used by Selection 

Boards. 

• Receive, review, and place on 

file Officer Evaluation Reports. 

• Administer th e Officer 

Evaluation Report appeals systems. 

• Loan OMPP's to authorized 

users. 

Officers desiring to review their 

OMPF may obtain a copy free of 

charge by writing Commander, 

MILPERCEN , ATTN: DAPe-PORRS. 200 Stovall Street, Alexandria, 

VA 22332. Requests must include 

the officer's Social Security number. 

Officers anticipating a visit to the 

Washington area may also review 

their OMPF at MILPERCEN by 

calling Autovon 221-9618 /9619 or 

Commercial (202-) 325-9612/9613. 

A minimum of two days advance 

notice is requested. 

Officers visiting MILPERCEN to 

review their Official Military Personnel File are now also provided 

assistance to update their Officer 

Record Briefs (ORB's) . The new service is part of MILPERCEN's effort 

to provide "one stop" personnel 

records service for officers visiting 

the Alexandria, VA center. 

To insure that ORB information is 

accurate, officers should communicate first with their local MILPO 

to update the information and not 

wait until they visit MILPERCEN. 

UPDATE YOUR 

PHOTO 

What does your photograph in 

your Military Personnel Pile say 

about you? Are you well dressed? 

Does your uniform fit? Are you 

represented as an officer who is 

ready for added challenges? Your official photograph should represent 

you at your very best. Don 't wear 

"special" items such as jump boots, 

unauthorized tabs, ribbons , berets, 

etc. when having your photo taken. 

Avoid wearing photo-sensitive 

glasses which tend to look like sunglasses when placed on microfiche. 

If your latest photo is outdated, or if 

you appear overweight. if may be 

doing you an injustice. Remember 

that AR 640-30 requires a new photo 

of every officer every three years. 

ENGIN EER 33 
MRESERVE COMPONENTS
 

GUARD UNIT WINS AWARD 

Compa ny A of the 1249 En gineer Bat ­

talion , Oregon National Guard, was 

recentl y awarded the Governo r's Unit 

Cit ation for its outsta nding contrib ution 

to the comm unity and sta te, in connec ­

tion with the ir involvement in th e ref urbishmen t of a local community park. 

Th e G uard unit expende d nearly 7,000 

man hou rs of work transfor ming a dense ­

ly vegeta ted a nd rarely used area into a 

community park. Th e unit became involved th rough th e persista nce of a local 

resident , John Top its. who decided he 

wan ted to see th e ar ea becom e a place of 

enjoyme nt for h is neighb ors. 

The l Io- acre Empire Lakes Park was 

once the muni cip al water supply for th e 

city of Empire, Ore gon , but after Worl d 

War [I the lakes were dropped from th e 

syste m and design at ed as a public park. 

Th e area was all bu t forgotte n whe n 

Topits contacted the Coos Bay City 

Counc il an d the 1249th Engineers to see 

if the are a could be ren ovated . 

The Gu ardsmen reconstructe d a 

deterior at ing dirt dam , and built a 

swim/picnic area on th e lower lak e. An 

access road was surveyed and constructed, and ton s of mud was rem oved 

from the lake botton . Sa nd was brought 

in to create a bea ch , and three and a half 

miles of hiki ng/ biking / na t ure trails were 

constructed. 

INGENUITY PAYS 

Wh at do you do if you need a piece of 

equipment that's not availa ble? Build it, 

say Pri vates Mich ael Sapian o a nd 

Thomas Miller. 

Sap iano and Mille r, 442d Engineer 

Detachment refrigeration specialists, 

built a vacuum pump for refrigeration 

maintenance by scro ung ing used parts, 

Starting with an old refr igerator compressor, electric outlet cord, and a switch 

box fr om an electr ician's sho p, they added a n electrica l starting relay a nd dr ain 

tu be . T he solid crs mounted their completed project on a wooden fra me three 

and a half days lat er. 

The vacuum p ump is used to flu sh 

contaminated freon from re frigerators, 

freezers, or airco nditione rs, so th at new 

refrigeran t may replace the old. A new 

pump would cost about $650 . 

OREGON GUARD GETS
 

INVOLVED
 

Spec ia list Four (',J. Burns of Det achment 1, Company B. 1249th En gin eer 

Batt alion , Orego n Nati onal Gua rd, has a 

good idea . He wanted to get local youths 

more involved with their community. and 

with th e Guard , so he spoke to his Company Commander about sett ing up a 

visiting program. 

Burn s. a truant officer for Polk County 

School District, began his project with 

st ude nts from Dallas Junior and Senior 

High Schoo ls. The visiting progra m is set 

up to acco mmodate up to 10 youn gsters 

per drill week end. Mem bers of the unit 

demonstrate some enginee r skills, a nd 

teac h the stude nts how to perform 

simpler ta sks. 

So far , visiting students have helped 

th e engineers repair a bathh ouse a nd 

cons tru ct bleachers for an area baseball 

field . Th e youths are closely supervised, 

and parents ar e invited to speak with 

Burns or Company Com mande r 1'it Lt. 

George D. Lanni ng for an explana tion of 

the progr am , prior to child ren atte nd ing 

actua l drills. 

Burn s said com munity and parental 

feedba ck ha s been "jus t grea t" so far. 

Those attending are pr esen ted an 

Hon or ary Guardsmen for A Day certifi cate. 

ALASKA'S OWN . .. AND ONLY 

Second Lieu te nant Walt er Wood 

enlarges an artillery firing pad at Fort 

Richardson. Alas ka during a recent 

training exercise held the re . Wood is a 

member of Alaska's only Arm y Reserve 

unit, the 8 13th Engineer Battalion. In 

add ition to enlarging this ran ge. the 

reservists pr act iced comm unica tions 

tec hniq ues and constructed a portable 

util ity shed . (US Army Ph ot o by Da na 

Jacson ). 

ROTC ENROLLMENT
 

INCREASES
 

The Arm y' s Senior Reserve Offi cer' s 

Training Corps (ROTC) ha s regist ered its 

seventh consecutive year of signifi cantly 

incr eased enrollment, counting 69.663 

college men a nd women this year. 

One reason for this increa se migh l be 

the Simultaneous Membershi p Progr am 

(SM P). SMP allows membership in the 

Guard or Reser ves, and ROTC, at th e 

same time . T his means non sch olar sh ip 

Advan ced Course cadets who enlist in the 

Reserve Components can draw drill pa y 

as an E-5 an d simultaneously dr aw an 

ROTC living allowance of $lOO per 

month . 

SMP ha s been in effect for more th an a 

year, and the re ar e approxi ma tely 4, 000 

cadets participating . 

Anothe r program boost ing ROTC 

en rollernent is called Expand the Base 

(ETB). In an effort to make ROTC 

ava ilable to more st ude nts, 41 new exten ­

sion cente rs ope ned last yea r under ETB, 

a nd 48 more are expected to ope n th is 

school year, In addition , eight new host 

schools are sched uled to ope n next yea r. 

Also, Congress recently appro ved a n increase of 5 ,000 scholars hips, bringing th e 

total award s availabl e through Arm y 

ROTC to 12,000 . 

34 SPR ING 1981 
"ENGINEER MAGAZINE"
 

Information for Contributors 

ENGI NEER MAGAZINE is an official 

Department of the Army publication 

which provides timely and authoritative 

information on Army engineering concepts, plans, policies, doctrine, procedures, operat ions, and developments. 

Acting as a medium for disseminating 

information, ENGINEER seeks to increase general understanding of the 

role and importance of Army engineering, and promote professional development of all officers, enlisted personnel, 

and civilians engaged in Army engineering activities. 

WRITERS; the primary requis ite for being published is your message, not your 

writing ability. If you have something of 

value to offer, whether it be in the form 

of a feature article, announcement, 

photograph, or illustration, we want to 

hear from you. 

SUBJECTS of articles printed by 

ENGINEER Magazine cover nearly every 

phase of Army engineering, including 

systems development or disposal, Unit 

and MOS profiles, field reports of 

techn ical or tactical interest, and more. 

We are interested in engineer functions 

at all levels, from the Department of the 

Army down to the smallest field unit. 

STYLE should be clean , concise, and 

written in the third person active voice. 

Strive for simpl icity in word selection 

and sentence construction . The editor 

reserves the right to edit all 

manuscripts to conform to the 

ENGINEER magaz ine style, but 

substantial technical changes will on ly 

be made with the author's consent. 

MA NUS CRIPTS of feature length articles are generally 1,000 to 3,000 

words , but may be longer or sho rte r in 

length. News items may be one 

sentence or several hundred words 

long , depending on your subject. A 

single copy of you r manuscript shou ld 

be submitted, typed double spaced. 

Send whatever art or pictorial support 

you can. You may want to contact your 

Public Affairs Office or Post Photo 

facility to request photographic 

coverage for your story. Manuscripts 

should NOT be under editorial consideration elsewhere at the time of submission to ENGINEER Magazine. 

Manuscripts should NOT contain 

classified material. 

PHOTOGRAPHS help to clarify and explain your manuscript. Black and white 

5"X7" prints are preferred, but do not 

limit yourself to this criteria. Submit all 

drawings or photographs that go with 

your story. Capt ions should be typed on 

a separate piece of paper and taped to 

the back of the art work. Don't forget to 

identify people in photographs by rank , 

first name, middle initial, and last name. 

CORRESPONDENCE between authors 

and editorial staff is made easier by the 

inclusion of a complete return address 

and duty phone number. Contact the 

ENGINEER Magazine at Autovon 

354-3082, and mail manuscripts or other 

correspondence to: Editor, ENGINEER 

Magazine, Public Affairs Office, Stop 

12, U.S. Army Engineer Center, Fort 

Belvoir, VA 22060. 

CREDITS or by-lines should be included 

with all feature articles and photographs. Feature story by-lines might include your present title or duty assignment, previous assignments, any education or experience that lends credibility 

to your story, and of cou rse, your fu ll 

name, middle initi al, and rank. 

Remember, ENGINEER is your 

magazine , wit h your help we can make 

it a top-flight professional journal. 

I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM 

YOU! 

Sincerely, 

SP4 Nancy P. Lang 

Editor, 

ENGINEER MAGAZINE 

ENGINEER 35 
From the Editor's Desk
 

It has been my distinct pleasure to serve as Editor of ENGINEER Magazine 

for the last three years. Even before this issue went to press, I assumed new 

duties elsewhere. But I intend to follow with more than passing interest the 

continued progress of ENGINEER Magazine under your new editor. Those of 

you who wore engineer insignia in 1971 may recall the initial issue of THE 

ENGINEER, as it was called then. If so, you have witnessed several stages of 

growth and maturation in the format, design, style and content of the 

magazine. My own bias notwithstanding, I believe that the most recent 

changes in design and editorial content have placed ENGINEER Magazine 

among the top echelon of Army periodicals. I take some of the credit for the 

layout and design improvements, but you, the readers and authors, are 

primarily responsible for the vast improvements in editorial content. If it 

were not for your efforts and contributions -letters, articles, photos, 

criticism - this magazine would be little more than a newsletter. I wish to express my sincere thanks for your outstanding support during the past three 

years, and to encourage you to support my successor as well. 

36 SPRING 1981 

"I respect everyone's right to their own view, but we have 

a right-indeed a responsibility-to talk about the advantages of a military profession to all Americans. All of us 

must give high priority to explaining to young men and 

women that service to the country can be productive and 

uplifting for the individual. I believe that." 

-Gen. Edward C. Meyer 

Chief of Staff of the Army