We are used to a different type of terrain at Fort Drum. Coming here, there are no shortcuts. You have to do it all yourself. With limited landing zones for helicopters and the large obstacle of the Chagres River running through the training area, medevacs and the resupply of water are difficult. A commander not familiar with boat assets soon learns how the Army landing craft and Navy special boat units can help move troops through the jungle or transport scouts on recon missions.
Transportation problems force soldiers to become creative.
Soldiers of this rotation came up with the idea of putting empty water cans out on a trout line for easier pick up by support boats. Fort Sherman will be turned over to Panama when the Panama Canal Treaty runs out in 1999. The Army doesn't have any other training area like this. With future operations in Third World nations and jungle operations, I don't think you'll be able to train these guys anywhere else like you can here. The terrain makes using battle simulation difficult and would deny the soldiers hands-on training challenges.