Marines train to handle IEDs
February 03,2006
ROSELEE PAPANDREA
DAILY NEWS STAFF

They can be as simple as a soda can filled with gun powder and as powerful as a propane canister packed with high explosives.

Either way, what the military calls improvised explosive devices are a dangerous reality for Marines deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.

It’s the reason 31 officers at Camp Lejeune were exposed Thursday to a variety of scenarios that involve ambushes and IEDs as part of the field exercises in a logistics officer course.

The IED training was specifically added to the new officers’ curriculum within the past year because many Marines have died in IED attacks in Iraq.

“They are obviously a threat in Iraq,” said Capt. Anthony Loignon, a Combat Service Support instructor. “We changed our curriculum to meet the demands of the operational forces around the world.”

The 31 officers have spent the past two and a half months learning the ins and outs of convoys, vehicle recovery, tactical motor pool setup and drills to counter ambushes, IEDs and snipers, but it’s all been in a classroom setting.

For the past three days, that knowledge has been put to the test at Tactical Landing Zone Condor.

“The whole focus here is to challenge them,” Loignon said. “These lieutenants have gone through a lot of education. We’ve tried to incorporate the training they’ve had in other schools and reinforce it here.”

As part of an exercise, the officers were given a mission: Transport MREs, ammunition and water to an infantry battalion located in a fictitious town. They spent Wednesday night compiling requests via e-mail and radio and then developed a plan in an effort to safely transport the supplies by convoy Thursday.

The Marines were provided information about enemy forces in the area and the potential for danger. It was up to them to map out the safest route to travel. The plan was to run them through 12 different scenarios — some during the day and others at night — so they could experience a variety of ambushes, roadblocks and IEDs.

Marines from other units assisted with the training, acting as aggressors. The first scenario involved sniper fire, a roadblock and a simulated IED buried under a mound of dirt and topped with a fallen branch.

“It’s kind of like a football team who has gone through a preseason training camp,” Loignon said. “Now it’s time to actually play a real game.”

After each mission, the Marines regroup to talk.

“It provides them with the opportunity to learn from their mistakes and discuss them,” Loignon said.

Teaching about IEDs and how to defeat them is Staff Sgt. Michael Bandy’s focus during the training. As an instructor and resident IED expert, Bandy shared his knowledge gathered from several months in Iraq so the Marines can learn what to expect.

“IEDs are constantly evolving,” Bandy said. “In order to better ourselves we have to find ways to defeat what they are doing.”

Bandy said that IEDs can be found in so many places — from concrete to dirt piles to the carcass of a dead animal lying on the side of the road to a broken-down vehicle. He emphasized that Marines need to always concentrate on “situational awareness” and avoid “complacency.”

If something changes in the roadway, such as a pile of dirt appears that wasn’t there before, a Marine needs to pay attention to it, Bandy said.

“You might be on a convoy two or three times and nothing happens,” Bandy said. “But the one time you become complacent, something will happen.”

2nd Lt. Joseph Collins, a student in the logistics officer course, appreciated the opportunity to apply what he has spent months learning.

“It really makes you think,” he said after running through the first scenario. Collins, who was the assistant convoy commander, had to take charge after an IED simulator — made from carbon dioxide and baby powder to create smoke — killed the convoy commander. “I feel like we are getting the best training. I feel very confident in it.”

Contact staff writer Roselee Papandrea at rpapandrea@freedomenc.com or at 353-1171, Ext. 238.