MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. -- Under a clear, starry sky, six combat engineers from 3rd Squad, 1st Platoon, Company A, 4th Combat Engineer Battalion, Charleston, W.Va., worked through the night to complete an obstacle to restrain oncoming enemy forces at first light.
The Marines were integrated with India Company, 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marines, for the Combined Arms Exercise Helo Assault Course, June 8-10.
The reinforced company had been flown in by CH-46s and CH-53E's in late afternoon and then hiked through the desert hills to gain a position on foothills looking toward the north, where the opposing force was expected to make their entry.
It was 11 p.m. when the engineers received their livelihood -- 364 pounds of explosive to be set up 1300 meters north of the company's position. Their arsenal included four crater charges, four shaped charges, two satchel charges, and four TNT sticks.
"The purpose of us setting up these explosives is to make a large ditch across the road to deter enemy vehicles," said Cpl. Bradford S. King, 3rd squad leader.
They were hoping for at least a two-minute hold up of the enemy at their obstacle. This type of an obstacle is essential for the defense because enemy forces slow down and Marines are able to lock on to targets, King said.
The Marines were driven out to the site and began to dig holes to place the explosives in. The shaped charges, resembling a gallon wine bottle, were placed on a stand.
"The bottoms of crater charges allow the explosion to be directed to the earth, which accomplishes what were going after -- destroying the enemy's path," said Cpl. Ben Hunley, platoon sergeant, 1st Platoon.
Each one of the charges was wrapped with detonation wire 10 times around. This wire has a burn rate so fast that if it stretched from New York to Los Angeles it would only take eight minutes to finish its journey, King said.
The charges were placed within a few feet of each other with detonation wire hooking them together with a girth hitch with an extra twist. This type of knot ensures the burn of the detonation wire reaches each of the explosives as fast as possible, Hunley said.
After the long night of setting up the explosives and providing security at their defensive positions, it was time to finish the job they started. They attached a 10.5-minute fuse and ignited the two strains of detonation wire with a push, a quarter turn and a pull of the igniter switch. With the signal of the smoke, they knew it was time to leave and get a not so close prospective of their handy work.
"Just one shaped charge in a sandy environment can create a 12 by 14 foot hole deep enough to fit a tank," said Lance Cpl. Corey Kidd, a combat engineer from Marietta, Ohio.
They made it back to their defensive position and within two minutes the fire works exploded. A quick flash of fire then smoke filled the air followed by the earth quaking sound of the explosion. The engineers' mission was a success.
But, the mission of the company was not done. The engineers grabbed their M-16A2 service rifles and Squad Automatic Weapon and began a base of fire as the simulated enemy made its way toward the defensive position. Every Marine might have a specific job but in the end there's only one job all Marines have in common -- rifleman.
"That's why CAX is great training; Marines are able to do to their specific job plus understand their role in the bigger picture of a mission," Hunley said.