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Marines Conduct Urban Breaching Training at Camp Lejeune

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C., March 22, 2018 —

Accompanied by the sounds of boots stomping over mud and dirt, orders were screamed and received. A fiery explosion thundered as a squad of Marines charged their objective.

Marine combat engineers with 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion and infantry assaultmen with 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division blasted through barriers during an urban breaching training event here March 20.

“Engineers and assaultmen share a lot of similar tasks and skills,” said Marine Corps Sgt. William Collins, chief instructor at Engineer Training Areas 9 and 10, with 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion.

“This training gave the assaultmen and the combat engineers time to work together and get to know each other,” Collins said.

Urban-Style Demolition Training

As soon as the sun rose, Marines began conducting tactical maneuvers and familiarizing the new combat engineer Marines with urban-style demolitions.

“A lot of the Marines arrived here within the past few months, and they picked up information fast and had a lot of speed and intensity, which is what it takes to do this sort of thing,” Collins said.

The Marines consolidated into three squads before constructing various explosive charges, with each charge having its respective purpose and explosive power for the range.

“For most of the Marines, this is their first time handling live demolitions,” said Marine Corps Cpl. Cabel Thomas, a squad leader with 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion. “The biggest thing for them is getting hands-on experience and having a better understanding of how to do urban breaching.”

As the day carried on, Marines performed back-to-back breaches on multiple targets using various explosive charges and tactical maneuvers.

Realistic Training

“One of the most important parts of this training is getting the chance to stand there, feel the blast and the pressure and being able to push through to the objective,” Collins said. “We make our training as realistic as possible, and allow the Marines to move freely while using their own tactics and formations.”

The 2nd CEB conducts urban breaching training regularly to sustain their proficiency and improve unit cohesion.

“We fight all over the world and we have to be able to adapt -- not only with the movement of the infantrymen but also within an urban environment,” Thomas said. “You never know what’s going to happen or what kind of situation you’ll be in.”