122 Engineers take Humvees off road
11.02.12Story and Photos by Staff Sgt. Tracci Dorgan, 108th Public Affairs Detachment
WATERLOO, S.C.- Soldiers with Company A., 122 Engineer (EN) Battalion, South Carolina Army National Guard, took several of their Humvee's to Gulches Off-Road Vehicle Park in for drivers training Nov. 2, 2012.
During the training, Soldiers became more familiar with the abilities of the Humvee and how to control the Humvee on adverse roads, preparing them for their upcoming deployment to Afghanistan.
First Lt. Carlyle Rivers, Company A. commander said, “We came out here to build confidence and competence in our Soldiers. They need to be confident in what the Humvee can do, and they need to be confident in themselves. We are out here to simulate worst possible terrain and to learn off-road fundamentals.”
Gulches owner, Skip Wilkenson, opened his off-road park early Friday to accommodate the engineers. Wilkenson and his co-worker volunteered their time to guide the Soldiers safely through many of the treacherous routes. By midmorning, there were many regulars to the park who came to watch the Soldiers and Humvee’s in action.
Wilkenson said it took one group of Soldiers two and a half hours to maneuver through their obstacles, and in the beginning, many Soldiers were timid behind the wheel. But by the end of the course, they were confident in themselves and in the abilities of the Humvee they were driving.
Wilkenson announced the day of training on Gulches Facebook page, and he got many supportive comments from his regular off-roaders. One comment, from a guardsman who had been previously deployed to Afghanistan, said this training is very beneficial to the Soldiers.
“We have taught thousands of people to drive off-road,” said Wilkenson. “This group picked up the fundamentals quickly and were eager to learn.”
Soldiers had a great time during the training, but some found it more difficult than they expected.
“I had to communicate with my passengers, and they helped guide me over obstacles,” said Sgt. Branden Coleman, a cook in Company A. “Every passenger had a different vantage point, listening to them was very important.”
“This was a great experience and we are leaving here with a better understanding of our equipment and our abilities behind the wheel,” said Rivers.
