HEADLINE NEWS

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Building Strong ®

579th Engineer Detachment (FEST-M) Global Support

Terror through the armored glass, what an engineer team found there
by Mark Abueg

WINCHESTER, Va. (Jan. 30, 2010) – The biggest concern people may have
when driving to work is being on time. For military units deployed overseas,
punctuality is the least of their worries. They face dangers unlike any other when
placed behind the wheel of a vehicle.
Danny McLaughlin smokes on by as he practices
smashing into the rear of a vehicle during an Army
Whether an explosive device is placed inside of their car to a roadside bomb driver’s training course. (Photo by Mark Abueg)
waiting to be detonated on a stretch of the road, drivers need a special set of
skills that can’t be taught in a high school driver’s education class. It’s the mentality of chess-like maneuvers that
prove most valuable to drivers.

The 579th Engineer Detachment (Forward Engineer Support Team - Main), based in Vicksburg, Miss., completed its
last two days of training for the Individual Awareness Training Class (INTAC) here yesterday by learning to swerve
and turn their way around terrorist attacks, and in some cases even learned how to smash into them.

“First you’re going to be doing driver enhancement,” said Dave, a BSR, Inc. instructor who asked his last name not
be used. “And then you’re going to use that to build certain basic skills.”

Instead of reactive driving, the FEST-M learned advanced maneuvering as teammates weaved their way through a
serpentine of cones, skidded on a wet pavement, and blistered through high-speed action on a racetrack of the
BSR, Inc. campus.

“We want you to get your eyes out further,” Dave said. “Think about what you’re doing constantly. Be concerned
with getting from point A to point B instead of daydreaming while you’re supposed to be driving, which is what most
people do.”

The FEST-M learned to think instead of react. Reacting requires that you identify the situation and thinking allows
you to plan ahead according to Dave.

“All the better police officers out there in the world and better Soldiers and Marines out there in the world, they are
thinking as they are moving through a situation,” he said.

Information obtained from BSR fact sheets show that few events are as dynamic and overwhelming as an act of
terrorism. This is why Chris Culbert, the FEST-M’s automotive worker, knows the driver’s training will be
instrumental to his success in a convoy.

“Stay focused, listen, and pay attention at all times,” Culbert said. “One thing I learned from this training is how to
operate a steering wheel properly. When you turn, you don’t want to get locked up while you’re rotating your hands.
That’ll help me a lot while I’m downrange.”

The engineer support team smashed its way through terrorist attacks on the last day of INTAC training. They
learned to anticipate when something was going to happen by performing barricade breaching maneuvers, driving
high-speed in reverse, and completing J-turns to avoid attacks.

U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS – 579TH ENGINEER DETACHMENT (FEST-M)

4155 Clay Street, Suite 120, Vicksburg, Mississippi 39183-3435
Office: (601) 631-5987 | Cell: (540) 532-7735 | E-mail: mark.b.abueg@usace.army.mil
www.mvd.usace.army.mil/579festm
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Individual Training Awareness Class Headline News Special | Part 5 Page 2

“You’re constantly checking yourself, 360, and especially checking before you go over a hill and around a turn,” said
Dave. “You’re checking your (back) to make sure that’s even an option backing out after going around the curve of
the hill or around that turn you can’t see.

“And that way when that happens, you go immediately to execution of your escape plan as opposed to having to
think your way through something or react and react wrong because you guessed wrong. So by putting your eyes
forward, putting yourself forward, it’s a lot of work driving down the road.”

When downrange, the FEST-M will be placed in surreal situations not apparent to garrison life.

“This type of training will help you with your surroundings,” said Billy Stewart, FEST-M logistics management
supervisor. “Get you situational awareness, and especially if you’re driving and moving your equipment to different
locations. You’ll be a little more conscious and have good awareness of all your situations around you.”

As the FEST-M raced off the track to end its training, there was a sense of accomplishment. But there was also a
feeling of the unknown as they received their certificates. This weeklong training showed the team the harsh realities
that they face when overseas. Not only does the team have to think quickly on their feet when on ground, but it also
has to think swiftly with their feet when on a gas and brake pedal.

Getting to point A, which is somewhere overseas, will be the easy part. It’s all the point Bs in the desert that will
prove if INTAC helped the FEST-M in the long run (or drive).

This story is part five in a special report of the 579th Engineer Detachment (FEST-M)’s Individual Terrorism
Awareness Class (INTAC) training in Winchester, Virginia. Mark Abueg is the FEST-M public affairs officer.

Command Sgt. Major Collins prepares to “pit” a vehicle

as part of his barricade breaching practical exercise.
Collins recently completed a weeklong course in
terrorism awareness training. (Photo by Mark Abueg)

Backing up is never easy, but Roman Bieniek makes it

look effortless as he maneuvers past a terrorist attack
upon his convoy. (Photo by Mark Abueg)

Ocie Williams, Danny McLaughlin,

Command Sgt. Major Harry Collins, and
Roman Bieniek, from left to right, conduct a
vehicle security search as they look for the
threat of improvised explosive devices (IED)
before going on a mission. (Photo by Mark
Abueg)

U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS – 579TH ENGINEER DETACHMENT (FEST-M)

4155 Clay Street, Suite 120, Vicksburg, Mississippi 39183-3435
Office: (601) 631-5987 | Cell: (540) 532-7735 | E-mail: mark.b.abueg@usace.army.mil
www.mvd.usace.army.mil/579festm