Update to an earlier report: This article includes new information about a story we previously covered. Read our earlier report.
Steep berms, water crossings, rocky ground and mire pits are part of a new Fort Stewart driving course designed to prepare 3rd Infantry Division soldiers for terrain they may encounter on overseas deployments.
The Marne Combat Drivers Training Course is located off Highway 144. It has seven obstacles and more than half a mile of combat trails. The Army describes it as the first course of its kind across the 18th Airborne Corps.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Erick Valentin of the 92nd Engineer Battalion said the project was, to his knowledge, the largest construction project the unit had undertaken on the installation and abroad. Valentin said the survey team spent about three weeks mapping the full course, followed by about eight weeks designing it.
Lt. Col. William Watts, also of the battalion, said the course exposes drivers to conditions they might not encounter in normal circumstances. The goal, he said, is for soldiers to recognize their vehicles’ limits and capabilities if they face similar obstacles during a deployment.
Anthony Harris, a battalion member who helped build the course, said training in varied conditions, during the day and at night, and in different vehicles could help reduce accidents in the field.
Yolonda Harris
News Now Georgia
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