4 laxAir NewS, NAS Jacksonville, Thursday, March 2, 2006 Seabees perform field exercise By J02 William Lovelady Special Contributor H hundreds of Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 14 (NMCB 14) gathered here recently to kick off their military training year with a mini field exercise. The two-day event focused on convoy operations, impro- vised explosive devices (IED), chemical biological and radiological warfare, weapons handling and building clearing. LNC Timothy Taylor said, "We've got Seabees here from Miami, Tampa, Tallahassee, Augusta, Jacksonville, Orlando, West Palm Beach and other Reserve Centers throughout the region. This event is a unique opportunity for battalion members to train with members of the com- panies they will deploy with rather than just their local detachments." Once mustered into their respective units, the Seabees began a rotation of classroom training on chemical threats and IEDs, which statistics show are the biggest threats service members face in the global war on terrorism. IEDs are assembled mostly from unexploded ordnance like artillery shells. Recently terrorists have begun using more and more sophisticated delivery and detonation sys- tems. The automobile-borne Mobile IED is one of the more popular, since the vehicle can take a bomb anywhere, and when exploded, becomes a source of an additional ton of steel and glass shrapnel. Another form of mobile IED employs remote controlled toy cars to niove explosives closer to an intended target. - Remote detonators include cordless telephones, infrared motion sensors and wireless doorbells; all readily avail- able in markets throughout Iraq. Other training segments were covered outside. Convoy operations focused on defensive driving, communication and proper vehicle selection. "The convoy can only move as fast as the slowest vehi- cle, so you don't want to take a tractor trailer that only goes 35-mph if a faster one is available that will accom- plish'the same mission," said E02 Robert Avedisian. Convoy members practiced day and night driving, mounting and dismounting vehicles and addressing potential threats along the route of travel. Each unit received several hours of intense weapons handling and urban operations training at the Military Operations on Urbanized Terrain (MOUT) site, a group of buildings here designed to simulate urban operations and security. The Seabees learned how to move through a town and clear buildings, room to room, of possible terrorist threats. Lt. j.g. Tony Hollobaugh, who served as Alpha Company commander during the 2004 Iraq deployment said, "This Photos by 102 William Lovelady Reservists from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 14 prac- tice weapons handling at the Navy's Military Operations on Urbanized Terrain training site at Camp Blanding. training was a big deal because it was the first time that a large part of the battalion was together for an evolution since being deployed. It allowed us to assess the battal- ion's readi-I ness to deploy prior to our mi litary training year evolution in Gulfport, Miss. and it allowed us to get some .. training that focused on things we have learned from Iraq." A member of Naval Mobile4 Construction Battalion 14 practice. convoy, !" operations near the Military Operations on Urbanized Terrain training site. - Improvised explosive device training was part of the curricu- lum during a recent class at the Military Operations on Urbanized Terrain site. *BEDROOMS*LIVING ROOMS*DINING ROOMS*OCCASIONAL S *No. 761231 PLUSH TOP Twin Set $397 Full Set $497 Queen $597 King Set $797 *No. 761236 EURO TOP WE MAKE THE WORLD'S Twin Set $497 Full Set $597 BEST MATTRESSTM Queen $697 King .Set $897 * Free Frame or - *Free Set-Up * Free Delivery With Any Serta Set Free Removal of Old Mattress SIT& SLE NS1 1 I 51g v*OYACRLC* *e- IEATH TWO $q7 THREE $) THREE $7 COLORS 2571COLORS '|COLORS SOFA $597 * LOVESEAT ................ .$497 * CHAIR ................... $397 * OTTOMAN .................$. 197 SOFA $597 * LOVESEAT .................$497 * CHAIR &1/2 ..............397 * OTTOMAN .............$197 * FACTORY DIRECT AND SAVE BIG ITEMS PRICED AS MARKED 12 MONTHS INTEREST FREE VISA DISCOVER AMERICAN EXPRESS SMASTERCARD4,ggc Ho~ppr Hour Domestiec Drafts Ilouu4- 17 h-St 99(o efick L ALL OVER LEATHE 112 akAv-rnePako9463-130