MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- Some Marines might look at barricades, fences, barbed wire and minefields as obstacles that deter their mission. Not combat engineers. For them, it's a chance to blow things up.
Company B's 3rd Platoon from 1st Combat Engineer Battalion put a charge into its training last week at Camp Pendleton's Range 600.
The training with line charges was aimed at teaching Marines to make quick and effective decisions under fire. The training forced Marines to work in some of the most dangerous zones on the battlefield.
"We don't want the Marines to be scared of using line charges," said Gunnery Sgt. Shawn P. Hannah, a platoon sergeant with Company B. "We don't want the younger Marines to be hesitating during a live-fire exercise."
Firing off a line charge is not a delicate matter. Launching the rocket-propelled string of explosives is like squashing a bug with a sledgehammer. It's a whole lot of bang to get rid of a pest on the battlefield.
But the combat engineer's tool of the trade isn't anything close to a flyswatter.
It's the MK-155 Launcher, Mine Clearance, to be exact. It carries the M-58 A3/A4 Linear Demolition Charge.
The line charge can clear a lane 100 meters long by 16 meters wide. It destroys everything in its path, reducing armed mines and obstructions alike to mere rubble. That's why it's the primary minefield-breaching asset used by Marines.
The blast sent dust and rocks flying hundreds of feet and a sky-shattering crack thundering across the hills. For the uninitiated, it was impressive.
"It was cool to see the amount of area it cleared without the Marines doing a large amount of work," said Cpl. Rodrigo Leon, a squad leader with 3rd Platoon, Company B. "The training shows how effective line charges are. It left a big hole in the ground."
Marines who had fired the charge before said the training was just another day carrying out their usual duties.
"I've already seen it in action before, so it wasn't a big thing to me," said Sgt. Brian Miller, from 3rd Platoon, Company B. "Other than that, I think it's a useful peace of equipment."
Deadly? Sure. Useful? Well, that seems understated.