sapper course is taught where

by Yolanda Cruickshank 9 min read

The Sapper Leader Course is designed to develop tough, hard, and knowledgeable leaders who are confident in their abilities and capable of operating under the harshest of conditions. The 28 day course, held at the US Army Engineer Center at Fort Leonard Wood, MO, is extremely fast paced and challenging.Jul 1, 2020

What's the most important thing to learn in the Sapper Leader Course?

"The most important thing is having the desire to learn and the drive to make it through the course," he said. The Sapper Leader Course is a 28-day, joint-service course designed to create "elite" combat engineers in all aspects of mobility, counter mobility, and survivability here at the U.S. Army Engineer School.

What does a sapper course instructor do?

Sapper course instructors teach the students mountaineering, water operations, conventional and expedient demolitions, urban breaching, airborne operations, and many other engineer related tasks.

When was the first class of the Sapper Leader Course?

The course's design began in 1982, and continued until its inception in 1985. The validation class began 12 May 1985 and ended 14 June 1985, graduating the first 18 Sapper Leaders. The first class was the foundation for the building of the Sapper Leader Course of today.

What is the Best Sapper Competition?

In 2005 the U.S. Army Engineer School launched the inaugural Best Sapper Competition to challenge and test the knowledge, physical prowess and mental fortitude of service members. The competition showcases the Army's elite Soldiers in combat engineering military occupation specialties.

What is sapper school in the Army?

The Sapper Leader Course is a 28-day, joint-service course designed to create "elite" combat engineers in all aspects of mobility, counter mobility, and survivability here at the U.S. Army Engineer School.

Do you have to go to Sapper school to be a sapper?

Fort Polk Public Affairs Office. To wear the Sapper tab, a Soldier must be a graduate of the Sapper Leader Course, which is operated by the U.S. Army Engineer School at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.

How do you become a sapper?

A Soldier must be a Graduate of the Sapper Leader Course, a 28-day course designed to train leaders in small unit tactics, leadership skills, and skills required to perform as part of a combined arms team, to become a Sapper and wear the Sapper Tab.

What mos do you have to be to go to Sapper school?

The Sapper course is designed primarily for 12B combat engineer enlisted soldiers – a military occupational specialty that earlier this year was opened to women – and engineer junior officers. For enlisted soldiers, the course is open to sergeants through sergeants first class.

How hard is Army sapper school?

The US Army's Sapper Leader's Course is a beast. Considered one of the most difficult leaders schools in the Army, graduates of Sapper School are considered masters in the basics of combat patrols, combat demolitions, and mountaineering.

Do all combat engineers go to Sapper school?

Although Sapper school training focuses solely on combat engineering techniques, Marines don't have to be combat engineers to sign up. "Basically most Marines in the combat arms (military occupational speciality) field can sign up for Sapper course," Dill said.

Why do they call them sappers?

sapper, military engineer. The name is derived from the French word sappe (“spadework,” or “trench”) and became connected with military engineering during the 17th century, when attackers dug covered trenches to approach the walls of a besieged fort.

Are sappers Special Forces?

It is currently one of three permanent individual skill tabs authorized for wear by the U.S. Army. In order of precedence they are the Special Forces Tab, the Ranger Tab, and the Sapper Tab.

What is the sapper motto?

"Sappers Lead The Way! Earn the Right!" The Sapper Leader Course was designed to train light engineer leaders in the aspects of Airborne, Air Assault, Mountain, and light infantry tactics to form a more cohesive maneuver element.

Is Sapper School as hard as Ranger School?

"Sapper school was very demanding. It's a much shorter course than Ranger School but it's very intense. It's very taxing knowledge-wise," she said. "There's a lot of tests and everything's point based, so you don't know a lot of the time what you're getting graded on."

What do modern sappers do?

Sappers install portable bridges, tank traps and other construction that provides tactical support; they build major support facilities such as supply roads, fuel depots and airports; and additional tasks such as the disarm and dispose of mines and unexploded ordnance.

What is the Sapper physical fitness test?

All Sapper Leader Course students must meet the required standards of the Sapper Physical Fitness Test (SPFT), executing a minimum of 30 repetitions of Hand Release Push-ups, 5 repetitions of Leg Tucks, and run 3 miles in under 24 minutes.

Do combat engineers go to airborne school?

Some happy infantrymen. After the 14 week engineer OSUT, 12B's go directly to a combat engineer unit. Hopefully, they go to airborne school first and go to an airborne combat engineer unit.

What is a airborne sapper?

Air Sapper (sapeur de l'air) : title of the privates of the 25th Air Engineering Regiment, an Army regiment seconded to the Air Force.

How long does it take to learn the Sapper?

Keith Willson, a petroleum supply specialist assigned to the Forward Support Company, 5th Engineer Battalion, the Sapper tasks must be introduced, learned and performed to standard in less than one month.

How long is the Sapper Leader course?

The Sapper Leader Course is a 28-day, joint-service course designed to create "elite" combat engineers in all aspects of mobility, counter mobility, and survivability here at the U.S. Army Engineer School.

What does a sapper instructor teach?

Sapper course instructors teach the students mountaineering, water operations, conventional and expedient demolitions, urban breaching, airborne operations, and many other engineer related tasks. While some of the material covered at the course is introduced during entry-level and advanced individual training, the majority ...

What rank is the Sapper Leader?

According to the official Sapper Leader Course Web site, the course is open to enlisted Soldiers in the rank of specialist and above, cadets, and officers in the rank of captain and below. Priority fill for the course's coveted slots go to officers in combat arms and combat support branches as well as enlisted Soldiers holding the military occupational specialty of combat engineer, infantrymen, cavalry scout and Special Forces engineer.

What course did Willson go to?

Willson said after his graduation from the Sapper Leader Course, he decided that he would re-enlist to attend the U.S. Army Ranger course next year.

What is a sapper?

Sapper (abbreviated Spr) is the Royal Engineers ' equivalent of private. This is also the case within the Indian Army Corps of Engineers, Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers, Royal Canadian Engineers, Royal Australian Engineers, South African Army Engineer Formation, Jamaica Defence Force Engineer Regiment, and Royal New Zealand Engineers. The term "sapper" was introduced in 1856 when the Corps of Royal Sappers and Miners was amalgamated with the officer corps of the Royal Engineers to form the Corps of Royal Engineers.

What is a sapper in combat?

Each sapper goes through high level infantry training, which qualifies him as rifleman 06 (רובאי 06). Combat engineering sappers are qualified as "sapper 06" (פלס 06). They are skilled in infantry combat, basic sabotage, landmine planting and demining, use of explosives, breaching and opening routes, trench warfare, and operating the IDF Puma combat engineering vehicle. Combat engineering commanders are qualified as "sapper 08" while combat engineering officers are qualified as "sapper 11". Both go through additional advance training to gain the skills needed for high level sapper profession.

What are the names of the three sapper groups?

The term "sappers", in addition to the connotation of rank of engineer private, is used collectively to informally refer to the Engineer Corps as a whole and also forms part of the informal names of the three combat engineer groups, viz. Madras Sappers, Bengal Sappers and the Bombay Sappers. Each of these groups consist of about twenty battalion-sized engineer regiments and additional company-sized minor engineer units. The three sapper groups are descended from the sapper and miner groups of the East India Company and later the British Indian Army of the British Raj .

What is a sapper in the Portuguese army?

In Portugal, the term "sapper" is used both in the military and in the civilian environment. In the Portuguese Army, a sapador de engenharia ( engineering sapper) is a soldier of the engineer branch that has specialized combat engineer training. A sapador de infantaria (infantry sapper) is a soldier of the infantry branch that has a similar training and who usually serves in the combat support sapper platoon of an infantry battalion. A sapador NBQ (NBC sapper) is an engineer branch soldier specialized in nuclear, biological and chemical warfare .

What is a sapper firefighter?

Sapper firefighter ( sapeur-pompier ) : title of the firefighters in the civilian fire services and the Paris Fire Brigade.

What is a French sapper?

In France, sapper ( sapeur) is the title of military combat engineers and firefighters, both civil and military, (sapper-fireman or sapeur-pompier ). Military sappers fall under the umbrella of the Engineering Arm or Arme du Génie. A related title is pioneer ( pionnier ), used only in the French Foreign Legion .

What is a Canadian sapper?

The rank of sapper is used instead of private trained to signify completion of the Engineer DP1 course. Canadian sappers have been deployed in many major conflicts in recent history including World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the War in Afghanistan. The roles of a sapper entail: Bridge building with the ACROW, Bailey, or Medium Girder Bridge bridging systems; explosive ordnance disposal; operating the advanced reverse-osmosis water purification unit, used mainly in domestic operations; maintaining roadways and airfields; combat diving; tactical breaching; and erecting and tearing down friendly living spaces. Ultimately, the objective of the sappers is to facilitate the living, moving, and fighting for friendly troops on the battlefield, and denying the same to enemy forces. The motto of the Canadian Military Engineers is Ubique ( Latin: everywhere) a motto shared with the Royal Canadian Artillery. The patron saint of combat engineers is Saint Barbara, and 4 December is the corps' day of celebration.

What is the Sapper Leader Course?

The Sapper Leader Course was designed to train light engineer leaders in the aspects of Airborne, Air Assault, Mountain, and light infantry tactics to form a more cohesive maneuver element. It was modeled after the Infantry's "Light Leader Course", hosted at Fort Benning, GA, and still holds close to the same format to this day. The need for the course arose because of the specific mission requirements maneuver commanders had for their engineer leaders and the lack of available Ranger course slots for non-infantry leaders. If an engineer leader had the ability to attend the Ranger course, due to an infantryman no-show, he would still be required to complete several additional service schools to have the same knowledge base.

When was the Sapper Training Company re-designated?

After many years of arduous work, the Sapper Training Detachment was re-designated as the Sapper Training Company (Provisional) on 4 December 2017.

What was the first class of the Sapper Leader?

The first class was the foundation for the building of the Sapper Leader Course of today. The initial course cadre consisted of Combat Engineers, Infantry, and Special Forces Soldiers, implementing the most diverse conventional Army curriculum of its time. In December 1986, the Sapper Leader Course undertook the daunting task ...

Where was the 229th Engineer Battalion training?

In December 1986, the Sapper Leader Course undertook the daunting task of executing a Mobile Training Team (MTT) Class at Ft. AP Hill, Virginia for the 229th Engineer Battalion (VANG). The course would take place for six consecutive weekend training cycles and the unit's two-week annual training. The guest speaker for the graduation of this class was LTG (ret) David E. Grange Jr., whom the Best Ranger Competition is named after. Additionally, the Honorable John O. Marsh Jr., Secretary of the Army, attended the graduation signifying the gravity of this accomplishment.

When did the Ranger Course start?

If an engineer leader had the ability to attend the Ranger course, due to an infantryman no-show, he would still be required to complete several additional service schools to have the same knowledge base. The course's design began in 1982, and continued until its inception in 1985.

Who wrote the Sapper Creed?

In 1992, the Course's Chief Instructor SF C David Chandler, now SGM (ret), assumed the mission and wrote the Sapper Creed that is still used today. On June 6, 1999 the Sapper Leader Course graduated 26 new Sapper Leaders to augment the operational force.

Is the Combat Engineer MOS open to females?

The Combat Engineer MOS was not open to female soldiers until 2015, although many wanted to attend the course they did not meet the entrance requirments of the time. 326 females had attended by that date, but only 110 had Earned the Right.

What is a sapper leader?

The Sapper Leader Course is a 28-day course designed to train joint-service leaders in small unit tactics, leadership skills, and tactics required to perform as part of a combined arms team. The course is open to enlisted soldiers in the grades of E-4 (P) (in the Army, specialist on the list for promotion to sergeant, E-5) and above, cadets, and officers O-3 (Army, captain) and below. Students can come from any combat or combat support branch of the service, but priority is given to engineering, cavalry, and infantry soldiers.

Where is the Northern Warfare Training Course?

Northern Warfare Training Course (NW) This is a three-week course covering tactical operations in a cold weather climate. The course is taught at Fort Greeley, AK. Soldiers and cadets will be trained in winter survival techniques, skiing, snowshoeing and cold weather patrolling.

Where is the Airborne School?

Airborne School (ABN) Army paratrooper training is conducted for three weeks at Fort Benning, GA. Upon successful completion, cadets are awarded the Parachutist Badge. This training qualifies the Cadet to be a US Army Paratrooper.

Where is Mountain Warfare School?

Mountain Warfare School (MW) This course is taught at the Ethan Allen Firing Range in Jericho, VT. It is taught in two phases, each lasting two weeks. The summer phase teaches and tests Cadets on military mountaineering operations including rock climbing, rappelling, and orienteering.

What is a cadet troop leadership training?

Cadet Troop Leadership Training is an optional program for MSIII cadets during the summer following completion of LDAC. This three week CONUS or 4 week OCONUS program trains Cadets in lieutenant positions with active Army and Reserve component units. Assignments are available in nearly all branches and with units worldwide.

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Overview

Specific usage

Sapper (abbreviated Spr) is the Royal Engineers' equivalent of private. This is also the case within the Indian Army Corps of Engineers, Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers, Royal Canadian Engineers, Royal Australian Engineers, South African Army Engineer Formation, Jamaica Defence Force Engineer Regiment, and Royal New Zealand Engineers. The term "sapper" was introduced in 1856, when the …

Historical origin

A sapper, in the sense first used by the French military, was one who dug trenches to allow besieging forces to advance towards the enemy defensive works and forts, over ground that is under the defenders' musket or artillery fire. This digging was referred to as sapping the enemy fortifications. Saps were excavated by brigades of trained sappers or instructed troops. When an army …

Honors

Sapper Island, St. Joseph Channel, Algoma District, Ontario was named in honour of sappers, especially those who graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada. 46°18′56″N 83°57′29″W / 46.31556°N 83.95806°W

In fiction

In the 1978 song by Australian rock band Cold Chisel, "Khe Sanh", the narrator (a fictional Australian army Vietnam War veteran) says "I left my heart to the sappers round Khe Sanh". However, the only sappers or combat engineers present at the historical Battle of Khe Sanh belonged to US, South Vietnamese and (opposing) North Vietnamese units.
In the 2008 science-fiction novel The Last Colony, a fictitious "sapper field" technology is used t…

In popular culture

Rudyard Kipling's poem "Sappers" (1896) detailed some of the duties of Sappers in the British Army of Victorian times. The notes on this poem further explain the duties referenced.

See also

• Pioneer sergeant
• Assault pioneer
• Trooper (rank)
• Viet Cong and PAVN Sapper attacks

External links

• Royal Engineers Museum – History of the Royal Engineers (The Sappers)
• Royal Engineers Museum – Origins of the term "Sapper"
• - Site for tracking down former members of the Royal Engineers.