Sapper tab authorized for uniform wear

[Spr.Earl]

By Bernard Tate
The new Sapper tab is now authorized for wear on the uniform's left shoulder above the unit patch.



WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Aug. 3, 2004) -- A new Sapper tab for combat engineers is now authorized for wear by qualified Soldiers on their left shoulder.

Until this summer, only the Special Forces tab and the Ranger tab were authorized for wear above the unit patch on the left shoulder.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker approved the Sapper tab June 28 for award and wear by engineer Soldiers who complete the Sapper Leader Course. The course is part of the U.S. Army Engineer School at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. This award is retroactive back to the graduates of the first SLC on June 14, 1985.

The tab will be worn below the Special Forces or Ranger tab, if a Soldier has either of those. Other details concerning the wear of the Sapper tab will be released through official G-1/Human Resources Command channels sometime in the next 90 days, officials said.

Sappers are combat engineers who advance with the front-line infantry, and they have fought in every war in American history. For example, they played a vital role in securing Omaha Beach on D-Day, and that incident is faithfully re-created in Saving Private Ryan.

The invading Soldiers were unable to advance through the beach obstacles, and were pinned down by the German machine guns. A group of combat engineers crawled forward under heavy fire. Despite their casualties, they assembled a bangalore torpedo (a long tube filled with explosives), slid it under a barbed wire obstacle, and blew the obstacle apart. The Soldiers behind the engineers then fought their way through the gap, took the German defenses, and won the battle.

The Sapper Leader Course is a fast-paced 28-day course designed to train joint-service leaders in small unit tactics, leadership skills, and warfighter tactics required to perform as part of a combined arms team in a contemporary operating environment. The SLC is open to enlisted Soldiers in the grades of specialist (promotable) and above, and engineer officers captain and below.

Phase I of the course lasts 14 days and covers general subjects including medical techniques, land navigation, demolitions (conventional and expedient), air and water operations, mountaineering, expedient antennas, knots and rigging, and land mines used by enemy forces.

Phase II is also 14 days. It covers basic patrolling techniques and battle drills that emphasize leadership. The subjects include urban operations, breaching, patrol organization and movement, and recon/raid/ambush tactics.

The second phase of the SLC concludes with a three-day situation training exercise, and five-day field training exercise. Training missions conducted during the STX/FTX are a 60/40 mix of engineer and infantry missions. Engineer missions include bridge reconnaissance and demolition, covert obstacle breaching, road cratering, minefields, and field expedient demolition.

Leadership is emphasized throughout the SLC, engineer officials said. During Phase I the leadership positions are rotated daily. During Phase II, the position of squad leader is rotated daily, and the patrol leader and assistant patrol leader after each phase of the mission. Each Soldier will be evaluated at least twice on leadership during patrolling.

The results of the Sapper Leader Course are Soldiers who are worthy to wear the new Sapper tab, officials said, adding that they are hardened combat engineers who are qualified to fight and lead on today's battlefields.

(Editor's note: Bernard Tate is a public affairs staff member of the headquarters, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.)


http://www4.army.mil/ocpa/read.php?story_id_key=6220

 

[Infanteer]

Funny, it seems the US Army is determined to fill every corner of that uniform with little patches and baubles.  Oh well, it will give our engineers something neat to buy at the PX and sew to their bush hats....

 

[Spr.Earl]

Maj. Baker whats the odds on a Cdn. Sapper getting the course?


Sappers
By Rudyard Kipling, British Army

When the Waters were dried an' the Earth did appear,
("It's all one," says the Sapper),
The Lord He created the Engineer,
Her Majesty's Royal Engineer,
With the rank and pay of a Sapper!

When the Flood come along for an extra monsoon,
'Twas Noah constructed the first pontoon
To the plans of Her Majesty's, etc.

But after fatigue in the wet an' the sun,
Old Noah got drunk, which he wouldn't ha' done
If he'd trained with, etc.

When the Tower o' Babel had mixed up men's bat,
Some clever civilian was managing that,
An' none of, etc.

When the Jews had a fight at the foot of a hill,
Young Joshua ordered the sun to stand still,
For he was a Captain of Engineers, etc.

When the Children of Israel made bricks without straw,
They were learnin' the regular work of our Corps,
The work of, etc.

For ever since then, if a war they would wage,
Behold us a-shinin' on history's page --
First page for, etc.

We lay down their sidings an' help 'em entrain,
An' we sweep up their mess through the bloomin' campaign,
In the style of, etc.

They send us in front with a fuse an' a mine
To blow up the gates that are rushed by the Line,
But bent by, etc.

They send us behind with a pick an' a spade,
To dig for the guns of a bullock-brigade
Which has asked for, etc.

We work under escort in trousers and shirt,
An' the heathen they plug us tail-up in the dirt,
Annoying, etc.

We blast out the rock an' we shovel the mud,
We make 'em good roads an' -- they roll down the khud,
Reporting, etc.

We make 'em their bridges, their wells, an' their huts,
An' the telegraph-wire the enemy cuts,
An' it's blamed on, etc.

An' when we return, an' from war we would cease,
They grudge us adornin' the billets of peace,
Which are kept for, etc.

We build 'em nice barracks -- they swear they are bad,
That our Colonels are Methodist, married or mad,
Insultin', etc.

They haven't no manners nor gratitude too,
For the more that we help 'em, the less will they do,
But mock at, etc.

Now the Line's but a man with a gun in his hand,
An' Cavalry's only what horses can stand,
When helped by, etc.

Artillery moves by the leave o' the ground,
But we are the men that do something all round,
For we are, etc.

I have stated it plain, an' my argument's thus
("It's all one," says the Sapper),
There's only one Corps which is perfect -- that's us;
An' they call us Her Majesty's Engineers,
Her Majesty's Royal Engineers,
With the rank and pay of a Sapper!

 

[Spr.Earl]

There is a CDN Liasion officer at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, Engineering school.   Send an E-mail to him and ask him...it seems like it is very possible.

I didn't know that we still had a liaison officer there.

Many Moons ago we used to send Sappers down that way for part one of the heavy equipment course and part two was done in the Wack on the hill (Chilliwack).
But we no longer send any one down that way but have seen many photos and heard many stories from the guys who did go down.

Can you get the course syllabus and PM me the link?
As it might be easier for you than I to get a hold of.

 

[Ex-Dragoon]

I am getting the impression there is a huge difference in what combat engineers and sappers are. I always thought they were one in the same so can one of you guys educate this poor sailor?

 

[Spr.Earl]

They are one and the same.
Many Moons ago we were known as "Field Engineers",but some one thought "Combat Engineers" sounded more aggresive so we changed over,all so it may have had somthing to do with the Field Engineers going from Combat Support to a Combat Arms Trade also.
The Royal Engineers have just done the same in regards to changing to Combat Engineer.
Who knows?
It's only another name too call us by.

We still call our selve's Sappers once qualified and eveyone in the Engineers is a Sapper.
The Armoured Corp has Troopers,we have Sappers
Gotta it Troop?

 

[aesop081]

The liaison Officer down in Ft Leonard Wood is Major Craig flood.  I met him when i was with CFSME and went down there on exchange.  He works in the main MANCEN building in some deep dark corner of the second floor as far as i can remember. This was in October last year so he may be gone.  Another canadian engineer down there is Capt Pierre McIntyre...some of you may know him .

Cheers

 

[armybuck041]

Its not that uncommon really....

When the Op tempo permits 2 CER usually sends a couple of deserving pers on the crse.

As for the Tab, its not authorized for wear on any Canadian Uniform including the WBCH.

 

[SEB123]

the sapper tab is not for Canadian but for American

 

[aesop081]

Hey ...who in 2 CER went on the course ??

 

[armybuck041]

JP Benoit, Levaseur.... and a bunch of others who's names escape me.

I think Frank Smith and Chris Anderson also did it as well....

We havn't sent anyone lately but that has allot to do with the Op tempo.... rather than vacancies on the crse itself.

You started your crse yet?

 

[aesop081]

Yeah, i'm into the second month of my course now and the weather has just started going to shit !!!

I was in Fort leonard wood when Chris and Frank finnished their course, i was just wondering if anybody new had gone.

Ran into Sean harisson the other day.

Whats new with you....2 CER still the same ?

 

[SEB123]

It's almost like this tab

 

[Spr.Earl]

So is it abig deal or what then?
Is it the same as a IC of a section would do or a 2 I.C.?
Give us the low down.

 

[aesop081]

Ok...here's what i know form having worked at the US engineer school.  The tab from the sapper leader course looks like the ranger tab with the exception that the word " SAPPER" is inscribed on it.  The photo above, as most of you should know is the 043 trade badge for QL3 !!!  From what Frank Smith and Chris Anderson told me at their grad, it is a very demanding course, both physicaly and mentaly.  Lots of patroling , rope work , demolitions and other engineer related subjects.  Both NCOs and officers attend the course as well as some US marines on occasion.

 

[AmmoTech90]

I'm sure its already been looked into but there is allowance for the wearing of foreign qualification badges on your DEU.  The one stipulation is that there must not be an equivalent Canadian badge.  So far the only two that the dress manual allow are the Ranger tab and the Special Forces tab.  Something the CME Branch might want to look into.
You may also wear the badge when working with, or attending an official function hosted by the nation that granted the badge.  So for all you EOD types, you can wear the crab when working in the States or if you were to, oh say attend the EOD memorial ball in CFs.  Of course this only applies if you've taken the US course.

 

[aesop081]

The "SAPPER" tab is actualy not authorised for wear even by US personel. 

 

[AmmoTech90]

Aesop081,

Earl's post is from the Army Times and states that the tab is now authorised for wear on their unifiorm.  Where did you get the info that US personel cannot wear the tab?

 

[aesop081]

I spent some time as an instructor at the US army engineer school in Fort leonard Wood, where the sapper leader course is taught.  It was stated right on the grad parade i attended that it was not authorized for wear but that alot of US soldiers sew it under the lapel of their BDU shirts.........This was last october, things may have changed.

 

[AmmoTech90]

Yes the very first post in this thread is an article from the Army Times stating it is now authorized for wear effective Aug 04.