FORT CARSON, Colo. — Spc. Kevin J. Harrison, Company C, 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, checks a mock door for wires and explosives during a Jan. 17, 2018, ballistic breaching exercise.
By Alexandra Shea
Mountaineer Staff
Soldiers with the 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, conducted an M500 shotgun range Jan. 17, 2018.
The “Silver Lions” qualified with their shotguns before moving into a ballistic breach exercise that had Soldiers use their shotguns to blow out door hinges and gain forced entry through mock doors. While training like this may seem unusual to some, this skill is a key task for infantrymen in an urban environment.
“We own the urban environment,” said Capt. Todd J. Pepino, commander, Company C, 1st Bn., 68th Armor Reg., 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. “The infantry companies really focus on the urban terrain. If we have to go clear an urban population center, we are going to be the ones in there and clear that severely restricted terrain and urban cluster to enable the tanks to move through and to engage that much larger threat.”
FORT CARSON, Colo. — Spc. Kevin J. Harrison, left, Company C, 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, uses his M500 shotgun to remove a mock door hinge during a ballistic breach exercise Jan. 17, 2018. (Photo by Alexandra Shea)
While shotguns seem to be the perfect weapon to use for breaching doors, it also serves as a way to defend a small element from aerial threats such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).
“People are getting more sophisticated with how they attack us,” said 1st Lt. Vincent G. McAnuff Jr., platoon leader, Company C, 1st Bn., 68th Armor Reg. “Drones are a big thing now. They can drop things on us and be used for surveillance, so if one comes near our guys the Bradley commander can pull the shotgun out from his side and take that target out.”
“This should be a lot of fun, our lower enlisted will get a kick out of this,” said McAnuff. “We will have to see from the video footage later.”
Visit the Fort Carson Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/USArmyFortCarson/ to view the video of the M500 shotgun qualification range and door breaching exercise.
FORT CARSON, Colo. — Sgt. Coy L. Thomas, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, fires his M500 shotgun at targets for qualification Jan. 17, 2018. After qualifying, Soldiers participating used shotguns to blow out door hinges to gain entry. (Photo by Alexandra Shea)
FORT CARSON, Colo. — Sgt. Curtis G. Lichter, Company C, 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, rehangs a small wood block into a mock door frame during a ballistic breaching exercise Jan. 17, 2018. The wood blocks were used to imitate door hinges during the ballistic door breaching exercise. (Photo by Alexandra Shea)
FORT CARSON, Colo. — Soldiers with Company C, 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, conduct ballistic breaching exercises during an M500 shotgun range Jan. 17, 2018. (Photo by Alexandra Shea)