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FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (Jan. 27, 2014) -- Twenty-five-year-old
1st Lt. Katherine Baumann loves to be challenged and decided there
would be no limits to what she could learn and experience with a
career in the U.S. Army.
Baumann attended Sacred Heart
University in Fairfield, Conn. She studied chemical engineering
while also participating in the U.S. Army Reserve Officers' Training
Corps. Once she received her degree, she decided to join the Army
for the adventure and unmatched opportunities it would provide.
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Combat engineers at the Sapper Leader Course at Fort Leonard Wood,
Mo., execute door breaching exercises during a field training
session on January 27, 2014. (U.S. Army photo)
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"I wanted to have a purpose in life and basically do the
unexpected, and I wanted to lead Soldiers," Baumann said.
Prior to setting her sights on the renowned Sapper
Leader Course, Baumann gained engineering experience in the
Army working in both horizontal and vertical construction
platoons. She was later deployed to Afghanistan for route
clearance operations.
"I came to Sapper Leader Course
specifically to become a better leader," Baumann said. "All
the people in my unit who have Sapper tabs are exceptional
leaders, and I want to be more like them."
The Sapper
Leader Course is an engineer-specific, 28-day course
designed to turn Soldiers into Sapper leaders. During the
challenging course, Soldiers are transformed into elite
combat engineers by becoming experts in specific engineer
tasks, infantry skills, mountaineering, airborne and air
assault operations.
"Sapper Leader Course is a
school based on combat engineering fundamentals and it
teaches leadership abilities, as well as expedient
techniques for handling combat engineer operations," said
Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Messick, Sapper Leader Course
instructor. "At Sapper Leader Course, you'll learn to work
under tight deadlines. You'll learn to work as a team, and
you must be able to make decisions under extremely stressful
situations."
The course is divided into two phases,
with the first 14 days consisting of learning general
subjects such as medical, navigation, demolitions, air and
water operations, and mountaineering. The second phase
covers basic patrolling techniques and battle drills to help
emphasize and teach leadership. Subjects include urban
operations, breaching, patrol organization and movement,
reconnaissance, and raid and ambush tactics.
During
each training event, Soldiers are graded and scored. In
order to become a Sapper and wear the coveted Sapper tab,
Soldiers must earn 700 out of 1,000 points.
"The
unique skills that I'm going to get here that I wouldn't get
anywhere else is definitely the mountaineering and the
strong emphasis on not being constrained by your terrain,"
Baumann said.
Besides physical obstacles, Soldiers in
the Sapper Course are also exposed to the challenges of
Missouri's unpredictable weather. Average winter low
temperatures are in the 20 degree range, while summer high
averages are in the 90 degree range. Tornado warnings are
also very common.
"Here they teach you personnel
management under high stress in extreme environments,"
Baumann said. "How are you going to take that platoon, while
it's raining, while it's 10 degrees? How are you going to
take them down that cliff with a casualty, under fire? The
Sapper Leader Course brings it all."
For Baumann,
the opportunities she receives in the Army are unparalleled
to the civilian world.
"An employer would know that
your leadership and your management skills are top-notch,"
said Messick. "You've been tested and the United States Army
has had the ability to trust you with human lives and
millions of dollars worth of equipment."
Aiming high
and serving her country are Baumann's main motivators for
becoming an Army officer, and more specifically a combat
engineer.
"I love defending my country, and I love
knowing that my family and friends are really proud of me,"
Baumann said. "I'm at the Sapper Leader Course because I
wanted to come to one of the schools that's considered the
best in the U.S. Army."
By U.S. Army Marketing and Research Group
Army News Service
Copyright 2014
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