| Ohio battalion commander earns elite Sapper distinction |
CINCINNATI - Lt. Col. David Powell recently became one of the newest and highest-ranking members of the Ohio National Guard to become a Sapper, at the age of 44. Sappers are combat engineers who advance on the battlefield with and clear the way for the infantry. During the course, students train on leadership skills during water and mountain operations, as well as demolition, small unit tactics, rappelling and many other tasks. Although designed for junior officers and noncommissioned officers (NCOs), Powell obtained approval from his superiors to attend the course. “I wanted to learn about what my Soldiers are going through,” he said. “Part of the battalion that I command includes a company of Sappers. I wanted to learn what they were learning to be a more effective leader. I also thought that this would be a good opportunity to brush up on my basic Soldiering skills. When he arrived at the school at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., some of the instructors were skeptical about his motivations for attending. Capt. Lonni Johnson, commander of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 577th Engineer Battalion and chief of training for the Sapper School, said initially he was a little wary of Powell’s presence there. “My perceptions of him quickly changed,” Johnson said. “My first encounter with Lieutenant Colonel Powell was via e-mail. He was asking questions that a standard Soldier wouldn’t normally ask. I could tell almost immediately that he was trying hard to prepare himself for this school. He was also the first one to arrive at the school. He wanted to make sure that he was more prepared than everyone else and to prove that he was better than the young guys.” The students’ first test came early in the course, when they were required to complete a 12-mile road march with full rucksack within three hours. Powell finished in 2 hours, 18 minutes. “This road march is one of a handful of pass or fail events that we present to our students,” Johnson said. “Lieutenant Colonel Powell was the second Soldier to complete the road march out of 50 people. At that point, I knew for sure the Lieutenant Colonel Powell was there for all of the right reasons.” Powell said the 28-day course was both physically and mentally demanding; he lost 20 pounds and said it was one of the hardest things he has done in his life. A normal day began at 3 a.m. and concluded at 10 p.m., and the final 10 days consisted of 24-hour continuous operations. “When a Soldier has had a minimal amount of sleep over a few days, one of the hardest things to do is to lead those Soldiers,” he said. “Those Soldiers are tired and can be irritable and not want to listen. The challenge is, how do you complete the task given to you as a team if you are in charge?” For Powell, the course highlight came with graduation. Of the 57 Soldiers who began the class, only 18 graduated with enough points to earn the “Sapper” tab. The rest were sent home due to injury or failure to pass critical events. Powell was almost sent home when he was injured during mountaineering training. “The doctors originally thought I had broken a rib,” he said. “If that was the case, I would have been sent home immediately. I had trained up for a year to get to this school. I knew that I would not get a second chance at it.” Fortunately for Powell, the rib was only bruised and he was able to continue with the course and eventually graduate. He offered some simple advice for any other engineers interested in earning the Sapper distinction. “Be ready and believe in yourself,” Powell said. “This course is very physically demanding, but if you believe in yourself, you can do it. “I just earned the right to wear the Sapper tab on my uniform,” he added. “The real Sappers are in the 811th Engineer Company in Tarlton.” |
