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2nd Marine Logistics Group

Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Marines take a stroll down ‘IED lane’

By Lance Cpl. Kirstin Merrimarahajara | 2nd Marine Logistics Group | August 25, 2014

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Lance Cpl. Lorenzo Knowles, Landing Support, Combat Logistics Battalion 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group and Jacksonville, Florida native looks through a pair of binoculars in search of IED indicators during a counter-IED training course August 19, 2014 in Holly Ridge, North Carolina. Counter-IED instructors taught the Marines to search for indicators by scanning right to left and down to up, in order to trick your brain into paying better attention to your surroundings. Marines were also taught immediate actions to take once an IED is spotted.

Lance Cpl. Lorenzo Knowles, Landing Support, Combat Logistics Battalion 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group and Jacksonville, Florida native looks through a pair of binoculars in search of IED indicators during a counter-IED training course August 19, 2014 in Holly Ridge, North Carolina. Counter-IED instructors taught the Marines to search for indicators by scanning right to left and down to up, in order to trick your brain into paying better attention to your surroundings. Marines were also taught immediate actions to take once an IED is spotted. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Kirstin Merrimarahajara)


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Marines from Combat Logistics Battalion 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, listen as counter-IED instructor Travis Hillertalks about a mock IED made from a pressure cooker, planted by instructors on an IED training path in Holly Ridge, North Carolina, August 19, 2014. Instructors hid several mock IED's to test the group's ability to spot the fake bombs while on a foot-patrol. Earlier that day, the Marines received classroom instruction about various visual indicators in identifying IED's.

Marines from Combat Logistics Battalion 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, listen as counter-IED instructor Travis Hillertalks about a mock IED made from a pressure cooker, planted by instructors on an IED training path in Holly Ridge, North Carolina, August 19, 2014. Instructors hid several mock IED's to test the group's ability to spot the fake bombs while on a foot-patrol. Earlier that day, the Marines received classroom instruction about various visual indicators in identifying IED's. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Kirstin Merrimarahajara)


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Clouds of charcoal-colored dust fill the streets as mock IED’s detonate, and the echo of machinegun fire adds to the realistic environment as Marines from Combat Logistics Battalion 2 are tested during a vehicle patrol August 20, 2014 in Holley Ridge, North Carolina. While the IED’s and casualties were fake, the realistic scenarios helped the members of CLB-2 experience the physical and mental strains of dealing with an IED. The training ensures the Marines are ready to employ counter-IED skills in any scenario.

Clouds of charcoal-colored dust fill the streets as mock IED’s detonate, and the echo of machinegun fire adds to the realistic environment as Marines from Combat Logistics Battalion 2 are tested during a vehicle patrol August 20, 2014 in Holley Ridge, North Carolina. While the IED’s and casualties were fake, the realistic scenarios helped the members of CLB-2 experience the physical and mental strains of dealing with an IED. The training ensures the Marines are ready to employ counter-IED skills in any scenario. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Kirstin Merrimarahajara)


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Marine Cpl. Adam Dwaileibe, Motor-transport Operator, Combat Logistics Battalion 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group and Cincinnati, Ohio native, looks underneath a humvee during a five and 25 meter scan as part of the practical application portion of a counter-IED class August 20, 2014 in Holly Ridge, North Carolina. Instructors taught Marines to perform the five and 25 meter scan to avoid stopping near the kill zone of an IED. During the scan, Dwailebe looked for abnormalities and secondary IED's. The purpose of the training was to keep the Marines ready to employn a counter-IED skill-set.

Marine Cpl. Adam Dwaileibe, Motor-transport Operator, Combat Logistics Battalion 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group and Cincinnati, Ohio native, looks underneath a humvee during a five and 25 meter scan as part of the practical application portion of a counter-IED class August 20, 2014 in Holly Ridge, North Carolina. Instructors taught Marines to perform the five and 25 meter scan to avoid stopping near the kill zone of an IED. During the scan, Dwailebe looked for abnormalities and secondary IED's. The purpose of the training was to keep the Marines ready to employn a counter-IED skill-set. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Kirstin Merrimarahajara)


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Marines from Combat Logistics Battalion 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, pay close attention as counter-IED instructor and retired Marine Corps Master Sgt. David Slay demonstrates how to use a holley stick to find loose wires, bombs, or battery packs underground August 19, 2014 in Holly Ridge, North Carolina. The holley stick, comprised of a 15-foot pole with a sicle head attached, was named after it's inventor, Explosive Ordinance Technician Gunnery Sgt. Floyd C. Holley. "To date, no Marines have been killed using the holley stick," said counter-IED instructor Travis Hiller.

Marines from Combat Logistics Battalion 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, pay close attention as counter-IED instructor and retired Marine Corps Master Sgt. David Slay demonstrates how to use a holley stick to find loose wires, bombs, or battery packs underground August 19, 2014 in Holly Ridge, North Carolina. The holley stick, comprised of a 15-foot pole with a sicle head attached, was named after it's inventor, Explosive Ordinance Technician Gunnery Sgt. Floyd C. Holley. "To date, no Marines have been killed using the holley stick," said counter-IED instructor Travis Hiller. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Kirstin Merrimarahajara)


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HOLLY RIDGE, N.C. -- More than 40 Marines and sailors with Combat Logistics Battalion 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, took a stroll down an improvised explosive device training lane during a two-day, counter-IED course in Holly Ridge, N.C., Aug. 19-20, 2014.

The first part of the course took place in a classroom where counter-IED instructors taught motor-transport and landing support Marines about the different types of IEDs commonly used and how to react when there may be a threat. The instructors put the Marines to the test during a day and a half of practical application in IED detection and response.

It was no walk in the park when members of CLB-2 patrolled a path on foot, while looking for disturbed dirt, fishing wire, or shiny objects. Those indicators are signs of a simulated IED placed in the dense North Carolina forest by the counter-IED instructors. The Marines also searched for fake IEDs in a mock Middle-Eastern town, from a distance, through rifle combat optics and binoculars.

The students later applied their new skills during a simulated convoy. Clouds of charcoal-colored dust filled the streets as mock IEDs detonated, and the echo of blank machine gun fire added to the realistic environment as the Marines were tested during a vehicle patrol. The Marines would dismount the vehicles periodically and conduct visual scans for IEDs around the Humvees.

“I wouldn’t have known how to spot an IED before the course,” said Lance Cpl. Nicholas Shaw, Transport Support Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group. “I thought the course was very helpful, especially if we ever find ourselves in an environment with IEDs.”

The class was taught by instructors who had experience with IEDs from tours in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

Retired Master Sgt. David Slay and retired Staff Sgt. Travis Hiller both served as Marine Corps infantrymen and gained significant combat experience before coming instructors.

“Master Sgt. Slay and Staff Sgt. Hiller were awesome. They were an invaluable resource with a combined 47 years of combat experience going back to Desert Shield,” said First Lt. Jonathan Pica, executive officer of Transportation Support Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 2 and a Kingston, Massachusetts native.

The instructors challenged the Marines to find as many simulated IEDs as possible during the practical application portion of the course.

While the IEDs and casualties were fake, the realistic scenarios helped the Marines and sailors experience the physical and mental strains of dealing with an IED threat. The training ensured the Marines are ready to employ counter-IED skills at any time.

“It’s absolutely possible that we could get a phone call tonight and have to be on a plane,” said Pica. “We have to be sharp enough … to switch gears at the drop of a hat.”
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