Camp Lejeune, N.C. (June 30, 2022). Combat Engineers are called “Sappers”, a name derived from the French word “sappe” (spadework or trench) and became connected with military engineering during the 17th century when attackers dug covered trenches to approach the walls of a besieged fort.

In today’s land warfare, combat engineers have two primary missions, clear the way for our forces to advance or emplace obstacles to kill or slow the enemy.

A typical engineer mission might include conducting reconnaissance on the enemy while placing explosives or other physical obstacles to slow their progress. It might just as likely include urban breaching operations to root out the bad guys, defusing enemy explosives along the way.

On the offensive side, combat engineers go in front of the infantry to build bridges across rivers while under fire from the enemy. They do the dangerous job of clearing minefields so our warriors can advance. Commanders depend on engineers to remove hazards in their path including improvised explosives, trip wires, booby traps and a variety of mines planted by the enemy.

Combat engineers form an indispensable part of any infantry operation by allowing commanders to place or remove obstacles to fit the needs of the battle. In this photo by Corporal Ryan Ramsammy, U.S. Marines with the 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, breach concertina wire during the Sappers Leadership Course held at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The course gives combat engineer squad leaders the technical and tactical skills to lead fellow engineers on these dangerous missions.

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