During 2024, the Colombian National Army expects to train about 500 men in the department of Meta, and thus continues to contribute to the tranquility in the territories.
At the Military Base of San Mart铆n, in the department of Meta, soldiers are sent from different areas of the country. The mission they have is to pass the Explosive Ordnance Clearance course, and to do so they must face demanding training in the midst of vegetation, mud and water.
On the spot, the military passes through tracks where they implement the necessary protocols for the search, finding and destruction of explosives. The slightest mistake is corrected instantly, as this could cost lives in a real procedure.
First Sergeant Edison Alexander Yate Torres, of the Combat Engineer Battalion No. 7 General Carlos Alb谩n Estupi帽an, is the head of the Explosives Committee, and he constantly repeats a phrase that the personnel in preparation listen carefully: "The first mistake is the last". He refers to the risk they can be exposed to if they make a mistake when trying to eliminate a threat, and he adds: "Illegal armed groups have been indiscriminately installing explosive devices, sometimes damaging troops, civilians and in the same way strategic assets, that's why we have to train well to counter the operations of these groups."
Prepare for new threats
In San Mart铆n, 69 soldiers have been certified this year and the goal is highlighted, by December 2024, to reach about 500 trained men. The course is made with technological elements to deal with new attack modalities that have been detected in the areas of operation and territorial control.
"With these trained personnel, we are going to neutralize many threats. We are going to continue to conduct this very beautiful task that is to leave our lands and the farms of our peasants free of explosive devices," said Sergeant Yate.
For his part, Corporal Jorge Luis G贸mez Castro is one of the non-commissioned officers who is taking the course. The soldier puffed out his chest and said, "I entered the institution by vocation and I feel satisfaction when I protect my troops, and all the inhabitants. I always give the best for the safety of Colombians, wherever they need us we will be."
No more explosive devices
According to the Committee of the International Red Cross, the work, use and abandonment of explosive devices continues to generate multiple humanitarian consequences such as confinement, displacement, psychological beatings and anxiety. These consequences, although less visible than other effects, are equally serious because they completely and profoundly transform life.
Explosive devices wound, maim or kill indiscriminately. Most of the time people who survive such accidents have to endure amputations, multiple operations and long periods of physical rehabilitation, in addition to economic, social and psychological consequences that radically transform their lives; that's why the men of Colombian National Army continue to train to destroy those devices and protect life.
Source: Press - Fourth Division of Colombian National Army
