Fort Leonard Wood | Engineer OSUT | Week 5

Get excited—your Trainee has officially entered Phase III of Army Engineer OSUT, also known as the White Phase! This is a huge milestone and marks the moment where things truly level up. By now, your Trainee is sharper, stronger, and more disciplined than when they first arrived—but now it’s time to focus on mastering one of the most important Soldier skills: marksmanship. For many, this will be their very first time handling a weapon, and the pressure is on—but so is the determination! This is where your Trainee begins to unlock the warrior within.

Week Five Expectations – White Phase

The mission this week is crystal clear: shoot, move, communicate, survive, and perform under pressure. Physical fitness, discipline, and tactical skills are being dialed up, and the expectation to meet the Army standard is non-negotiable. Weapon qualification is a top priority—your Trainee must hit their mark to move forward into Blue Phase. And here’s the best part—they’re not doing it alone. Drill Sergeants are beginning to shift the mindset from individual success to team excellence—and your Trainee is rising to the challenge. Let’s go, White Phase!

First up this week is the Engagement Skills trainer and then they will move out to the Zeroing Range. These next 3 weeks will be one of the most critical times at Fort Leonard Wood for your Trainee. This is the start of a very stressful time for them.

Engagement Skills Trainer (EST 2000)

During this week they will spend time in the Engagement Skills Trainer (EST 2000). The EST 2000 is an indoor, multipurpose, multilane, small arms training simulator. It is used to simulate weapon training events which lead to live-fire individual/crew weapon qualification and training events.

After the EST 2000, they will move out to the Zeroing Range where they will fire their first live rounds. Zeroing a weapon is not a training exercise, nor is it a combat skills event. Zeroing is a maintenance procedure that is accomplished to place the weapon in operation, based on the Soldier’s skill, capabilities, tactical scenario, aiming device, and ammunition. Its purpose is to achieve the desired relationship between the line of sight and the trajectory of the round at a known distance. The zeroing process ensures the Soldier, weapon, aiming device, and ammunition are performing as expected at a specific range to target with the least amount of induced errors.

Zeroing Range

After the EST 2000, they will move out to the Zeroing Range where they will fire their first live rounds. Zeroing a weapon is not a training exercise, nor is it a combat skills event. Zeroing is a maintenance procedure that is accomplished to place the weapon in operation, based on the Soldier’s skill, capabilities, tactical scenario, aiming device, and ammunition. Its purpose is to achieve the desired relationship between the line of sight and the trajectory of the round at a known distance. The zeroing process ensures the Soldier, weapon, aiming device, and ammunition are performing as expected at a specific range to target with the least amount of induced errors.

For Trainees to achieve a high level of accuracy and precision, it is critical they zero their aiming device to their weapon correctly. The Trainee must first achieve a consistent grouping of a series of shots, at least three but ideally five.

The M4 Carbine is the standard issue weapon of the U.S. Army. Training Circular (TC) 3-22.9 is the Army’s guide to provide Soldiers the critical information on how to properly and effectively engage and destroy threats in a direct fire engagement.

Full Battle Rattle

Trainees will be taught everything there is to know about the rifle (remember, it’s not a gun). Learning to shoot a rifle requires a lot more than simply pulling the trigger. The TC relies on the DS teaching the Trainees about how the weapon functions, its capabilities, the capabilities of the optics and ammunition, and how to properly employ those capabilities to achieve mastery through the application of the functional elements of the shot process. Lastly, marksmanship courses will teach Trainees not only the proper way to hold a weapon, but also how to breathe and shoot from various positions.

Anytime the Trainees conduct marksmanship training, they will march to the firing range, usually in full battle rattle. Full battle rattle is approximately 50 pounds of gear, including an improved outer tactical vest, Kevlar helmet, pro-mask, ammunition, weapons, and rucksack with other basic military equipment. The term was previously associated with a call to arms on warships dating back to the early 1800s. Full battle rattle saves lives and is essential to have all necessary equipment to complete the mission.

Letters From Home = Morale

Your words matter. Letters from home are fuel for the fight—they lift spirits, inspire grit, and remind your Trainee they are never alone. A few kind words from you can make all the difference. In your letter this week, ask them how their marksmanship training is going and if they are getting the hang of mastering their weapon. Next week they will move on to qualifying with their weapon, it will be a big week!

Although Sandboxx letters arrive the next day with return stationery, a pre-addressed envelope, photos, and a gift card feature, don’t feel like you have to use Sandboxx to send letters. We encourage handwritten letters and cards – these are super important.

The Making of Your Soldier

The journey is challenging and the road ahead will be tough—but your Trainee is rising to the challenge. Next week they will continue expanding on what they have learned and spend a lot more time at the range. Stay tuned for more insights as we walk this journey together.

That’s a brief look at the intense but rewarding journey your Trainee is on. Let’s keep supporting them every step of the way!

You can always find me via chat in the Sandboxx app or happiness@sandboxx.us — just ask for Kris, and myself or another teammate will get back to you as soon as we can.

Hooah!

SGM Kris Broadus, U.S. Army (Ret)