Concern for my nephew...

My nephew just joined the Army Reserve as a Combat Engineer.

He already knows that he will be activated and will be going to Iraq or Korea for a year.

I was in the Army, and at first was happy for him (his dad is a marine), but now I am worried.

Anyone out there that was a Combat Engineer, that could shed some light on what they do? I was a pencil pusher, and never saw any type of combat.

TIA

71LSPC - I don't know if this helps Link but this site contains a history of the Army Combat Engineers. They sound like a brave and distinguished group of men. The site also breaks down the various sub groups within the corp.

I'll keep your nephew in my thoughts and prayers. I have several friends and relatives over there now and think about them daily.

Bleys

My older bro used to be a ombat engineer in the ADF Reserves.

From what i gathered they build briges, defuse bombs, and basic engineering stuff... i dont think they get into alot of full-on combat but i'm sure they are still exposed to risks

From the sounds of it, I'm guessing he would be doing repairs to tanks and millitary vehicles and help build millitary minded things.

Not to upset you, he would still be exposed to danger, but he's not on the front lines fighting.

thanks everyone.

I'm probably over reacting (nervous uncle).

Bleys, nice link. thanks.

I don't blame you for worrying. One of my "Sons" (I have a lot of kids that I parent... that I didn't give birth to) was an MP and was in both Saudi Arabia and in Korea. I worried, too.

If he'll listen to your advice, the best thing he can do is to learn a bit about the culture and learn to speak some Arabic and pick out a bit of Arabic script. People tend to assume that others speak only one language, and you can find out some interesting things by listening carefully. And if he has a handle on the culture, he'll do a bit better in dealing with the locals.