Do you have to be a sapper school graduate to be in a sapper company or is that something you can go to once you get to the unit?

SGT Robert Cupp — Mon, 26 Feb 2018 11:39:40 -0500

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 26 at 2018 12:01 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 26 Feb 2018 12:01:41 -0500

18 years ago, Sapper School was a leadership course that Combat Engineer NCOs and officers were encouraged to attend. Graduating did not qualify you for a different MOS or duty position, it just signified that you had mastered a lot of very detail-oriented technical and tactical tasks as well as some small unit leadership evaluations in a patrol phase. We used to use the term Sapper more as a substitute for "Combat Engineer" than as a reference to graduation from the course. It was a really good course, though - especially for getting a solid handle on troop leading procedures (TLP) and the orders process at a small unit (company and below) level. At that time there were no sapper companies, just divisional Combat Engineer battalions (and in an Armored Cavalry Regiment, a Combat Engineer company) as the Army had not moved to a BCT-based system at that time.

Response by SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 26 at 2018 6:38 PM

SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 26 Feb 2018 18:38:57 -0500

You do not have to be a sapper school graduate to be in a sapper unit. Although, it is far more likely for you to get a slot to go to sapper school from a sapper unit. Best of luck.

Response by SP5 Gary Broadway made Feb 27 at 2018 3:48 PM

SP5 Gary Broadway — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 15:48:14 -0500

A sapper is a sapper...Ranger is a ranger. You have to go to school. It used to be for E5 or higher rank for sapper school

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 2 at 2018 4:19 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 02 Mar 2018 16:19:28 -0500

SGT, when people here the word Sapper it is typically associated with those who have been tabbed. That being said, I am and E-4 in a Sapper platoon without one. In the engineer world, 12B’s and 12C’s earn the title Sapper when graduating from OSUT. Those with a tab are Sapper Leaders. All it means to be in a Sapper company/platoon is that your mission is engineer tasks (obstacles and demolition). Right now there is a big push for NCOs in those positions to go, but you don’t have to go if you don’t want to.

Response by SGM Bill Frazer made Mar 2 at 2018 6:16 PM

SGM Bill Frazer — Fri, 02 Mar 2018 18:16:55 -0500

I didn't think there was a "Sapper Company/unit" In my day it was a school to train up Combat Engineers to a higher level- not to be confused with Ranger School

Response by SGT Eric Becker made Mar 10 at 2018 5:31 PM

SGT Eric Becker — Sat, 10 Mar 2018 17:31:50 -0500

As a pretab Sapper , If you don't want the school, don't join the unit. It would be like an unassigned infantryman in a Ranger battalion.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 23 at 2018 8:10 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 23 Mar 2018 08:10:25 -0400

Lol no. But That sapper tabbed E-4 will be telling you what to do. They will send you depending on unit and duty station. And also mtoe

Response by SGT John Bussiere made May 4 at 2018 1:55 PM

SGT John Bussiere — Fri, 04 May 2018 13:55:57 -0400

Great school if you get a shot take it ...... the cutting edge of our countries sword