by Jason Salas, KUAM NewsSunday, August 13, 2006 Subscribe to Jason's newsfeed
If you were near, around or within the vicinity of the old Guam Memorial Hospital in Tamuning this afternoon, chances are you were startled by a series of loud explosions and other sounds made by the United States Marine Corps. The activities were the latest in this month's TRUEX military exercise, the second such urban training held locally by U.S. forces this year. Today Marines practiced detonation tactics for entering potentially dangerous rooms.USMC Gunnery Sergeant Keith Ross explained how he and his crew made things go boom, explaining, "There are different types of explosives we'll be using for more of masonry-type targets. So we'll using explosive that can defeat a structure like 6-8" of reinforced concrete and there are certain types of explosive for those targets."TRUEX 2006 continues for another two weeks, and to calm the nerves of concerned island residents, we'll be sure to keep you posted on exactly where they'll be training.