Drylie and Cpl. Clovis Cagle both make sure slings are not caught on the target as the director guides the aircraft.

Range 3A has been used for years and has had some of the same targets for nearly as long. After taking years of abuse by grenades and machineguns, the task of removing and replacing targets can be dangerous.

‘‘Shaw Inc., a hired company, and EOD take the unexploded ordnance and old tank hulks that were used as targets and dispose of them,” said Chief Warrant Officer 3 James Woodfin, range control officer. ‘‘The dangerous thing about these old tank hulks is there could be unexploded duds lodged inside, and they could detonate if disturbed.

‘‘We have to use helicopters, as it is a high hazard impact area, and we can’t drive onto the range because only the areas where the targets are being placed have been cleared.”

Range Control requested the service of an Army reserve unit from Fort Eustis, Va., to help with the external air lift of the targets into the impact area.

The 5th battalion of the 159th Aviations Regiment Army reserve unit, which flies the Ch-47D Chinook, call sign ‘‘Freight Train,” lifted the targets onto the range.

‘‘We also called logistics Marines from 2nd Marine Logistics Group to help with rigging and unrigging of the targets to the aircraft,” Woodfin said.

Normal training for the Marines is moving 10,000 -pound concrete blocks or 12,000-pound I-beams, said Staff Sgt. Tory Kidder, staff noncommissioned officer in charge of the logistics Marines.

‘‘We’re going to Iraq soon, and being in a multiservice working environment, being able to work with the 47’s, is nice and could simulate possible missions we may do with the Army,” Kidder said.

There are several jobs in the airlift process including, director, who guides the aircraft over the target, static man, who grounds the bird and keeps the other Marines from receiving a 50,000-volt shock built up by the blades on the helicopter, and the hook-up Marines, who hooks the slings to the aircraft.

These targets can be removed the same way they were brought in, and that makes it easier for Range Control to keep clean ranges and up-to-date training equipment.

These targets can be removed and replaced a lot easier then the old tank hulks and carry almost no chance of duds getting lodged in the target.

‘‘The new targets are EOD tested and environmentally safe, which will cut the time it takes to clean the range, because searching the complete tank hulk in the past could take up to three days,” said Jim Cook, Range Control roject manager. ‘‘These new targets are much more cost efficient.”

The replacement of these targets makes for a more efficient and safer range system, Woodfin concluded.