03/28/2024
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The Bladen County Sheriff’s Department conducted a Wilderness and Land Navigation training class with assistance from members of the US Army Special Forces. A class of this nature has never been held in this part of the state before, according to BCSO Instructors Gary Turlington and Barry Pait.

The class was held in Jones Lake State Park Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and had 31 participants. Participants included volunteers who work with Emergency Management, North Carolina Highway Patrol Troopers, North Carolina Wildlife Officers and sheriff’s deputies were just some of the agencies in attendance. According to Turlington and Pait, Bladen County and other surrounding counties were represented in the class.

“It is going well,” said Turlington.

The instructors from the Special Forces Pineland Resources conducted an academic portion of the course on Tuesday. The class spent Wednesday and Thursday performing the practical exercises outside in the woods of the state park.

Pait said, “This is something we are trying to provide for regional training. Before, we have never been able to use grid coordinates.”

The trainer said after completing the course the students in the class will know how to look at a map, count their steps and be able to communicate where they are in the woods with a minimal area of correction. 

According to Pait and Turlington, the training has many benefits. The class will give our local agencies tools to locate criminals on the run or a missing person, faster and easier using the techniques they have learned in land navigation and wilderness training.

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