Venturing Crew visits Picatinny Arsenal

ROCKAWAY — Venturing Crew 276 participated in a full-day Science Technology Engineering and Math program at Picatinny Arsenal on Monday, Dec. 29.

The day started wth a gathering outside the Remote Weapons Facility with tour guide Shah. At the facility, the crew saw many different remote weapons such as the M240, a mini gun and many other military weapons.

The crew then proceeded to hike to the simulations area where they make video games, demonstrations and training videos to teach the troops. The group heard about how to make things easier to learn by using basic gaming controls. Because most of the troops already know how to use the controls from playing video games, it is easier for them to learn how to operate military equipment. The process troops go through to make a training video takes about 22 months because of all the detail and customization.

Next, the crew headed to the buildings that are used for 3D printing. Here they learned about the advantages of 3D printing. The crew got to look at the many different items that were made from 3D printers such as the Picatinny Gate, an adjustable wrench, a fake gun and a hand with movable fingers.

The base's library contained DVDs, VCR, books and more.

After a full morning, the crew stopped for lunch, which were Meals Ready to Eat rations provided by Picatinny. They are the meals the troops eat while on a tour of duty. In this same room, there were Humvees, Armor Personnel Carriers and Artillery Canons on display that the crew got to explore.

After lunch, Shah left the group with SFC Scott Seltzer, who serves in the Army in the Explosive Ordinance Disposal Technology Directorate. Seltzer took the crew to his office and explained some of his responsibilities. They got to see many of the different weapons that are being used today by U.S. troops. These weapons included the M4, M9 Beretta, AK-47, LAW (light anti-tank weapon), Javelin, RPG and more.

During this part of the tour, the group learned about EOD and what the department is responsible for. Every member of the crew even got to operate some of the robots that the military uses to disarm bombs.