Photo By Sgt. Taryn Hagerman | Michael Hendry, target advice repairer, performs a function test after troubleshooting...... read more read more
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FORT BRAGG, N.C. – As Soldiers form-up for morning PT, another group of tanned and tireless workers meet at Fort Bragg Range Control to gather their equipment and supplies for the day. By the time Soldiers leave to conduct personal hygiene, that same weather-worn crew is already at the first assigned range, making sure it’s ready for Soldiers to train.
The range maintenance team members all wear many hats when it comes to their jobs because the demands of each range can vary. Tasks range from repairing targets, cutting grass and painting limit posts, all the way to clearing and building new ranges.
Some workers from various teams were assembled into a new team to construct a new sniper range. Construction began on May 1 and is scheduled to be complete by July 1.
Al Barefoot, work leader for range control maintenance, is one of two work leaders assigned to this project.
Barefoot has worked in range control for more than 10 years and justifiably boasts about the skills of his team members, citing instances when completing work internally, instead of through contractors, saved Fort Bragg serious money.
“There was a job in the past that a contractor estimated at $3 million, but we did the same job ourselves for around $180,000,” Barefoot said. “Work that others might use contractors for, we’ve been able to do because we’ve got a lot of talented people.”
One of those talented people is Michael Hendry, target advice repairer. Hendry primarily handles target maintenance and repair; however, when the situation requires, he fills other roles including painting and cutting grass.
“Every day is a new day, and we’re always learning new things,” said Hendry. “But working with the Soldiers and hearing them tell you how much they like the targets and ranges on Fort Bragg over some of the other installations is very rewarding.”
Fort Bragg offers a variety of ranges and training lands to military and civilian personnel including active-duty Soldiers, Army Reserve and National Guard, Marines, airmen and local law enforcement.
As annual training for some National Guard members and Army Reservists approaches, it would be logical to assume there is a surge in range maintenance demands. However, William H. Edwards, installation range officer, assures people there is not.
Edwards said sustainment maintenance for each range occurs about every six months. And he schedules routine maintenance as far as two years in advance to ensure that ranges — regardless of how many — will be operational when training is needed.
Fort Bragg Range Control maintains live-fire ranges, airborne operation areas and other non live-fire training facilities. The Army set an Operational Readiness Rate standard of 95 percent, meaning 95 percent of all ranges need to be operational at all times, said Edwards. He added that Fort Bragg has exceeded that standard for years, maintaining an operational readiness rate of 97 to 98 percent.
During the last fiscal year, Fort Bragg facilitated 5.85 million Soldier events [counted as each time one person trains at a specific range], said Wolf W. Amacker, chief of operations with Fort Bragg Range Control.
Amacker attributes the high training tempo to having an exceptional staff.
“They [range maintenance workers] don’t get any notoriety because they do such a great job,” said Amacker. “Nobody thinks about ranges being broken on Fort Bragg because there are no broken ranges. They’re always out there fixing them.”
Every day, rain or shine, hot or cold, the range maintenance workers labor outside to provide the best possible training environment for Soldiers and visitors.
“The maintenance teams all have certain ranges that are assigned to them, and they take a sense of pride in maintaining their ranges,” said Edwards. “If there wasn’t maintenance, then Soldiers wouldn’t get the training that they deserve.”
In 2010, Edwards earned the Sustainable Range Program Individual Award, and Fort Bragg received the SRP Team Award in 2011.
| Date Taken: | 06.17.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 07.21.2014 14:14 |
| Story ID: | 136787 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 62 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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