Photo By Capt. Julieanne Muckey | Spc. Joshua Becker, an automated logistics specialist with the 152nd Combat...... read more read more
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CUSTER STATE PARK, S.D. – From the soldier gaining experience, to having the forest cleaned, to Sioux Tribes receiving firewood, many gain from the Golden Coyote timber-haul mission.
“It helps build their driving skills,” said 1st Lt. Kurt Fryberger, the officer-in-charge of the timber-haul mission with the 2113th Trans. Company. “It helps them with hauling loads on different types of terrain.”
Fryberger said their goal is to haul 70 truckloads of timber if the weather does not become a factor.
“This exercise is a great opportunity for units to tailor their training to their needs,” said Brig. Gen. Jeff Marlette, commander of forces for Golden Coyote.
The SDNG has partnered with the NFS and Custer State Park to give firewood to Sioux Tribes in South Dakota for the past six years.
The timber-haul mission helps the National Forest Service and Custer State Park.
“This mission cleans up the forest,” said Brent Foster, a timber program manager with the NFS who helps coordinate between the SDNG and the Oglala Sioux Tribe. “We don’t have to burn it up ourselves in order to clean up the forest; we can give it to them and fulfill their need for a heating source.”
Members of the Oglala Sioux Tribe benefit by receiving a heating source for the winter.
“A high percentage of homes here have wood stoves and utilize that wood as heat,” said Dennis Yellow Thunder, the natural resources technician for the Oglala Sioux Tribe. “That helps lower or eliminate the cost of propane or natural gas bills.”
Yellow Thunder oversees even and thorough distribution of the timber to all 10 districts on the reservation. The population on the Pine Ridge Reservation is approximately 18,000.
Tribal members use the timber for more than just firewood.
“Some wood is also used to build fences, corrals and shades,” said Yellow Thunder. “I used some last year to put up a fence.”
Marlette said, this exercise is a great testament to how we come together with the civilian public. It prepares our service members to meet homeland security missions and provide services to the public.
“The simple fact that this whole mission is about giving the tribe firewood, makes it special,” said Sgt. Alan Cruse, a truck driver with the 2113th Trans. Co. “We’re actually meeting the needs of somebody.”
| Date Taken: | 06.12.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 06.13.2012 19:39 |
| Story ID: | 89936 |
| Location: | CUSTER STATE PARK, SD, US |
| Web Views: | 149 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Timber-haul mission benefits National Forest, Sioux Tribe and soldiers, by CPT Julieanne Muckey, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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