Engineers lead the way during CSTX at Fort McCoy

Photo By Maj. Maryjane Porter | U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Tracy A. Thompson, commanding general of 420th Engineer Brigade, visits Soldiers at the simulated Forward Operating Base Cranberry during the 2012 Combat Support Training Exercise at Fort McCoy, Wis., Aug. 7, 2012. More than 1,000 Soldiers with the 926th Engineer Brigade, 411th Engineer Brigade and 302nd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, 412th Theater Engineer Command, tested their knowledge and skills here to ensure they are trained and ready to deploy. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. Maryjane Porter/Released)  

FORT MCCOY, WI, UNITED STATES

08.24.2012

Courtesy Story

412th Theater Engineer Command

By Spc. Karen Sampson
362nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

FORT MCCOY, Wis. - Soldiers from different units located east of the Mississippi River under the 412th Theater Engineer Command came together for two weeks to sharpen their respective job skills during Combat Support Training Exercise that started here, Aug. 7.

CSTX is designed to maintain unit readiness by ensuring soldiers are competent, trained and ready to deploy per Army Force Generation cycle timeline requirements.

For two weeks, soldiers ate, slept and worked around-the-clock in field environments that mimic deployment conditions. The goal was to ensure that by the time they are called upon to deploy, troops are trained and are prepared physically and mentally to execute their mission.

During CSTX here, more than 1,000 soldiers from 926th Engineer Brigade, 411th Engineer Brigade and 302nd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, engaged in combat scenarios designed to test their knowledge and skill sets, some of which included tracking units on the battlefield, convoy movements, individual defense, and construction missions.

"This training also gives battalion headquarters an opportunity to be taught in a field environment, which we have not been able to do at this level," said Lt. Col. Dennis Wright, commander of the 926th Engineer Battalion out of Birmingham, Ala.

"The CSTX is going very well from our perspective. The soldiers have quickly adapted to the circumstances doing this operation for the first time," he said.

"I expect once the exercise is complete the battalion staff and our down-trace supporting units are well trained and are ready to deploy," said Wright. "Hopefully it is an eye-opening experience for the soldiers by showing them how engineering units operate in the field."

"Troops attached to the 926th Engineer Battalion are approaching their available year, this means that they could be pulled for deployment at any time. More than likely, this is the last threshold these soldiers will have to train stateside" added 1st Sgt. Kenneth S. Davis, acting command sergeant major of the 926th Eng. Bn.

Other units trained alongside the 926th Eng. Bn. included the 412th Engineer Company (Vertical) out of Scranton, Pa., 712th Engineer Company (Horizontal) out of York, S.C., and 316th Engineer Company out of Butler, Pa.

• Date Taken: 08.24.2012
• Date Posted: 09.09.2012 18:21
• Story ID: 94419
• Location: FORT MCCOY, WI, US