PIERRE, S.D. – Soldiers with the 842nd Engineer Company completed construction of a nearly 900-foot levee in the vicinity of the Ramkota Hotel today.
1st Lt. Scott Connor, 3rd Platoon Leader for the 842nd, said the unit’s heavy equipment operators repeatedly navigated through heavily-congested traffic to haul dirt from the outskirts of Pierre to the Ramkota project site.
“Driving through the city was basically the only challenge we faced with this project,” said Connor. “The morale was high, the work got done, and the Soldiers really enjoyed the mission. It’s what they do.”
The U.S. Corps of Engineers designed the construction of the levee to be four-and-a-half feet high and 900 feet long. Connor said the finished product came just short of that at a length of 868 feet.
“Now that this levee is complete, we will stand by for follow on missions in the area,” Connor added.
Members of the 842nd were completing training at Camp Guernsey, Wyo., for their upcoming deployment to Afghanistan when they received the call to support flood operations in Pierre.