Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Robert Jordan | Army Pfc. Aimee DuJardin with the North Carolina National Guard’s 878th Vertical...... read more read more
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BUTNER, N.C. - The French word ESSAYONS, which means "let us try," is the motto of the U.S. military's Army Corps of Engineers. Engineers are responsible for building and reinforcing structures, building bridges or even breaching obstacles or clearing minefields.
Members of the North Carolina National Guard's engineers are also trying as well. In a 15-day project, the unit is using their construction equipment to make some well-needed renovations at the Camp Butner National Guard training center here.
"It is training for them (soldiers) and it costs less than if we hired someone to do it," said Tony Ferguson, a retired NCNG Army Colonel and current NCNG contractor.
At the NCNG Army Readiness Center in nearby Butner, the rumble of bulldozers, dump trucks and steamrollers split the early morning silence. Skilled soldiers use careful touch, coupled with the power of 200 horses of the construction equipment they operate to make short work of piles of gravel used to fill in sinkholes and dips at an old storage yard.
Leaders kept a close watch as young soldiers moved tons of fill dirt, gravel and rocks for the surface improvement mission. The soldiers guided their heavy equipment with hand signals in order to smooth out a rough patch of soil or efficiently move the raw materials that create the finished gravel surface.
"It is something you smile about once you finally get it down," said Army Pfc. Joktan Smith, an engineer with the 258th Asphalt Team headquartered at the Butner readiness center.
With the improvements, the multi-purpose yard can now store newer and heavier equipment and vehicles for state missions and training.
Back at Camp Butner, teams of NCNG engineers renovated old buildings and improved training sites. The soldiers used their annual training time to refine their skills on pouring concrete and also making repairs to facilities and roofs across the camp.
"They need work done and we need training," said Army Staff Sgt. Thomas Bradbury, a construction non-commissioned officer with the 878th Vertical Construction Company, headquartered in Kings Mountain.
Preparations for the renovation project began several months ago with engineer leaders inspecting the buildings in need of repairs and improvements at the training facility. Leaders matched the skills of their soldiers with the mission requirements and began executing the renovations during the units’ annual training.
"It is hands on training for the soldiers and you are saving sixty percent or more on cost," said Bradbury.
Under a hot sun, the unit's nearly 50 engineers transformed parts of the World War II era camp. Several of the Soldiers stripped old shingles, replaced rotten wood and laid 4,000 square feet of shingles. Others poured over 50 yards of concrete sidewalks and pads at numerous locations around Camp Butner.
"All the soldiers are excited, you train for this and it is better than sitting in a classroom at the armory," said Army 1st Lt. Michael Thomas, a platoon leader with the NCNG's 725th Equipment Support Platoon.
The repairs, improvements and new construction to the readiness center and training site help the NCNG train more effectively and become better prepared to execute state missions.
"We need to self help with engineers, it is the most bang for buck," said Ferguson.
| Date Taken: | 07.31.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 08.01.2013 00:02 |
| Story ID: | 111159 |
| Location: | BUTNER, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 282 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NC National Guard Engineers help Repair Guard Facilities, by SFC Robert Jordan, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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