Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Lance Pounds | Soldiers assigned to the 104th Engineer Company, 62nd Engineer Battalion, continue...... read more read more
FORT HOOD, Texas – Soldiers from the 62nd Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade, designed, constructed and renovated various physical fitness sites around Fort Hood, with a focus on functional fitness while keeping costs at a minimum.
“We are looking at an estimated cost of $350,000 for the full construction of eight courses and the renovation of two courses currently in use,” said Maj. Jonathan Johnston, executive officer for the 62nd.
“A project like this, if contracted out, would have cost more than three times as much,” said Johnston, a native of California.
These new courses, funded by III Corps, are centered on a functional fitness initiative started by III Corps Commanding General, Lt. Gen. Mark A. Milley and III Corps Command Sergeant Major, Command Sgt. Maj. Scott C. Schroeder.
The Engineers spent months in the planning and designing phase before beginning construction.
“It’s no easy feat to build these courses … from surveying the terrain to getting required building permits for each site… the process took months,” said Staff Sgt. Carlos Perez-Rodriquez, a construction supervisor assigned to 104th Engineer Company and site supervisor for the III Corps course.
“Much of the material we needed came from outside companies, but when possible, we had materials created in-house,” Perez-Rodriguez said.
One example of such in-house material is a metal bracket, which holds the corner beams of an obstacle together, crafted by soldiers from the Forward Support Company, 62nd Engineer Battalion.
To date, the soldiers of 104th Engineer Company are near completion on four of the eight full courses, which are estimated to be open to soldiers and family members in early February.
Each course is named by its proximity to the nearest building. In this case, the courses currently under construction were named: Chili’s, Division West, III Corps, and Kieschnick gym.
Approximate site locations for the other courses include: 48th Chemical Brigade, West Fort Hood, 11th Signal Brigade Headquarters, and Hood Army Airfield.
In conjunction with the construction of these courses, current obstacle courses located at Veterans Field and the Fort Hood Sports Complex will be renovated to mirror the new courses’ functional fitness concept.
“Each course will consist of 8 obstacles such as, the wall climb with rope, cargo net, 6-vault, dip bars, pull-up bars, rope climb, wall climb, and rope stand,” said 2nd Lt. Rachael Duval, site officer in charge of the III Corps course.
“It’s going to be fun to go through when it’s all done,” said Duval, a native of Auburn, Ga. Duval has almost a year of experience in construction, which she gained while assigned to the 104th En Co, as a platoon leader.
The courses not only deliver a fun alternative to the normal workout or PT session, they also serve as great opportunities for stateside training.
When deployed, soldiers of the 62nd are accustomed to building houses, schools, post offices, etc. Although small in comparison, everyone had a chance to gain some experience from the project.
“A project like this is the best way to train new Soldiers and improve on the skills of those more experienced,” said Perez-Rodriguez.
The combined effort from multiple companies throughout the 62nd Engineer Batallion, as well as that of III Corps, afforded soldiers and family members the opportunity to get world-class physical fitness, here at the Great Place.
| Date Taken: | 01.21.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 01.27.2014 14:16 |
| Story ID: | 119711 |
| Location: | FORT HOOD, TX, US |
| Hometown: | AUBURN, GA, US |
| Web Views: | 237 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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