Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Crystal Harlow | During Operation Northern Frontier (ONF) in Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador,...... read more read more
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HAPPY VALLEY-GOOSE BAY, Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada – Soldiers from the 652nd Engineer Company out of Hammond, Wisconsin, travel an eighth of the way around the globe for their annual training (AT) to construct a bridge meant to aid the Canadian military in a cleanup project.
“This whole area has been a practice target area (PTA) since World War II,” said 2nd Lt. Tyler Nellis of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, a platoon leader with the 652nd Engineer Company out of Hammond, Wisconsin, and the officer-in-charge of the bridge construction here.
"This bridge will help our operation at the PTA," said Lt. Olivier Gallant of the Royal Canadian Air Force, the public affairs officer at 5 Wing Goose Bay. "This bridge will help the crews on the ground perform their jobs in remediation of this site," he added.
Planning for this bridge began in late 2013.
“We knew we were going to build a bridge [here] in November,” said Capt. Michael Davis a native of Pittsburgh, who now resides in Austin, Texas, and is the plans officer for the 980th Engineer Battalion out of Austin, Texas.
“The Canadians determined that [it would be an Acrow bridge], and then they purchased it for approximately $400,000,” Davis said.
“Acrow is a company that makes bridges similar to our Mabey Johnson [bridges], which is what we usually work with,” said Davis. “Although the bridges are alike, there are some distinct dissimilarities. It’s not a bridge we have in our U.S. Army inventory, so it’s got some unique aspects to it that [the Soldiers have] had a chance to learn about,” Davis said.
Preparation for the construction of this bridge began with the first AT rotation on June 7, when Soldiers “did the survey and design for the bridge site layout and cleared the area of any hazards,” Davis said.
“During the second [AT] rotation, the bridge arrived here via convoy, we inventoried it and started flying it [to the build site] by a DC3 plane and sling-load by helicopter,” Davis continued.
The Soldiers, according to 1st Sgt. Daniel Maxwell, who resides in Hager City, Wisconsin, and who is the first sergeant of the 652nd Engineer Company, removed more than 85,000 pounds of bridge parts from the plane by hand, due to heavy machinery not being able to properly access such a small aircraft.
Soldiers participating in the current, and last, rotation are here assembling the bridge, which spans 70 feet long, at the build site and clearing brush for an accessible path to and from the bridge.
Troops are staying at the Austere Operations Training Complex (AOTC), a remote training location of 5 Wing Goose Bay, which is also where the bridge is being built. The AOTC is surrounded by miles and miles of uncultivated land and is only accessible by plane or snowmobile, if weather permits.
Training in this environment of limited technological resources forces the Soldiers to get creative with their free time. The Soldiers go on hikes, do physical training with objects such as logs or large rocks, or come together in the small dining facility, which also serves as a game and movie room.
“With the limited communication back home, the Soldiers are kind of forced to build that camaraderie and actually interact,” said Maxwell. “But for being in an isolated area the morale has been very well. I think it’s the fresh air, being able to ride around in ATVs and that it’s not your typical military exercise,” Maxwell continued.
“This has been one of the best partner-nation exercises I’ve been on,” Maxwell said of this training, which provided a new experience for young and seasoned Soldiers alike.
“The U.S. Army doesn’t get a chance to train on Acrow bridges,” said Davis.
“In Afghanistan, and other joint training environments, they’re using the Acrow bridge for a lot of the gap crossings there, but Soldiers typically don’t get to see an Acrow bridge unless they’re deployed,” said Davis.
“For the 652nd, this is a good opportunity for them to get some real world training for a mission that they may see downrange later on. It’s not going to be alien to them when they do come across the next Acrow bridge,” Davis said.
| Date Taken: | 08.14.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 08.15.2014 15:09 |
| Story ID: | 139477 |
| Location: | HAPPY VALLEY-GOOSE BAY, NL, CA |
| Hometown: | AUSTIN, TX, US |
| Hometown: | HAMMOND, WI, US |
| Hometown: | PITTSBURGH, PA, US |
| Hometown: | STURGEON BAY, WI, US |
| Web Views: | 530 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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