Puerto Rican, South Dakotan Guardsmen head to Middle East

Photo By Victoria Molinar | Soldiers assigned to the 155th Engineer Company board the airplane that will take them to the Middle East on a nine-month deployment, the unit departed the Silas L. Copeland Arrival Departure Air Control Group Airfield Oct. 1.  

FORT BLISS, TX, UNITED STATES

10.15.2015

Story by Adam Holguin 

Mobilization and Deployment, DPTMS Fort Bliss

FORT BLISS, Texas - The 1010th Engineer Company, Puerto Rico Army National Guard, and the 155th Engineer Company, South Dakota Army National Guard, departed Fort Bliss Oct. 1 for the Middle East to complete nine-month missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Both units completed over 40 days of premobilization training with the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization, and Security at McGregor Range, New Mexico, to sharpen skills and refine procedures that will be utilized on this mobilization.

“I’m excited, we got a good group, they are anxious to work and do their part,” said Capt. Rafael Rivera, commander, 1010th Engineer Company. “It’s been good training for us, gave us time to prepare company standard operating procedures and to get everyone synchronized with the unit’s intent.”

“The overall training was a pretty good experience to be able to incorporate the tactical movement with construction projects,” said Capt. David Dodson, commander, 155th Engineer Company.

“Having to provide security around the project sites, having local national actors come in and interact with the security element, having to pull soldiers off the construction project to be additional security when large scale things happened or when indirect fire would come into the project ... it was a good experience for everybody to get them in the right mindset of going into that kind of and environment,” Dodson said.

The realistic training at McGregor was good preparation for all Soldiers, especially those deploying for the first time.

“That’s what we were tried to do during this training, make these youngsters understand their roles and responsibilities within our platoon, within our company, so they know what they have to do and what they are going to encounter during missions down range,” said Sgt. 1st Class Richard Sanchez, second platoon sergeant, 1010th Engineer Company, who will be deploying for a second time with the horizontal construction element.

Numerous soldiers in both companies commented on the importance of the tactical training, as well as the chance to utilize the many ranges at McGregor.

“Convoys are always good for us because these guys are proficient at their vertical tasks, but we don’t get a lot of chance to practice convoys, so that was good training,” said 1st Sgt. Jay Spaans, first sergeant, 155th Engineer Company. “It’s not every day that you get to go to the range ... we got to shoot a lot of our crew served weapons, automatic weapons. We don’t have any ranges like that in South Dakota, so that was good.”

First Lt. Rafiemanuelle Matos Martinez, third platoon leader, 1010th Engineer Company, is excited to embark on his first deployment.

“I’m really open minded to see what is going to happen down range, whatever comes to us ... whatever Uncle Sam requests from me, I will more than gladly execute,” Matos said.

Spc. Skylar Shade has mixed emotions, but is eager to begin his first deployment with the vertical construction company.

“Excited yet nervous,” Shade said, “nervous because I’m going to a different place that I’ve never been to, excited because I finally get to do what I’ve been wanting to do, which is do construction for the military and explore the world.”

With valuable training behind them and a deployment ahead of them, morale was high and the mood was light as the South Dakota and Puerto Rican Soldiers spent their final hours stateside talking and “skyping” with family, playing cards and relaxing.

“We all know the Soldiers might be the ones that are deploying, but the entire family goes through a deployment, so having them as our strength behind us is very important,” Dodson said. “We have been planning and preparing and exercising for about a year so we are ready to get the clock started on our deployment.”

• Date Taken: 10.15.2015
• Date Posted: 10.15.2015 12:28
• Story ID: 179004
• Location: FORT BLISS, TX, US
• Hometown: SAN JUAN, PR
• Hometown: RAPID CITY, SD, US
• Hometown: WAGNER, SD, US