Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Jason Proseus | U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers from the 469th Mobile Augmentation Company (MAC),...... read more read more
FORT CHAFFEE, Illinois – Hours before the sun would rise and beat down on the waters of the Arkansas River, resilient, trained military personnel gazed on the calm flowing water that created an obstacle before them. The expanse that lay in their way was not a stopping point, but rather their objective to prove their readiness. This was their River Assault.
River Assault is an exercise that brought bridging units to the 300-meter gap that is the Arkansas River, with the participants building a bridge across it in 4 hours. Each of four different bridge units, commanded by the 489th Engineer Battalion, Little Rock, Ark built a quarter of the bridge.
The multi-component force consisted of two U.S. Army Reserve units, a Marine unit and a unit from the Kentucky National Guard: the 739th Multi-Role Bridge Company (MRBC), Granite City, Ill.; the 361st MRBC, Spartanburg, S.C.; C Company 6th Engineer Support Battalion, Millington, Tenn.: and the 2061st MRBC, Burlington, Ky.
“We don’t really get the opportunity to build full enclosures. We don’t have the manpower or the assets, so to bring this many bays together is real-world.” Said Staff Sgt. Ross Tennant, bridge commander from the 739th MRBC.
40 bridge pieces or “bays” were needed to complete the crossing. The bays are sections of the bridge that are transported to the slip or splash point and dropped in the water by a common bridge transporter (CBT). The bays are then locked open, and connected together.
The activity is a choreographed movement of many 12 Charlies, or bridge crewman, working in concert with each other. Some run around on the bays locking the “dog bones” in place, while others tie mooring lines to the different bays to pull them together. Still others spin the locks with t-handles to lock the bays in place.
All units taking part in the exercise never stopped moving. Each day’s training started at 2:00 in the morning, going until 8:00 P.M., with Opposing Force (OPFPR) interrupting their sleep with attacks throughout the night.
“Out here for [annual training], we’ve been building five bay floats, and we’ll build them up, break them down, and build them again. Which made us more proficient.” Said Tennant.
The repetition created opportunities for team-building between the units. “We had a couple rough spots in the beginning, but we worked it out. We all started working cohesively, and got it together.” Said Spc. Christopher Luckey, assistant bridge commander, 739th MRBC.
The culminating event started at 3:00 in the morning with the 469th Mobile Augmentation Company (MAC), Dodgeville, Wis., and the 194th Military Police Company, Ft. Knox, Ky., moving up to the splash points to secure the near shore, and the route to get there.
OPFOR began their assault with harassing fire, artillery barrages and gas attacks. At this point training really turned up a notch. The teams found themselves constantly returning fire, and donning their gas masks just to take them off after leadership yelled, “All Clear.”
Then the 739th’s CBTs brought in the Bridge Erecting Boats (BEB) to drop them in the water. This usually takes less than five minutes, but under the cover of darkness and the constant attacks by OPFOR, the ground guides and operators took extra care using chem-lights to guide the massive trucks with their cargo to the shore. Once the turbo-charged twin diesel engine powered boats were in the water, they sped off to cover the far shore and allow the security team to cross and take up fighting positions.
Just before 6:00, as the first rays of morning shown through to the East, the first bays were dropped in the water. The massive hollow aluminum bays slid right off the back of the CBTs, hit the water, unfolded like a massive “W”, and with a splash, and upward spray of water, laid flat bobbing in the water. Then the single piece of floating roadway waited for a team of bridge crewmen to lock it in place and lead it to connect to another bay.
10 to 15 minutes later, a barge of five bays appeared out of the cacophony of smoke, flares, and gunfire to pick up the track vehicles and Humvees carrying Soldiers of the 469th, and MPs from the 194th, ferrying them to assault the objective lurking in the woods on the other side.
At the same time, CH47 Chinook helicopters from B Company 7/158 aviation, New Century, Kan., swooped down, bays dangling below, to follow the river to where the Marines of C 6ESB waited to build their portion of the bridge that would span the Arkansas. The 2061st and the 361st were building their bridge sections as well. And once the 739th ferried the security teams across, they got to work completing their portion of the bridge.
Once done with their bridges, all four units came together. The Marines and the 361st connected and shoved their half snuggly up on the far shore, while the 739th and the National Guardsmen from the 2061st brought theirs to the near shore. Then began a tug of war between the current, the shoreline and the two sets of bridges destined to span the cavernous gap.
The two halves of the bridge lined up, and the race was on to lock them in place. Teams on the left and right side of the bridge tugged at ropes to keep the bridge aligned, as teams of two spun the t-handles to lock the bridge together. Then, spinning the t-handles tight, and with a quarter turn back, the bridge was complete. Shortly before 10:00, the bridge commanders inspected the bridge.
As the BEBs hummed along anchoring the Improved Ribbon Bridge in place, LTG Charles Luckey, Chief of the Army Reserve and commanding general United States Army Reserve Command; 416th Theater Engineer Command Commanding General, Maj. Gen. Miyako Schanely; 412th Theater Engineer Command commanding General, Maj. Gen. Daniel Christian walked the bridge, and congratulated all of the Soldiers and Marines involved.
Afterward, LTG Luckey spoke to the crowd of Soldiers, and reminded them of the importance of the mission and being part of a team. A team that is more than just one Soldier.
1,500 Soldiers and Marines participated in River Assault. The exercise was facilitated by the 416th Theater Engineer Command, with mission command provided by the 420th Engineer Brigade from Bryant, Texas.
The 391st Engineer Battalion, Greenville, S.C., provided engineer support, quartermaster support, and communications support to the whole exercise. Without this teamwork, training at River Assault would not be possible.
All the while during River Assault, the engineer motto was at the front of these engineer’s minds evident in the words of Spc. Luckey, “Let’s just get it done. Let us try.” Essayons!
Story by Sgt. 1st Class Jason Proseus
| Date Taken: | 07.25.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 07.30.2018 19:52 |
| Story ID: | 286395 |
| Location: | FORT CHAFFEE, AR, US |
| Web Views: | 216 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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