Soldiers from the 15th EN BN are making a variety of improvements to the training area including target warehouses, an ammunition holding area, and a road improvement.
1st Lt. Tory Zollinger, a Platoon Leader in the 500th Engineer Support Company, 15th EN BN, is directing construction of several Resolute Castle construction projects, including the Presidential Range. “We are thrilled to be a part of a project such as this that allows us to not only work with different engineer specialties but also with our foreign partners and allies,” Zollinger stated.
NATO exercises will utilize the Presidential Range upon completion of the target warehouse, which is be a multinational project with United Kingdom Royal Engineers. 15th EN BN Soldiers are creating the foundation so the Royal Engineers can construct the super-structure. Before the Royal Engineers can do their part, the 15th EN BN will complete ground preparation, the foundation, and an access road for the structure. Interoperability and commitment to NATO are key themes of RC19.
“This is an amazing opportunity for us to execute our piece of the puzzle and then watch as our work is continued and built upon,” Zollinger explained. “After we do our horizontal portion to dig out and prepare the foundation's subgrade with aggregate, our vertical platoon will move in to pour the concrete slab and footers. They will then be followed by the British Royal Engineers who will construct the actual building, all of which is carefully coordinated and executed alongside our Polish partners. It truly is quite the experience.”
Construction operations in Poland can be some of the best training the engineers receive each year. Some Soldiers spend up to 12 hours in a day working with their construction equipment, learning the best techniques and procedures to complete the various projects.
Sgt. Daniel Jasso, a Squad Leader in the 500th ESC, is the noncommissioned officer managing the Presidential Range construction project. “The amount of knowledge that we have been able to pass down to our soldiers for their future missions has been rewarding during this project,” Jasso says. “They are the future of the Army and the regiment and this has helped them not only learn but to gain experience that they can share with their peers moving forward.”
Resolute Castle is an annual multi-component, multi-national engineer readiness training exercise as a part of continued US commitment to NATO. For Resolute Castle 19 (RC19), US Army and Navy, the Royal Danish Army Engineer Regiment, United Kingdom Royal Engineers, Royal Netherlands Army, and Romanian Land Forces construction engineer units are working on construction projects throughout Romania and Poland.
Zollinger, Jasso, and the rest of the 15th EN BN will continue on construction projects throughout the spring before heading back to their home station in Germany. “Our platoon also just recently completed a CTC rotation which gave the soldiers exposure to the tactical side of our mission of mobility, counter mobility and survivability,” notes Zollinger.
“Now, with these projects here in Poland, our soldiers have the ability to hone their skills and see the more technical side of our profession,” he says. “This just proves that the regiment truly does contain the best of both worlds - tactical and technical.”
| Date Taken: | 04.02.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 04.09.2019 05:11 |
| Story ID: | 317335 |
| Location: | PL |
| Web Views: | 201 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
This work, Engineers Kick Off Construction in Poland, by MAJ DeLancie Horton, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
