Photo By Master Sgt. Heather Denby | Col. Allan L. Webster, the 1st Engineer Brigade commander, addresses the attendees of...... read more read more
FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. – Soldiers from the 94th Engineer Battalion, 4th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, participated in the Training and Doctrine Command Training Area 239 Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Wednesday marking the completion of more than ten months of tumultuous construction.
The project, commissioned by the 1st Engineer Brigade to the 94th En. Bn., commenced November 2009 but it was delayed several months due to severe weather setbacks at the construction site.
“What began as a simple, straightforward project became a true testament of the caliber of soldiers in the Wolverine battalion,” said 2nd Lt. Michael Foglia, the 3rd platoon, 232nd Engineer Company, TA239 project officer-in-charge.
Soldiers from the 232nd Engineer Company began by installing more than 3,000 linear feet of silt screen for erosion control but during the project, rainstorms caused the Soldiers to end up replacing the entire perimeter, he said.
Once the perimeter was set, they harvested hundreds of trees from the 14 acre forested land, which was not an easy task.
“Basically, these soldiers were not authorized to just bulldoze the training area,” said Thomas Glueck, the post Natural Resource Branch chief. “Army Regulation 200-1 states that we will not spoil timber, so the soldiers were required to identify trees of a certain size and height, then cut and stockpile them at an off-site location for installation use.”
The post Natural Resource Branch can issue firewood permits for both civilian and military personnel who would then be eligible to go to a stockpile site and pickup firewood for personal use, he added.
Soldiers from the 232nd Engineer Company carefully harvested, cleared and removed all organic material from the training site during its ground preparation. Then they leveled and compressed the soil in order for the 77th Engineer Company vertical construction to begin.
“It is evident that our soldiers who enlisted in the Army to provide carpentry, electrical and plumbing services did so for a reason…they are motivated and they produce a quality product,” said 1st Lt. Joseph Balvanz, the 3rd platoon, 77th Engineer Company TA239 project officer-in-charge.
Soldiers from the 77th Engineer Company constructed three sand tables, six guard towers and 42 South East Asia – Huts while maintaining daily company training requirements and following the battalion standards for operating in a deployed environment.
Tactical vehicles were driven to the site everyday and all soldiers were required to wear their assigned protective posture equipment such as helmets, gloves and eyewear, said Balvanz.
“Even with the hottest weather that Central Missouri could throw at them, it didn’t stop them from getting the job done,” he said.
Eleven months after receiving their mission, Soldiers from the 94th Engineer Company are finally able to present Tactical Training Base TA239 to the 1st En. Bde. so that it may be used to train Initial Entry Engineer Soldiers during their field training exercises.
“I am proud of my soldiers for paying it forward,” said Lt. Col. Jeff Anderson, the 94th Engineer Company commander. “They trained here on Fort Wood to become the skilled Army engineers they are today and now they have created a place where their children will be afforded that same opportunity.”
The training area is scheduled to be fully operational for Engineer drill instructors and their IET Soldiers by January 2011.
| Date Taken: | 10.20.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 10.26.2010 10:32 |
| Story ID: | 58838 |
| Location: | FORT LEONARD WOOD, US |
| Web Views: | 85 |
| Downloads: | 13 |
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