FORT BENNING, Ga. - Engineers of the 1st Battalion, Task Force 28th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, commenced road repair efforts in Fort Benning’s training areas March 3.
As a part of the 3rd BCT’s two-week long exercise Hammer Focus, the engineers were called in to repair training area roads recently damaged and eroded by extreme weather.
Staff Sgt. Sanqwey Walker, an engineer with Company E, Task Force 1-28, was part of the crew assigned to the road repair team.
“We are using the existing terrain to fill in the wash-out that was eight feet wide and three feet deep,” Walker said. “We are using the terrain to push dirt and level it out. Then we have some rocks and other material that we are going to layer over it.”
“This is part of the exercise, as well as a mission for post,” Walker said. “Yesterday, we created fighting positions, hasty positions and two-man security positions for the TF, and today is a mission for the Fort Benning. They gave us this mission so that we can hone in on our road repair skills in a tactical environment.”
According to Walker, the roads are used for logistics in combat scenarios. If the road were to continue to degrade then a major supply route would be taken away. It is up to the engineers to fix the road and preserve the longevity of its use.
“To simulate the tactical environment, we have a security element with us that cleared the area before work began,” Walker said. “Now, we have gun trucks places on the roads, and we have Soldiers pulling security in the wood line.”
According to Walker, being a part of the TF has given the engineers an advantage when it comes to training. They are now able to train alongside the units that require their assistance in preparing the battle field, and they are able to learn quicker now.