FORT CHAFFEE, Ark. — Soldiers assigned to Bravo Company, 239th Brigade Engineer Battalion constructed a live-fire range for combined arms breaching at Fort Chaffee Joint Maneuver Training Center, Arkansas, during annual training.
The range construction gave combat engineers hands-on experience supporting one of their core mission sets while preparing a training area that future Soldiers will use to practice breaching operations in a realistic field environment.
Pvt. Briana Reyes, a combat engineer assigned to Bravo Company, 239th Brigade Engineer Battalion, said Soldiers spent the day filling sandbags and placing them in trenches as part of the range construction.
“Today we’re constructing a live-fire range for a combined arms breaching,” Reyes said.
For combat engineers, the work connects directly to mobility, countermobility and survivability, the core tasks that allow units to move, prevent enemy movement and protect friendly forces. The construction of the range supported countermobility training by helping create obstacles and defensive positions used during future training events.
Reyes said the work may seem simple, but it carries a larger purpose.
“I like to think that each sandbag we’re doing as a team, we’re helping Soldiers prepare for battles overseas,” Reyes said.
Reyes, who recently completed one-station unit training, said the experience gave her a better understanding of the impact junior Soldiers can have during annual training. Although she is still early in her military career, she said contributing to a range that will help train future Soldiers was meaningful.
“I didn’t think I was going to have such an impact on future people,” Reyes said. “I think it’s an honor to be helping out with this.”
The training also reinforced teamwork among Soldiers as they worked in small groups to complete the construction. Reyes said working together helped the team accomplish the mission more effectively.
“When we were together like that, we really do finish the job quicker,” Reyes said.
For Bravo Company, the range construction was more than field labor. It was an opportunity for combat engineers to build readiness, strengthen technical skills and contribute to future combined arms training at Fort Chaffee.