Photo By Sgt. Whitney Woods | A Soldier, assigned to the 68th Engineer Company, from Fort Hood, Texas, dumps gravel...... read more read more
FORT HOOD, Texas – Soldiers of the 68th Engineer Company (Horizontal), 62nd Engineer Battalion assisted U. S. Army Reserve and National Guard Soldiers with the building and repair of roads at Camp Bowie in Brownwood, Texas.
The construction efforts were a part of a month-long mission that began in late June and ended July 28, to widen range roads and level out the steep incline that poses as a safety concern for the people in that area.
“This has been a fantastic training and learning opportunity,” said Capt. Jacob Niewold, the 68th Eng. Company commander.
Engineers throughout the state of Texas traveled from their home stations to participate in a rare training mission. Some of the units that supported the 68th Eng. Company were the 111th Engineer Company, a Reserve unit located in the local area, the 808th Engineer Company., a reserve unit from Houston, the 822nd Engineer Company, a National Guard unit from Abilene and the 277th Engineer Company, a Reserve unit from San Antonio.
“The support has been fantastic,” said Niewold, who took command of the 68th Eng. Company two months prior. “We don’t usually get this kind of training by staying at Fort Hood.”
For the reservists and guardsmen, the training mission was a requirement for their yearly two-week training.
“It has been a great experience to work with the Reserve and National Guard Soldiers,” said Sgt. Teddy Hernandez, a heavy equipment operator with the 68th Eng. Company “They learn from us and we learn from them.”
For many of the reservists and guardsmen, this mission is an everyday job for them, but for others it was quite a learning experience.
“This is what we are here for,” said Hernandez. “This kind of training gives time for the new guys to learn the equipment and break ground.”
Many of the Soldiers were recent engineering graduates of the Advanced Individual Training course and were able to use a lot of the equipment for the first time. Some of the equipment used were bulldozers, graders, water distributors, bucket loaders and dump trucks.
“You can sit in a class all day, but it doesn’t compare to the type of hands-on experience that we received out here,” said Hernandez.
The estimated time of completion for the project was one month, but the engineers finished the initial goal within two weeks. The rest of the time was used to improve areas that posed as a safety hazard.
“Soldiers worked on a 28 kilometer stretch of road and were responsible for approximately eight kilometers of road repair and two kilometers of major rehabilitation work,” said Niewold.
With temperatures reaching a high of more than 100 degrees during the project, Soldiers exercised safety precautions and stayed hydrated to complete the assignment in a timely manner.
“We worked tirelessly and collectively as group and it paid off,” said Hernandez. “The support has been fantastic.”
When the engineers first arrived in Camp Bowie to the time they left, the road conditions changed significantly.
“The old roads were very steep and required a rugged vehicle to maneuver on them,” said Niewold. “Now the roads are not as steep and are much wider. They are now safe for travel.”
Toward the end of the training mission, the 68th Eng. Company., received awards from the 111th Eng. Company, for their combined efforts during the building and repair project.
This is the first time this has been done since I took command, said Niewold. “This should not be the last time we conduct this kind of mission.”
| Date Taken: | 07.28.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 08.04.2015 16:16 |
| Story ID: | 172140 |
| Location: | FORT HOOD, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 454 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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