Photo By Ismael Ortega | Soldiers assigned to the 682nd Engineer Battalion, Minnesota Army National Guard, have...... read more read more
Subscribe
The 682nd Engineer Battalion, Minnesota Army National Guard, deployed to Kuwait from the Silas L. Copeland Arrival/Departure Air Control Group Nov. 25.
The battalion will be providing command and control capabilities that will utilize both vertical and horizontal engineer companies to construct and maintain the infrastructure all throughout the Middle East.
Lt. Col. Keith Ferdon, commander, 682nd Eng. Bn., said the training leading to this deployment has prepared the battalion for whatever they might encounter.
“It was rigorous and challenged the staff as well as the command team,” Ferdon said.
All preparations were meant to recreate missions they could encounter overseas, with an emphasis focused on the soldier's Military Occupation Specialties.
“Engineers were able to do their job and we were able to support them like we would overseas,” said Sgt. Matthew M. Persons, team leader, 682nd Eng. Bn. “It was good, practical (training) in that sense.”
Departing on his second deployment to Kuwait, Persons gave some insight into how pre mobilization training has evolved since he last deployed out of Fort McCoy, Wisconsin.
“I felt (the training) was a lot more in depth, a lot easier to retain the information.” Persons said. “They definitely have us setup to succeed.”
Persons also said the makeup of the battalion was assembled with seasoned Soldiers spread out the unit with the intent of mentoring the younger generation.
“That's a comforting thing to see all the experience getting spread out to inexperienced Soldiers,” said Persons.
Sgt. 1st Class Jim J. Perez, maintenance control sergeant, 682nd Eng. Bn., said the time at Fort Bliss was a great opportunity to develop into a cohesive unit, gave leadership a chance to observe all components of the battalion, and provided Soldiers time to refine their skills.
Perez, who was active duty for 11 years and stationed overseas for seven, said one of the biggest lessons for younger Soldiers is building mental toughness.
Perez encouraged his Troops to push hard and reminded them of the greater good their work accomplishes. The training is necessary and will be beneficial to them throughout the mission.
Others like Sgt. Kevin Badheartbull, operations sergeant, 682nd Eng. Co., hopes he will be able to mentor younger Soldiers, utilizing the knowledge he gained in Afghanistan. Deploying to the Middle East for a second time, he hopes to make them feel more at ease with the mission and achieve the right mindset.
The younger Soldiers like Spc. Joshua A. Woodford, project specialist, 682nd Eng. Bn., agreed the time training has improved unit esprit de corps. Having volunteered for this deployment from a different unit, the time here at Fort Bliss allowed him to become better acquainted with his peers.
With infrastructure support being the primary mission of this deployment, many of the Soldiers are going to utilize their off time to better themselves.
“For a lot of the Soldiers it's a great opportunity to better themselves, whether physical or education,” Persons said. “Obviously our job is number one, but there's a lot of opportunity to improve yourself overseas.”
| Date Taken: | 11.25.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 12.18.2015 15:59 |
| Story ID: | 184940 |
| Location: | FORT BLISS, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 921 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 682nd Engineer Battalion deploys to Kuwait, by Ismael Ortega, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
