N.C. Army National Guard well drillers field new equipment, assists N.C. State

Photo By Staff Sgt. Jonathan Shaw | Well drillers from the North Carolina Army National Guard’s 1132nd Engineer Detachment drill a well for NC State University’s Agricultural department during the unit’s annual training Aug 31, 2018, near Butner, N.C. The operation gave the NCARNG soldiers an opportunity to test and train on a new well-drilling rig while supporting their community. The 1132nd is part of the 130th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade’s 505th Engineer Battalion.  

BUTNER, NORTH CAROLINA, UNITED STATES

09.05.2018

Story by Staff Sgt. Jonathan Shaw 

130th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade

BUTNER, N.C. – Well drillers from the North Carolina Army National Guard’s 1132nd and 1133rd Engineer Detachment fielded a new well-drilling vehicle during the unit’s annual training Aug 31, 2018, near Butner, N.C.
The 1132nd, one of two of the 505th Engineer Brigade’s well-drilling units, recently received a new well-drilling rig and their two-week annual training provided the perfect opportunity to test and train on it.
“It’s a great opportunity to check our capabilities and test this equipment out so that we can find any shortcomings that we may have or find any maintenance defaults that we may have…” explained Staff Sgt. John Barna, a 31-year-old well driller with the 1132nd. “That way when we get deployed overseas we’re completely mission capable to do our job in a timely manner.”
Barna has spent eight of his 12 years with the NCARNG as a well driller and has deployed twice to Africa where he drilled roughly 30 wells providing water for an estimated 100,000 people. He describes the advantages of the new equipment as a significant improvement.
“There’s a lot differences between this new equipment that we have. A lot of the stuff is automated. It makes it safer for soldiers, for one. It also makes job completion time quicker. We’re not having to manually do a lot of the stuff,” said Barna.
An exploratory well was dug since there was no definitive distance to the water table known for that area, explained Spc. Andrew Straight, a well driller with the 1132nd. According to Straight, the unit expected to find water between 150 feet and 200 feet judging by the depths of wells in the surrounding area.
Straight, an engineering and mathematics student from Shelby, N.C. estimated that “From start to finish it probably takes three days to complete the well and then we spend another day developing it and dropping in a pump to make sure everything is operational.”
The well is being drilled for use by the N.C. State University Agricultural department’s cattle. The operation gave the NCARNG soldiers an opportunity to test and train on a new well-drilling rig while supporting their community.
“I really enjoy serving the state of North Carolina,” said Barna, a native of Mooresville, N.C. “I grew up in North Carolina and I love giving back to them.”

• Date Taken: 09.05.2018
• Date Posted: 09.06.2018 12:43
• Story ID: 291633
• Location: BUTNER, NORTH CAROLINA, US
• Hometown: MOORESVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA, US
• Hometown: SHELBY, NORTH CAROLINA, US