46th Eng. Bn. can't be stopped, ready to go

Photo By Sgt. Maj. Michael Noggle | Staff Sgt. Leonard Phillips, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 46th Engineer Battalion, engages his target during a close-quarters range in preparation for his unit's mission in Iraq.  

CAMP BUEHRING, KUWAIT

11.18.2005

Courtesy Story

DVIDS Hub       

Spc. Michael R. Noggle
CFLCC PAO/11th PAD

CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait- Imagine your unit is weeks away from deployment. Your attention and focus is dedicated to training and the mission that lies ahead.

Then disaster strikes nearby, your unit is called upon to provide aid to the victims of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita.

"The Soldiers gave up a lot of training time, family time and prepping mentally because they were tied up with another important mission on the homeland," said Lt. Col. Carol Anderson, 46th Engineer Battalion commander.

The unit, based out of Fort Polk, La., and Fort Rucker, Ala., responded without hesitation as nearby communities were in need of help and rescue.

"When the hurricanes hit, we had to adjust fire," said Sgt. Corey Baker, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 46th Eng. Bn. "People needed our help and our focus became the homefront."

Without water, electricity and communication lines, people filed into Polk anticipating those needs would be fulfilled.

"We supplied water and some emergency power â?¦ as well as helping the post with transportation of people, ice distribution and setting up evacuee housing area," said Maj. Darren Payne, 46th Eng. Bn. operations officer. "We executed several missions out in the local community providing assistance to a local hospital and electrical and water assistance to a nearby nursing home."

Payne also pointed out that some Soldiers went anywhere from five days to three weeks without power or running water.

A number of people from the unit were taking in their relatives from New Orleans, Mississippi and Alabama, he said.

"That really had an impact on our training in preparation to come over here, from a mental standpoint," Payne added.

The unit had more than half of the equipment loaded on to the ship at the ports, however with Katrina approaching, all loading operations were ceased and the ship was sent to sea.

"Despite that and all the other drama, we got the ship loaded and went back to focusing on the mission," Payne said.

As for the mission ahead, the unit will continue helping those in need but in a hostile environment.

The battalion will conduct its horizontal and vertical construction missions and have formed a tactical movement team to provide convoy security, Anderson said.

The horizontal engineers are in charge of road repair work and route reconnaissance for any possible threat for an oncoming convoy. The vertical team will work mainly on the forwarding operating bases, constructing billets, quality offices and an efficient area of operation for U.S. Forces.

"Our work on the FOB â?¦ will give a better quality of life and level of comfort to the Soldiers working in Iraq," he said. "We also want to provide the Iraqi forces with the bases they can operate securely from and extend their reach into other parts of the country to have a permanent presence."

"The tactical movement teams are our best Soldiers to provide security and get supplies from point A to point B," Anderson said. "It's not far-fetched when you remind yourself engineering is the secondary mission to being Infantry."

Anderson said it will be difficult losing some of her finest general construction assets in support of the movement teams but remains optimistic the unit will carry out the mission it is required to do.

"I always tell my Soldiers to do the unexpected," Anderson said. "America expects us to come over here and do our jobs. Doing the unexpected means doing that little extra to make your own mark in life."

She posed the question, "What are you going to do different and how are you going to make a difference?"

Some from Louisiana and Alabama already have answers.

• Date Taken: 11.18.2005
• Date Posted: 11.18.2005 15:31
• Story ID: 3790
• Location: CAMP BUEHRING, KW