Photo By Master Sgt. Robert Heberling | Mark Currier roll plays Sen. Mike Dewine from Cedarville, Ohio, during a visit to the...... read more read more
FORT MCCOY, Wis. - In July, approximately 2,800 Army Reserve soldiers, mostly engineers from as far away as Mississippi, West Virginia and Texas descended upon Fort McCoy for the 2011 Combat Support Training Exercise.
The major units involved were the 926th Engineer Brigade, the 980th Engineer Battalion, the 854th Engineer Battalion, and the 458th Engineer Battalion. There were also other support type units such as transportation, quartermaster, medical, public affairs and military police. The main goal of the exercise was to prepare units for deployment.
The main mission of the horizontal engineers was to build or repair roads and various paved surfaces including parking lots and a helipad. Vertical engineers worked on fourteen Southwest Asia Huts to be used for training during future exercises and also a two-story training building. The missions took place at various locations around Fort McCoy including three Forward Operating Bases and more than 10 specific work sites.
Sgt. Brian Plunkett was involved with the re-surfacing of the road near Cranberry Drop Zone. In 2008, he had helped build the road leading up to the one they were working on this year. “I love the feeling of accomplishment of coming back and seeing the work I had done back then,” he said. Plunkett, from Plano, Texas, is a member of the 721st Engineer Company, located in Grand Prairie, Texas.
The two story training building is being built so construction engineers in the future will be able to come to the site and practice wiring and plumbing skills. It will have moveable inner walls so it can be configured differently to create different challenges for soldiers to deal with.
“The majority of them are young and have a lot to learn,” said Staff Sgt. Dustin Wilder from Killeen, Texas. “It’s nice to be able to pass skills to the soldiers and affect their lives in a positive way,” he added. Wilder was lead quality control for the two-story project, and is a squad leader in the 284th Engineer Company from Seagoville, Texas. One of the biggest challenges they faced was dealing with the tactical side of the situation. During the first two days on the job they were attacked by aggressors, opposing forces and even a suicide bomber as part of the exercise scenario.
Capt. Marcus Clonch, a member of the 78th Training Division from Fort Dix, N.J., is the assistant Future Operations officer in charge for the CTSX. He explained how the exercise was broken down into two separate parts. The first being a Situational Training Exercise which included the tactical portion followed by a Field Training Exercise which emphasized the occupational skills of the soldiers. He also said the biggest challenge in the exercise had been the weather which had varied from temperatures above 100 degrees to heavy thunderstorms.
Despite the many challenges for the Engineer soldiers participating in the 2011 Combat Support Training Exercise. The training continued through the many temperature changes, thunderstorms, high humidity and tactical situations. The CSTX brought together many different soldiers with different skill levels and abilities from across the country for a great training experience. This contributes to the ability of the Army Reserve to keep its forces trained and ready for future deployments and missions.
| Date Taken: | 07.31.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 08.01.2011 18:22 |
| Story ID: | 74649 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 2,092 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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