Story and photo by Luke Waack
Assistant editor

The 262nd Engineer Company, 94th Engineer Battalion, is performing a unique mission in support of the 1st Engineer Brigade.

As a combat heavy Forces Command unit, they are helping construct a Training and Doctrine Command training site, while at the same time gaining experience that will help them in future combat missions.

The 262nd is doing all the horizontal construction preparation for the site, at Training Area 239.

 “We’re laying all the groundwork. Clearing the land and setting up the whole site,” said Capt. Cassandra McGinnis, 262nd Engr. Co. commander.

The first challenge of the project was out of the ordinary lumberjacking for combat engineers, said 2nd Lt. Michael Foglia, 3rd Platoon leader.

“This was all trees; 14 acres of trees. We have knocked down all the trees. We bulldozed the trees over, knocked them over with Hy-Ex’s (Hydraulic Excavators),” Foglia said.

There aren’t nearly as many trees in Iraq, said Sgt. 1st Class Jerome Hightower, platoon sergeant.

“This is something new to us — clearing trees. We have been used to doing stuff in Iraq with HESKOs and culvert denial, and actually having to do a (building) project has been a challenge for us,” Hightower said.

The mission started in November, and the trees were cleared by early January.

Cold and wet weather has slowed the mission down somewhat. Pushing ice into the ground would lead to sinkholes later on, Foglia said.

“We’re trying to get the soil right,” Foglia said. “We just need a drier ground with less snow and ice in it.”

Once the ground is prepared, contractors will come in to pour concrete.

In the meantime, there is still work that can be done while waiting for the weather to get better. Set up also includes installing drainage culverts at the FOB site and laying down gravel for a motor pool, Foglia said.

“We just offloaded a bunch of steel culverts and tin culverts. We’re going to be laying three rows right here for entry control points,” Foglia said.

The end result will resemble other training areas already in use on post, where Initial Entry Soldiers can go during their Field Training Exercises.

“It’s going to be used for a simulated Tactical Training Base,” Foglia said.

This is very important construction experience for the unit, Foglia said.

“Some of them will come into a unit like this and realize, “I was a crane operator in AIT, and this is not something we’re going to use every day in this type of unit,”” Foglia said. “So they learn to use a dozer, scraper or grader, and they’ll get out there and they’ll actually get on it. Our NCOs and squad leaders here get them out there every day and get them a lot of experience.”

The construction materials become training aids and as a result, 3rd platoon is highly trained, Foglia said.

“I do not have rock like this back at my unit, where I can say ‘hey guys, we’re going to go learn how to use a grader today.’ We just can’t do it. We do not have the funds to finance an operation like this, and yet everybody in my company can hop on a grader and get a little bit of experience out here while we’re doing it,” Foglia said.

Hightower has seen his Soldiers’ abilities grow while working on the project.

“Everybody has gotten a chance to operate on the equipment, from the grader to the 20-ton dump (dumptruck), to the HYEX. Being that we’re combat heavy, we don’t get to operate that much and to get any time for ‘stick time’ is a blessing,” Hightower said.

Each platoon member has received approximately 100 hours of training on the various vehicles, Hightower said.

Once the horizontal part is done, the vertical construction shouldn’t take long, Foglia said.