Fort Leonard Wood Guidon
FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (Sept. 2, 2010) -- The John B. Mahaffey Museum Complex on Fort Leonard Wood underwent renovation, Aug. 17, and will anticipate the opening of a new engineering exhibit, thanks to the cooperative efforts of the 104th Engineer Company, 62nd Engineer Battalion, out of Fort Hood, Texas.
"Brig. Gen. (Bryan) Watson, (U.S. Army Engineer School commandant) told the museum that he wanted a fresh look in the engineer galleries. He wanted them to incorporate some of today's activities, including OIF and OEF, so they called us up," said WO1 William Parker, officer-in-charge of the 12-man team.
The Soldiers headed home Tuesday, after three weeks of demolition, construction and structural reconfiguring.
The project, which has been in discussion since January 2009, finally became a reality when the Texas-based engineers came ready to tear down, build, sand, prime and paint. As a result of their hard work, the museum will offer a 21st century gallery, bringing needed improvements and updates to the original, thread-worn gallery built in 1990.
"We ran out of room in the chronologic gallery to show what most recently has happened, which limited us to where we can go. Making the expansion will allow us to provide a thematic gallery, and as the future creeps up, we can eliminate part of that thematic gallery and continue having more current displays," said Steve Wells, exhibit specialist.
According to Wells, the small team from Fort Hood provided more help than they could've hoped for during their three-week tenure on the installation.
"These guys got off the van, hit the ground running and did an exceptional job. The fact of the matter is ... they've given us more than what we planned on. I couldn't have asked for a better crew," Wells said.
In the end, the Soldiers not only found the assignment to be personally satisfying, but also physically rewarding, contributing to their mission-readiness as a vertical construction company.
"This task has really contributed to their training. Usually in theatre we do a lot of wood structures, so they don't get to focus on these types of projects. This has added a dimensions that hopefully a lot of these guys can perform later on," said Staff Sgt. Trevor Long, noncommissioned officer-in-charge, emphasizing the valuable cross-training experience it granted for the different military occupation specialties.
"I'm not a carpenter, I'm an electrician. I couldn't put up a wall before this, now I know how to. I've never worked with dry wall before, and now I have. When overseas, we basically do a lot of construction, so when there's not electrical work to do, I can say, 'hey, you guys need help'' and then can jump right in," said Spc. Michael Liesky.
(Editor's note: Emily Athens is a photojournalists assigned to the Fort Leonard Wood (Mo.) newspaper, the Guidon.)
Social Sharing