CAMP HUMPHREYS, Republic of Korea - U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 643rd Engineer Support Company, 11th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division/ROK-U.S. Combined Division, conducted a training exercise highlighting the support company’s engineering capabilities at Dagmar North, South Korea, Sept. 28, 2022.
The exercise, called “Wolf Pack Howl”, allowed U.S. Soldiers to train to conduct forward operating base construction, water purification treatment and reacting to indirect fire. Along with the construction of the base, the engineer companies built anti-tank ditches and mine emplacement training.
“Receiving this type of training helps our Soldiers understand the importance of their role in Korea,” said 1st Lt. Woochul Kim, executive officer with 643rd ESC. “This exercise is a great opportunity to do something different from what we’ve done before.”
The training highlights the importance of defending the host nation country of South Korea while displaying resilience and readiness.
“Part of our job is to assist counter attacks; therefore, we’re not expecting to simply build without anyone attacking us which is why we’re doing our defense in-depth as part of the training,” said 1st Lt. Kim. “This is why it’s important for our Soldiers to stay proficient on their warrior tasks and drills.”
The 11th Engineer Battalion has emphasized that their Soldiers maintain their military occupational skills along with their ability to perform warrior tasks and battle drills. Although the experience of the training exercise highlighted the team’s operational goals, there were small moments of individual growth and development.
“Being your first duty station and having a chance to work with our partners has been a fulfilling experience,” said 2nd Lt. Meeah Mazikowski, platoon leader with 643rd ESC. “We’ve been preparing for this exercise for a month now and it’s been great to see the growth as a team and as an individual. As a horizontal platoon leader, I’ve had the experience of leading my team in the construction project of building this FOB. It’s been really cool to see the things that I learned in the schoolhouse in a real-world situation.”
The 11th Engineer Battalion continues to look forward to future opportunities to train with their host nation partners.
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