Engineer Soldiers prove no project out of reach

By 1st Lt. Brent N. Vance, 93rd Engineer CompanyApril 2, 2010

Engineer Soldiers prove no project out of reach
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Engineer Soldiers prove no project out of reach
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Engineer Soldiers prove no project out of reach
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FORT POLK, La. - Soldiers of 1st Platoon, 93rd Engineer Company, 46th Engineer Battalion, recently completed repairs and upgrades to the Joint Readiness Training Center Air Assault Training Tower, paving the way for the resumption of the air assault qualification course on Fort Polk. This is the first post improvement construction project completed by the 46th Engineer Battalion since their redeployment from Iraq.

Lt. Col. Natalie Pearson, battalion commander said, "This is a great squad-sized project to improve not only our Soldiers' military occupational specialty proficiencies, but to also enhance Fort Polk's training facilities. Bringing the air assault course to our home station will give us critical skills required for combat."

Originally built in 2002, the air assault tower was designed to accommodate training for the UH-1 "Huey" helicopter. As part of the refurbishment, 93rd Engineer Company Soldiers modernized the tower to replicate the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. The Soldiers from 1st Platoon, known as the "Reapers," replaced weathered wood, relocated and upgraded anchor locations, painted deck areas with non-slip paint, painted safety lines and tie off identification numbers and chained off tower edges for times when they would not be in use. The upgrade brings the tower into compliance with Army standards for all air assault training towers and will allow the resumption of air assault training after more than five years.

Building the tower involved more than 300 man hours and expertise in working with steel and heavy duty hardware. Partnering was the key component to success on the tower renovation. The Louisiana National Guard designed anchor bolts and served as on-site consultants for design issues. The 814th Multi-role Bridge Company, 46th Eng Bn, fabricated more than 50 steel anchor plates. As part of the project, Soldiers of the 93rd Engineer Company refurbished the confidence climb on the adjacent obstacle course and the slant repel wall located next to the air assault tower.

The Louisiana National Guard hauled more than 60 loads of wood chips totaling more than 180 cubic yards of material placed in the landing area surrounding the tower.

As with all operations, safety was paramount while refurbishing the tower. Each Soldier that worked on the project was outfitted with a safety harnesses while working near the edges. A special "snorkel" style lift was procured for the project that allowed the Soldiers to work safely under the deck - which is more than 30 feet high. Sgt. Antonio Woods, project noncommissioned officer in charge, said due vigilance was maintained while completing the project.

"A fall from this kind of elevation can be fatal," he said. "Besides making sure Soldiers were tied off, we needed to make sure that we never got to the point where the harnesses were tested. Every time Soldiers had to work with heavy parts, I made sure that they were individually anchored and pulleys set so no Soldier would have a difficult lift in an unfamiliar situation."

The Soldiers even encountered situations where they had to work with chain saws while working at high elevations.

"This sort of work involves careful risk management," Woods said. "We made sure each of the Soldiers had all of the safety equipment available, and then briefed them carefully about safest practices."

The Air Assault Course resumed March 15.