FORT HUNTER LIGGETT, Calif. -- Soldiers from the 372nd Engineer Company from Pewaukee, Wis., combined training with building long-term improvements to Base Camp Milpitas during the 91st Training Division's Combat Support Training Exercise 91.
Base Camp Milpitas is one of Fort Hunter Liggett's four tactical training bases. Soldiers from the 372nd built offices and sleeping quarters at Milpitas, to gain experience and stay busy until the CSTX 91 training began.
"We are doing some training and we are letting some of the lower leaders lead these projects to get leadership experience," said Sgt. 1st Class Kurt Lindenberg, a vertical engineer project manager with the 372nd.
Lindenberg, a native of West Bend, Wis., said the new huts are outfitted with electricity and air conditioning. The construction provided training opportunities for carpenters and plumbers as well.
With temperatures regularly reaching above 100 degrees, these improvements not only provide training for the engineers but comfort for Soldiers.
"The buildings will help get Soldiers out of tents so they can be a little cooler," said Lindenberg. "We will outfit them with electrical outlets and air. It will be a much nicer place to live for future Soldiers."
Lindenberg said that one of the most important aspects of building is a good foundation.
"We worked with another unit to have the ground rolled and compacted, so as time goes on the building does not settle and start falling apart," said Lindberg. "You have to have a strong foundation."
Even though there have been some challenges, the 372nd builds on.
"There have been some tool issues," said Lindenberg. "Not all of our equipment is here yet."
CSTX 91 is a sustainment-focused training exercise developed for Army Reserve units in Train/Ready, Year 3 of the five-year Army Forces Generation model.
With many of the units participating in CSTX 91 becoming available for deployment next year, the remote training environment Fort Hunter Liggett provides offers rugged terrain, realistic training opportunities and living conditions Soldiers may face while deployed.
Other facilities at Fort Hunter Liggett include four MOUT sites, a five-mile convoy live fire course with 360-degree live-fire capability, 10 weapons qualifications ranges, a live-fire shoot house, an urban assault course, a C-17 capable dirt airstrip, dozens of drop zones and helipads, an ammunition supply point, three engagement skills trainers, a 10-station Improvised Explosive Device-Defeat Lane and an IED-D Virtual Battlefield Simulator.
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