FORT BLISS, Texas -- Approximately 125 Army Reserve engineers with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 411th Engineer Brigade, 412th Theater Engineer Command, returned home Thursday, Feb. 7, after nine months in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Maj. Gen. William M. Buckler, Jr., commanding general of 412th Theater Engineer Command, Command Sgt. Maj. Steven Hatchell, interim command sergeant major of 412th TEC, and Col. John Seeley, provisional commander of 411th Eng. Bde.., were on hand to welcome home Brig. Gen. David L. Weeks and the Soldiers of 'Brigade by Choice' from New York.
As the lead engineer force assigned to U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, members of the 411th, as Joint Task Force Empire, assumed Mission Command from 22d Naval Construction Regiment, adding two engineer battalions and increasing the size of JTF strength to 5,000 service members.
The significance of this transition set the conditions for JTF Empire to be the single, theatre engineer brigade for all of Afghanistan. As such, and with technical staff members working throughout the country, the 411th successfully executed sustained, multifunction engineer operations in support of OEF.
One of those was Camp John Pratt, where more than 300 JTF Empire engineers constructed over 200 acres of cutting and leveling operations moving over 687,000 cubic meters of material. The volume of the material moved is equivalent to 2.25 times the volume of Freedom Tower in New York City.
Another was Operation Shrimp Net, a mission where JTF Empire staff identified the operational need of a Route Clearance Platoons being moved from one regional area of operation to another.
Others included Operation Cool Breeze, a bridge reconnaissance that involved nine separate bridges on Route Carolina; Operation Mountain Blade, where engineers and partners completed emergency repairs for the Salang Tunnel and provided technical training to ensure trafficability between Kabul and Northern Afghanistan through the winter.
The success of Salang Tunnel enables approximately 9,000 trucks per day travel unhindered with cargo valued at $104 million per month. The 2.4 km tunnel also supports the movement of over 1.5 million gallons of fuel monthly.
From October to November 2012, JTF Empire conducted the phased deconstruction of FOB Tillman. The deconstruction reduced everything except the Mosque back to natural terrain. In order to accomplish this mission, Soldiers had to take significant protective measures against indirect fire and small arms fire.
In Operation Devil Hammer II, which consisted of COP Pace being expanded, the mission
required the brigade to deploy a tactical operations center to provide command and control and logistical support. These missions were all carried out with the professionalism and expertise that are embodied in the motto - Plan, Build, Protect.
The 411th also tracked and synchronized 4,081 combat route clearance patrols over 216,795 kilometers, which resulted in over 689 IEDs found and cleared and making the roads safer for Coalition Forces and the Afghan population.
The New Windsor-based unit also maintained and tracked the status of culvert denial and crater repair operations in addition to route sanitation and the status of critical bridges. The brigade engineers planned, coordinated, and tracked Force Protection Construction, Base Expansion and Closure, and Quality of Life Improvements, all while maintaining meticulous attention to minimum military requirements to ensure proper utilization of Soldiers and materials.
The brigade supported over 107 named operations and conducted training for nearly 1,000 Soldiers in theater regarding critical requirements for new equipment used for route clearance. It also completed over 120 construction missions, building over 350 kilometers of road, and constructing over 840 structures.
The 411th cased its colors and transferred authority to the 555th Engineer Brigade out of Joint Base Lewis McChord, Wash., Feb. 3, 2013.
Anxious to return home soon to their Families, the Soldiers will have to endure a few more days here to complete the demobilization process.
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