97th Engineer Battalion (Construction)
Reunion 2011 Report
Page Two
First Day of Tour, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri:
One-Station-Training Graduation, Abrams Theater, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri:
Our first destination on Fort Wood was Abrams Theater, where we were guests of the graduation class of Charlie Company, 31st Engineer Battalion, 1st Engineer Brigade. Their battalion commander, LTC Leonard B. Scott IV, greeted us as we were ushered into the side door of the theater, amidst a crowd of visiting family members and military cadre. CSM Gerald L. Williams, Sr., was also on hand and both men and their staff were impressive with their uniforms and impressive graduation ceremony. Charlie Company's commander was CPT Kevin M. Kane, with ten very sharp looking drill sergeants listed in our program guide:
We were honored to sit in the center section, up front, and surrounded by all the activity. Then, we witnessed amazing esprit de corps, pride, and command excellence in action. These are some of the many photos taken by those in attendance The battalion has an informative facebook page: 31st Engineer Battalion Facebook Page. Numerous photos of the graduation are available at their web site, including some of their guests, the 97th Engineers, at this link: Graduation Photographs, May 20, 2011
Visit to Heavy Equipment Training Facility:
At the heavy equipment training site, we were met and briefed by Mr. David Neese, who gave an excellent briefing and overview of their core training methods. All their instructors are army-experience and provide excellent continuity in training our engineer soldiers. Our first stop was at the Caterpillar Dozer training location, viewing both full-size and smaller training models:
Our next stop was at the heavy equipment scraper area, where we watched students driving the large earth-moving equipment through a training course. We then drove through their equipment area viewing various equipment. The training area is large and well organized for specific training:
Lunch with the Troops, 1st Enginer Brigade, 31st Engineer Bn Dining Facility:
This was a very special event for each of us, as we went through (almost) the same routine as the soldiers did during their noon meal, and at a very reasonable price of $4.25. To our surprise, there was no let-up in training, discipline and directions from drill sergeants present. They were tough, everywhere, and the soldiers acted as if we were not present. Well, almost, again. Soon, several of their drill sergeant leaders began to seat selected soldiers at our group tables, a treat for us, indeed, and we were able to hold brief conversations with these young men and women. All the soldiers ate quickly, and got out of there as soon as possible, receiving stern instructions at every turn. Yes, there were moments when intense disciplinary training became the focus, and we almost witnessed what it was like to be a recruit. It was a great time for us and some relief for the soldiers:
Visit to Humanitarian Demining Training Facility (HDTC), Building 5415:
Already, our day had been full of pleasant surprises, moments of amazement, and interesting revelations about the scope of our army's engineer training. We were once again entering an area of training few of us had experienced at such a level. This Department of Defense Training Facility, a unit of the Security Cooperation Agency, known as Humanitarian Demining Training Facility (HDTC), trains and sends graduates to almost every major foreign country, often students from those very countries. Instruction pertains to all known mining and explosive devices, and there being in their facility a representative sample of real and pending dangers in past and present combat areas, both large-scale and smaller conflicts. Here are some of the many photos we took while being briefed:
Counter Explosive Hazardous Center (CEHC), Building 5410:
We had already reached a full day, and when a thunderstorm came creeping into the training area our tour took on a cautious air. Initially, we were outside and enjoying briefings on select counter explosives equipment, but when it started to sprinkle we were not able to actually enter the specially equipped machines shown in the photos below. Our military instructors made the best of the situation and moved us into a covered area where we listened to verbal briefs and watched a sharp dog prove itself worthy of being a mine detection dog. The manager, whose name I did not record, did a good job with our group, getting everything in and then moving us on to several Raydon Corporation training trailers, where we got to actually sit at the controls of each piece of equipment and experience them in a simulator environment. The photographs show our enthusiasm and amazement at how well this realistic training benefits our soldiers.
We often had direct, one-on-one discussions with military and civilian trainers, and even our youngest member, Elli, showed aptitude for managing the equipment:
WHAT A DAY!
Here we go to page three!
For more, click on this link: Page Three, Reunion at Fort Leonard Wood, Home of the Engineers
