Story and photos by Sgt. Sandra Fariss, 206th Engineer Battalion Unit Public Affairs Historian Representative
NOTE: Each week kentuckyguard.com publishes stories by or about Kentucky National Guard unit public affairs historian representatives, also known as UPAHRs. This is an additional duty taken on by a Soldier or Airmen with the intent of telling their unit’s story. This is one such story ….
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2nd Lt. Cory Netherton and Spc. Thomas Drury, both of the 206th Engineer Battalion, discuss cut and fill estimates for a recommended air strip during annual training, May 18, 2012, at Wendell H. Ford Regional Training Center in Greenville, Ky. (Photo by Sgt. Sandra Fariss, 206th Engineer Battalion Unit Public Affairs Historian Representative)
GREENVILLE, Ky. --For the first time in their history, the 206
th Engineer Battalion, based in Owensboro, Ky., and the 201
st Engineer Battalion from Ashland, Ky., joined forces at Wendell H. Ford Regional Training Center, Greenville, Ky., for their annual training May 12, 2012.
In a joint effort, Detachment 1, 149
th Vertical Engineer Company from Olive Hill, Ky., assembled sea-huts; horizontal construction engineers of the 207
th Horizontal Engineer Company from Hazard, Ky., and heavy equipment operators from Walton, Ky.'s 118
th Haul Platoon moved dirt to build an access road and landing strip at the new Contingency Operations Location (COL) at Wendell H. Ford Regional Training Center.
To see more photos from this story, click here
Engineers of the 206
th completed cut and fill estimates for a recommended air strip that will be expected to land military aircraft, potentially including Boeing C-17 Globemasters. If approved, the airstrip will be used for rapid strategic and tactical airlifts located near the new Contingency Operations Location.
Soldiers used the engineer field data manual to formulate calculations from topographic data at the proposed elevation located at the proposed air strip site.
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Spc. Donald Pace of the 207th Horizontal Engineer Company operates a D7 Dozer to move dirt in efforts to build a new Contingency Operations Location (COL) at Wendell H. Ford Regional Training Center in Greenville, Ky., during annual training, May 15, 2012. (Photo by Sgt. Sandra Fariss, 206th Engineer Battalion Unit Public Affairs Historian Representative)
“The mission is time consuming but the completed project will be beneficial to future operations and serve as a tremendous asset to this training area,” said 2nd Lt. Cory Netherton, combat engineer officer with the 206th.
The 206
th and 201
st also managed fuel operations and log pack exercise missions to the Contingency Operations Location at the Combat Training Command Post during annual training.
Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Dean R. Gosney of the 201st, said with excitement as he overlooked the project going on at the new Contingency Operations Location, “Great things are happening here and years from now these Soldiers will look back with pride and say, 'I built that'!”