Engineers work on 3 projects

Soldiers of 84th Engineer Support Company dug up a 50 year-old concrete foundation at Camp Carroll, improved roadways at the Engineer Skills Training Area, and conducted terrain leveling operations at Bryant Army Airfield ? a project scheduled to continue for the next several months. (U.S. Air Force photo/Percy Jones)

Engineers work on 3 projects

Published June 6, 2011
By Airman 1st Class Jack Sanders
JBER Public Affairs

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- Soldiers of 84th Engineer Support Company (Airborne), 6th Engineer Battalion (Combat) (Airborne), demonstrated their Army engineering skills recently by completing three projects.

"From a field environment, the 84th ESC simultaneously executed three construction projects," said Army Capt. Brad Pietzyk, 84th ESC company commander. "First, we continued a project from last summer on Bryant Army Airfield where we moved more than 1,000 cubic yards of material from high to low areas to bring the airfield into safety standards."

Soldiers from the unit also removed tow World War II era concrete foundation pads on Camp Carroll to recover the ground.

"Our third project was to upgrade all the major roads and several minor trails in the Engineer Support Training Area on (Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson) so the roads could be used throughout the year including a wet spring," Pietzyk said.

The projects are still underway and expected to be completed shortly, the commander said.

To execute three projects at the same time required tremendous group effort and planning for the company.

"The entire company was incorporated into these projects," Pietzyk said. "Each platoon was assigned a project."

Pietzyk said the Soldiers gained valuable "stick time" on their equipment, while platoon leaders were heavily engaged in project management.

"My company had a five day field problem and used those five days to repair the roads," said Pfc. Patrick Davies," engineer equipment operator. "Everyone performed to the best of their abilities.