presorted standard us postage paid permit #88 enfield, ct

101st Engineers Build Border Security
By Col. Paul G. Smith, 51st Troop Command
While most New Englanders head to the beach to avoid the summer heat,
159 soldiers of the 101st Engineer Battalion spent three weeks in a slightly
different climate. Like the beach, there was plenty of sun and plenty of
sand in southern Arizona, but, with daily temperatures approaching 120
degrees, the similarities ended there.
The Engineers participated in Operation Jump Start from June 16 to
July 8, 2007, an interagency effort to strengthen the Southwest Border
against illegal immigration and organized crime. This highly successful
initiative has been credited with significantly reducing illegal activity and
improving security along the Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California
border regions.
Soldiers of the 181st Engineer Company, 379th Engineer Company, 189th
Engineer Detachment and 272nd Chemical Company put their skills to
good use in the region by building steel walls in residential areas,
constructing vehicle barriers in the desert, and by improving access roads
that will enable rapid response from Border Patrol agents. In some of the
work areas, the U.S. – Mexico border had been marked only by a century
old concrete marker or a few strands of rusty barbed wire before the
engineers arrived.
Although contact with illegal immigrants was restricted by the rules of
engagement, small bands of exhausted illegals were frequently observed
close by while they awaited apprehension by the Border Patrol. Soldiers
Two engineers weld a support for a vehicle barrier near the United States
– Mexico border.
Soldiers of the 181st Engineer Company (Vertical) construct vehicle
barriers along the Arizona border.
were reminded of the hostile nature of the environment when work was
halted after the discovery of a deceased border crosser near the work area.
Despite the brutal climate and dangerous wildlife, there were no heat
casualties and only one minor encounter with a scorpion.
Engineers from the 379th were assigned to road improvement within the
Tohono O’Odham Indian Reservation, where all work activities were
coordinated with Tribal Council representatives and archaeologists. In this
historic and culturally significant area, it was important to respect tribal
and traditional customs that seemed, at times, a bit strange to New
Englanders. At one point, road work was halted while tribal elders were
consulted about how close vehicles could approach a culturally valued
landmark. In the end, though, the road went through and the mission was
accomplished.
“Our Soldiers really enjoyed the mission,” said Sergeant First Class Earle
Eldridge, operations sergeant of the 379th Engineer Company. “They had
the chance to get plenty of stick time that they don’t always get the chance
to have. They understood the need to assist the Border Patrol and
complete an important job for the nation.” ✯
Engineers of the 181st Engineer Company improve a border access road in southern
Arizona as part of Operation Jump Start.
The Force of Freedom 11