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Hoosiers build together in support of OIR

  • Published
  • By By 1st Lt. Sarah Ruckriegle
  • 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
Members of the 1313th Engineer Company, Indiana National Guard, have lent a hand to their fellow Indiana Guard members at the 332nd Air Expeditionary Group by building more than 60 tents in less than three weeks.

The Hoosiers are deployed from Franklin, Ind., to Southwest Asia to support Operation Inherent Resolve. They traveled to the 332nd AEG, which hosts the 163rd Fighter Squadron also from the Indiana National Guard, to assist with the building of tents for additional living quarters.

The joint effort to build the living area reflects how the Indiana Guardsmen train.

“The Indiana National Guard includes both Army and Air National Guard personnel who frequently work together on domestic operations responses and numerous other operations and projects under the direction of the Indiana Joint Force Headquarters,” said Lt. Col. Mark Miller, 332nd AEG deputy commander.

The collaboration for the Army component to help the Air Force component came about when Col. Michael Stohler, the 332nd AEG commander, was seated next to Lt. Col. Greg St. Romain, the 528th Engineer Battalion commander and Capt. Christopher Eaton, the 1313th Horizontal Engineer Company commander attended a dinner with Maj. Gen. R. Martin Umbarger, the Indiana National Guard Adjutant General. At the dinner the discussion of ongoing construction work at the 332nd AEG came up. Stohler and Eaton soon realized that Hoosiers could come solve the problem together. Eaton suggested that members of the 1313th Engineer Company might be just the right unit to help build the 60 Small System Shelter tents.

“There is no doubt that the Indiana Air and Army National Guard team working together in a deployed environment exemplifies the true meaning of joint operations and should make the National Guard leadership in Indiana, and especially Umbarger very proud,” said Miller.

The members of the engineer company have built more than 60 tents here since March 12. The assembly requires eight personnel and takes 50 to 60 minutes. The engineers have been building about seven tents a day. In total, the 60 tents, along with two expeditionary shower and shave units and one expeditionary laundry facility, will comprise the living area for members of the 163rd Fighter Squadron and others deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.

“It is incredibly rewarding, but hard work,” said Spc. Julia Corey, 1313th Engineer Company heavy equipment operator. “I wanted to deploy for the experience and to learn some craftsmanship. Building this area has definitely done that. It’s cool to see how fast we were able to train and then start putting tents up.”

The engineers were first shown how to build the tents by the 332nd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron. But because the 332nd ECES is busy with other high priority projects in preparation for standing up as an Air Expeditionary WIng as well as base maintenance and normal operations, most of the tents have been assembled exclusively by Hoosier engineers.

“Working with the Air Force has been different, but kind of awesome. They shared how to do it and then backed off to let us build,” said Corey.

The tent living area is being built to house additional members being deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. The 332nd AEG is scheduled to activate as an Air Expeditionary Wing later this summer and will continue to host strike aircraft tasked with supporting operations in Iraq and Syria.

“These guys who are launching attack missions need a place to sleep,” said Sgt. Jason Schmitt, 1313th Engineering Company heavy equipment operator. “We gave them that so they can worry about the mission instead of where they are sleeping.”