Engineers up for mission

A 12th Aviation Battalion UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter carries a HMMWV to Parade Field 2 on Jan. 11 during the 911th Technical Rescue Engineer Company training exercise. (Photos by Marny Malin)

The training scenario that played out on Fort Belvoir on Jan. 11 could have been ripped from today’s headlines:

In the scenario, a group of high-ranking installation officials and civilian leaders gathered for a meeting to discuss Base Realignment and Closure when the unthinkable happened — an explosion ripped through the building where the gathering was being held.

“This is a conference room where senior officers and officials were holding a BRAC meeting,” said 911th U.S. Army Technical Rescue Engineer Company commanding officer, Capt. Frank Tedeschi as he stood outside of Bldg. 1084 on Gunston Road watching as his Soldiers drilled holes through the concrete block structure in order to check air quality. “We received a call that an explosion had occurred at 8:30 a.m. That’s all we know.”

The 911th, the Army’s only tactical rescue unit, used the training exercise to test both its capabilities and the readiness of its Soldiers to respond to an emergency at a moment’s notice.

“In the scenario, there are 100 people inside, but we have reports of only one person yelling and screaming,” Tedeschi continued.

By 11 a.m., two helicopters from the 12th Aviation Battalion landed on Parade Field 2 loaded with equipment Soldiers would use to get the “victims” outside of the building.
“We are testing a few of our capabilities – our ability to respond quickly and our ability to make an initial breach,” continued Tedeschi.

The Soldiers used a hydraulic excavator and a Bobcat to make entry into the building. The building will be completely leveled by the 911th in the next couple of weeks in a move that will save the installation from having to pay to have the old structure demolished.