180th Engineers head to Louisiana for JRTC rotation

More than 50 Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Powhatan-based 180th Engineer Company, 276th Engineer Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group are supporting the Arkansas National Guard’s 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team during a training rotation July 10 – Aug. 3, 2021, at the Joint Readiness Training Center in Fort Polk, Louisiana.

“The training our Soldiers will be engaging in is extremely important for the Virginia Army National Guard to build and maintain readiness,” said Col. Paul Gravely, the Virginia Army National Guard G3 state operations officer. “The evaluations conducted at JRTC are important for units to test and review their training management processes, and gives them the opportunity to participate in an exercise at the BCT level in the most realistic environment available for training.

”During the rotation, the engineers will support Arkansas’ 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. Once the training is under way, the 180th will support the 39th in a variety of ways, including helping build fighting positions and supporting tactical operations, according to the 180th’s executive officer.

CONTINUE READING / OPEN FULL NEWSLETTER

Soldiers assigned to the Maneuver Area Training Equipment Site load a 180th Engineer Company bulldozer onto a trailer for transport to the Joint Readiness Training Center July 9, 2021, at Fort Pickett, Virginia.