Army Reserve engineers leave their mark in Bosnia

he 412th Engineer Command from Vicksburg, Miss., has returned from an eight-month tour in Bosnia where they moved 70-ton NATO combat tanks and supporting equipment through Croatia and within Bosnia-Herzegovina over roads and bridges destroyed by four years of civil war. Although the 412th routinely sends people all over the world for engineering missions, the mobilization of 28 soldiers on Mav 17, 1996, for Operation Joint Endeavor was history. Within first such activation in two weeks, the troops history. Within two weeks, the troops -Detachment 1, 412th End (Forward)-arrived in Taszar, Hungary, which is located in Taszar the border of Cry, which is located Their mission was to manage the engineering support of Croatia. Their mission was to operations age the engineering support of and Army operations at the staging Hungary and Croatia and support bases in Hungary and Croatia and within the U.S. operaTaszar is the location of the in Bosnia.

Taszar is the locationof the intermediate staging base and U.S. Army Europe's forward headquarters. Selected for these roles because of its access to road and rail, Taszar was the conduit throught which all U.S. forces flowed into and out of Bosnia. Twenty-three of the 412th's soldiers staffed the Deputy Chief of Staff for Engineering Office. They managed design and construction by military troop units and contractors, conducted real estate transactions, and ensured environmental compliance and remediation. The remaining five soldiers deployed to the Base Camp Coordination Agency in Lukavac, Bosnia, 70 miles north of Sarajevo. They managed the construction, sustainment and closure of the base camps which housed all U.S. soldiers operating in "the box" in Bosnia. For these Army Reserve soldiers, long-term military active duty was a new experience. Combat engineering missions, according to Lt. Col. Albert J. Bush III, were "tracked" by the Plans and Operations Section. The 412th soldiers maintained tactical-bridging data and charted minefield locations. They also kept tabs on mine-clearing operations, which were conducted under the terms of the Dayton agreement by Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia. (Final "proofing" of the minefields was conducted by U.S. Army engineers.) "Destruction of bunkers and fighting positions-we tracked these projects, too," Col. Bush said.

Construction engineering projects included the building of force-protection bunkers, towers, checkpoints, basecamp improvements, new bases and facilities (holding areas, parking areas and maintenance facilities), maintenance and repair of main supply routes, bridging operations, mine-clearing and repair of rail lines, and surveys of the Sava River. Information on the water level of the river (which forms the border between Croatia and Bosnia) was included in each command briefing.

The intermediate staging base at Taszar was not designed to handle the required level of troop traffic and presented the 412th with a challenge initially. Base improvements were necessary. The base expansion project included putting up tents and building showers, latrines, a chapel, a dental clinic and improving facilities built to support the initial deployment to Bosnia. Additional projects included the construction of holding yards for shipping containers, a 14-station vehicle wash point, two ammunition handling areas, three resurfaced gravel roads, a resurfaced airfield taxiway and a firehouse (constructed by 412th sergeants in their off-duty time). The Engineer Section also dealt with real estate and environmental operations in Hungary, Croatia and Bosnia. The performance of the 412th Reserve soldiers on the environmental team was a highlight of the deployment. Along with providing oversight, planning and contracting services for dealing with hazardous waste, the team provided support to NATO in establishing the environmental standards for use throughout the area used by the NATO peacekeeping force. In June, the Engineer Section conducted planning to simultaneously move the 1st Armored Division back while bringing the 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized) in from Germany.

"Our soldiers did an excellent job. I have heard nothing but high praise for the quality of their work," said Maj. Gen. Bill Hobgood. "They have done much to enhance the reputation of the Army Reserve engineers."

Copyright Association of the United States Army Apr 1997
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