Senior leaders and government officials tour Stafford County park project - July 19, 2012

Senior leaders from the Virginia National Guard along with state and local government officials tour the planned Stafford County Civil War Park project July 19 in Stafford. Maj. Gen. Daniel E. Long, the Adjutant General of Virginia, Col. Walt Mercer, commander of 91st Troop Command, Command Sgt. Maj. Dennis Green, senior enlisted leader for the Virginia National Guard, Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates William J.Howell were among the leaders in attendance who toured the site, visited with Soldiers and talked with local news media. Retired Air Force Col. Glenn Trimmer, co-founder of the Friends of Stafford County Civil War Sites, gave a historical tour of several of the sites being preserved by the project.

Approximately 80 Soldiers from the Powhatan-based 180th Engineer Company, 276th Engineer Battalion, 91st Troop Command are scheduled to clear sizable undergrowth, haul fill and build roadways along Battery Heights, Howard Avenue and Dilger Road as a part of Phase II of the Stafford County project during the annual training from July 15 to 27. Soldiers will use heavy construction equipment to move large quantities of dirt, gravel and other fill, install drainage culverts and perform general cut, fill and compaction tasks throughout the area.

Soldiers from the Bowling Green-based 189th Multirole Bridge Company will also assist with the project and Soldiers from the Petersburg-based Forward Support Company of the 276th Engineer Battalion will provide all logistical support for the units on site, keeping them fed and fueled.

The Soldiers are conducting the work as part of their two-week annual training period as part of the Innovative Readiness Training program. The IRT allows engineers to put their military skills to work on community service projects approved by National Guard Bureau.

The IRT program provides real world training opportunities for Soldiers and units to prepare them for their wartime and state emergency response missions and enhances unit training and readiness while filling a community need.

The planned Stafford Civil War Park includes three large Union battery fortifications, winter quarters encampment remains, a corduroy road and a pre-Civil War sandstone bridge ruin on property recently preserved by Stafford County and the City of Fredericksburg at the request of the Friends of the Stafford Civil War Sites.

The skills these Soldiers are training on will help them prepare to assist the citizens of the Commonwealth in the event of a natural disaster where the Virginia Guard might be called in to clear roads and remove debris.