The Department of Defense announced today that the 62nd
Combat Heavy Engineer Battalion from Ft. Hood, Texas, has been
ordered to deploy to Bosnia to provide additional engineer
support for Operation Joint Endeavor during the final months of
the IFOR mission.
The unit's mission is to assist Task Force Eagle, the U.S.
force headquartered at Tuzla, as it consolidates and closes many
of its active base camps. This will allow current Task Force
Eagle engineers to focus on their redeployment tasks and enable
them to withdraw from Bosnia on schedule. Specifically, the Ft.
Hood battalion will assist in disassembly of the camps, recovery
of base camp equipment and construction material, and
environmental
restoration of the vacated areas. It is also capable of
road repair and river crossing support.
The battalion's 500 soldiers, including a company from Ft.
Sill, Okla., consists of carpenters, plumbers, electricians,
masons, and heavy equipment operators. They will receive
predeployment training in areas such as mine awareness and Rules
of Engagement before moving to Bosnia within the next several
weeks.
