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New York Guard, Habitat for Humanity Partner to Build Houses in Puerto Rico

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Forty-five soldiers from the New York Army National Guard’s 204th Engineer Battalion spent two weeks helping Habitat for Humanity build a three-family home in Puerto Rico, July 30-Aug. 10.

Soldiers help to build a house.
Soldiers with the New York Army National Guard’s 204th Engineer Battalion work on the construction of a three-family home being built by Habitat for Humanity in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Aug. 7, 2018. The battalion sent 45 soldiers to Puerto Rico to assist in the construction as part of the Innovative Readiness Training Program. Army National Guard photo by Maj. Dan Colomb
Soldiers help to build a house.
180807-Z-A3538-1004
Soldiers with the New York Army National Guard’s 204th Engineer Battalion work on the construction of a three-family home being built by Habitat for Humanity in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Aug. 7, 2018. The battalion sent 45 soldiers to Puerto Rico to assist in the construction as part of the Innovative Readiness Training Program. Army National Guard photo by Maj. Dan Colomb
Photo By: Maj. Dan Colomb
VIRIN: 180807-Z-A3538-1004

The work was done as part of the Defense Department’s Innovative Readiness Training Program, through which soldiers hone military skills while also helping local communities.

The engineer soldiers were among a series of National Guard and Army Reserve engineer units helping to construct the housing, explained Army Maj. Dan. Colomb, the operations officer for the 204th, which is headquartered in Binghamton, New York.

Twenty of the soldiers were members of the battalion’s 1156th Engineer Company, which specializes in vertical construction, featuring soldiers with carpentry, masonry, plumbing and electrical skills. The other soldiers came from other companies in the battalion, Colomb said.

Partnership With Habitat for Humanity

The building is designed to resist hurricanes, and is being constructed in the Quintana neighborhood of San Juan. The New York Guardsmen worked with a local contractor hired by Habitat for Humanity, officials who ensured that materials arrived on time and provided construction advice, Colomb explained.

The 204th Engineer soldiers were responsible for building the forms and pouring all of the walls on the first floor, both internal and external. The unit also did some work on assembling scaffolding and framing for the second floor, before turning that over to the next iteration, Colomb explained.

Soldier pose in front of a house they are building.
Soldiers with the New York Army National Guard’s 204th Engineer Battalion take a break during the construction of a three-family home being built by Habitat for Humanity in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Aug. 7, 2018. The battalion sent 45 soldiers to Puerto Rico to assist in the construction as part of the Innovative Readiness Training Program. Army National Guard photo by 2nd Lt. Andrew Kopf
Soldier pose in front of a house they are building.
180808-Z-A3538-1089
Soldiers with the New York Army National Guard’s 204th Engineer Battalion take a break during the construction of a three-family home being built by Habitat for Humanity in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Aug. 7, 2018. The battalion sent 45 soldiers to Puerto Rico to assist in the construction as part of the Innovative Readiness Training Program. Army National Guard photo by 2nd Lt. Andrew Kopf
Photo By: 2nd Lt. Andrew Kopf
VIRIN: 180808-Z-A3538-1089

While a portion of the 204th soldiers worked on the site for the Habitat for Humanity project, other engineers did work for the Puerto Rico Air National Guard at Muniz Air National Guard Base and for the Puerto Rico Army National Guard at its Camp Santiago facility, Colomb said.

Overall, it was a good mission for the New York soldiers and their leaders, he said.

Training, Fostering Relationships

“This mission allowed our soldiers to accomplish training for their individual readiness while also fostering relationships through the community tie-in and partnership,” Colomb said. “They were exercising their military occupational specialty skills, running the full gamut of the construction engineer tasks, everything from carpentry and masonry work to plumbing.”

The soldiers got to see the end result of the project, he said.

“Sometimes at annual training we dig a hole and then fill it back in. This project was rewarding, in that we could see tangible results that will be handed over to fellow citizens in need,” Colomb explained.

Deploying to Puerto Rico was not new for the New York Army National Guard.

In the wake of Hurricane Maria, which caused massive destruction on Puerto Rico, the New York National Guard deployed 300 soldiers to help.

The New York Air National Guard also flew missions bringing supplies to the island.

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