New York Army National Guard engineer Soldiers from Binghamton, Horseheads, Walton, Hudson Valley conduct Annual Training

Soldiers will train at Fort Drum, Fort Indiantown Gap and Camp Smith Training Site May 4-18

Binghamton, N.Y. (05/03/2019) — Three hundred New York Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to the 204th Engineer Battalion, which is headquartered in Binghamton and has elements in Horseheads, Walton, Kingston and Cortlandt Manor, will be conducting their Annual Training for the next two weeks.

The combat engineer Soldiers will be training at Fort Drum, near Watertown, Camp Smith Training Site in Cortlandt Manor; and Fort Indiantown Gap, near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania from May 4 to May 18.

National Guard Soldiers normally train one weekend a month and two weeks a year, although they can train more often depending on their mission.

The 204th Engineer Battalion has four companies which specialize in different skills and will be training at different locations.

The headquarters company, which is based in Binghamton, will hold a command post exercise to hone the Soldiers' ability to exercise command over the battalion's companies at Fort Indiantown Gap. 50 Soldiers will take part in this exercise from May 6 to 12.

The 827th Engineer Company, based in Horseheads and Walton, specializes in building roads and runways, digging fighting positions and putting in obstacles. The company's 100 Soldiers will build a road conducting two ranges at Fort Drum during their annual training.

The Soldiers will also conduct weapons training, driver training on bulldozers and other engineering equipment, and practice digging fighting positions and building obstacles designed to slow enemy movement.

The 1156th Engineer Company, which has elements in Kingston and Camp Smith Training Site in Cortlandt Manor near Peekskill, specializes in working on buildings. 96 Soldiers from the company will work on buildings at Camp Smith, the New York National Guard's major state training facility. They will also install a pavilion in the training area and upgrade one of the camp's ranges.

The work is designed to help the Soldiers sharpen their skills as carpenters, masons and electricians while upgrading the training facility.

The battalion's forward support company, headquartered in Binghamton, which handles supplies and maintenance for the battalion, will have elements at Fort Drum, Fort Indiantown Gap, and Camp Smith to support units training there.

Finally, the headquarters company's quarry detachment, will work at Fort Drum to produce gravel to be used in road construction and train new Soldiers on gravel mining techniques. They will also conduct weapons training.

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