Page 10 - The Dispatch August 2019

TEXAS MILITARY DEPARTMENT

Engineers conduct an infrastructure status assessment of a water treatment plant near Mineral Wells, Texas, April 5, 2019. Texas State Guard
engineers are a highly trained unit that can assist state agencies when a disaster impacts structures, water plants and water treatment and
sewage infrastructures. (Texas State Guard photo by Cpl. Shawn Dromgoole)

Following the readiness and validation exercises, Cpl. Papy and operational mission-essential capabilities of boat and
Lucien, 2nd Battalion, 19th Regiment, is confident that he dive operations and search, rescue and recovery opera-
is ready for any Texas State Guard mission. tions during Operation Dauntless Star 19. In a simulated
water and ground response to a weather event resulting in
“The skills and the hands-on experience which were test- flooding of waterways and urban environments, Guards-
ed and validated during Operation Texas Castle have pre- men demonstrated and validated their ability to maneu-
pared me to carry out my tasks successfully to support ver boats at docks, near objects and alongside other ves-
my fellow Texans during a hurricane or emergency. That is sels, and to transfer materials and passengers from vessel
why I joined the Texas State Guard,” said Lucien. to vessel.

The Engineer Regiment conducted infrastructure and criti- Divers had to qualify for diving operations at Lake Bastrop.
cal facilities assessments of a wastewater treatment plant, They conducted a simulated lifesaving and recovery mis-
barracks for housing evacuees and a low-water crossing sion of a missing person in the lake. In another validation
for a potential bridge. Utilizing their skills, experience and exercise, Guardsmen in boats searched for victims of a
knowledge, the Texas State Guard engineers and techni- simulated helicopter crash into the lake using dummies as
cians, who work alongside the Texas Commission on Envi- deceased persons in the water. If a victim was visible on
ronmental Quality and Federal Emergency Management the surface, Guardsmen on jon boats made the recovery.
Agency, are critical personnel resources that can support One boat team found a simulated victim tangled in brush
efforts by local communities to restore clean water and along the shoreline.
sewage systems and to assess infrastructure damage.
Guardsmen also located a second victim submerged at
At Camp Swift and Lake Bastrop, located near Bastrop, the bottom of the lake. Boat operators in chase boats set
Texas, the Texas Maritime Regiment validated deployment up dive perimeters for the divers’ safety. Divers had to

10 TheDISPATCH August 2019