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Video by Staff Sgt. Douglas Anderson

Army Reserve Soldiers provide relief for nature preserve visitors

318th Theater Public Affairs Support Element

May 22, 2016 | 6:40

Nestled in the foothills of the San Joaquin Valley lies one of the last vestiges of the oak riparian forest, an area with a unique ecosystem where various animals and plant life exist in harmony. The Kaweah Oaks Preserve allows visitors the ability to experience nature as it once was before settlements and farming took over most of this area.
The 672nd Engineering Company, out of Missoula, Montana, is spending five months at this site, performing various repairs at the preserve and constructing a permanent restroom facility for the visitors. They are working as part of the Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) program in which the Army Reserve provides services for community programs and entities such as the Kaweah Oaks Preserve. The idea behind the IRT program is to provide a community service while allowing Army Reserve units to train and practice their skills. The 672nd is proof that this program is very successful.
“Soldiers get a chance to learn their skills in the classroom and apply those skills with hands-on experience,” explained First Lt. Renn Scott, executive officer of the 672nd Engineer Company.
“Having five months out here give Soldiers the chance to do things right instead of having to rush through a project, and enables the Soldiers the chance to do things they don’t always have the chance to do in other missions. It really adds to their readiness as a unit,” said Scott.
The IRT mission also takes advantage of civilian skills and gives lower ranking Soldiers the chance to teach higher ranking Soldiers new skills. This is unique in the Army Reserve; typically in the active component of the Army, skills and experience come with rank. The civilian experience in the Reserve adds to the capability of the unit.
After the project is over, the visitors to the Kaweah Oaks Preserve will enjoy updated facilities and the Soldiers of the 672nd will have additional construction skills that make them that much more of an asset to the Army Reserve and active component of the Army.