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Each year, more than 8,000 engineer equipment operators and mechanics from all services train at Fort Leonard Wood-on more than 25 different models of equipment, totaling more than 700 vehicles. The 577th Engineer Battalion conducts most of this training at the Normandy Training Area (TA) 244, also known as the "million-- dollar hole" because of the value of the equipment there. TA 244 is 900-plus acres that consist of 18 remote equipment-- operation sites with a centralized hub of maintenance bays, maintenance-training facilities, and administrative buildings.
Unfortunately, many of the post's training areas need considerable work to bring them up to standard. To correct some of the shortcomings, the Ist Engineer Brigade initiated several projects for the most heavily used areas. The main focus is on TA 244, where 16 upgrades are planned for six of the sites that require varying degrees of the same basic improvements. These remote sites consist mostly of open, graded fields used for hands-on equipment-operation training. Typically, the equipment is parked in the mud or on a slightly improved gravel surface. Some of the sites have a small temporary or semipermanent structure that is used for...