WHEELING, W.Va. — Nearly 220 Army Reserve engineers made the Wheeling Island Marina their base for the weekend.
The Wheeling News-Register reports that they started on Friday to engage in a "battle assembly exercise" to build part of a "floating bridge" across the Ohio River back channel.
Officials say the soldiers were training to set up a collapsible bridge to transport vehicles over water obstacles. The units represented are 459th and 299th Engineer companies from Bridgeport, W.Va., and Fort Belvior, Va., respectively, and 463rd Engineer Battalion of Wheeling.
After they leave the marina today, officials said the troops should be prepared to handle a full exercise at Fort Chaffee, Ark. There, they will put together an entire bridge across the Arkansas River and send vehicles across.
