Children provide free lemonade to Colorado National Guard members in Cokedale, Colo., Aug. 11, 2012. The 947th Engineer Company (Horizontal), Colorado Army National Guard, is installing culverts, cleaning ditches and repairing degraded dirt roads in the small town in southern Colorado. These repairs, in turn, will update and improve the town's infrastructure by directing storm water runoff away from building foundations, and improve the overall quality of life in the tiny town. The 35 Soldiers of 2nd Platoon have been working here since Aug. 4. According to town officials, Cokedale is also a National Historic District -- the only intact coal mining town in Colorado and one of a few remaining in the country -- so the Soldiers' work is also helping preserve history. This civil-military project is part of the National Guard’s Innovative Readiness Training program. Civil-military IRT projects enhance unit training and readiness, while filling a community need that is not otherwise being met. The unit must maintain its readiness by performing realistic training, and IRT projects provide a meaningful outlet for that training and help connect National Guard units with the communities they serve.
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Photo credit: © 508 collection / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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Keywords: 947, civil, cokedale, engineer, horizo, horizontal, lemonade
