(FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) - Labor Day weekend is a time when many families flock to Cape Cod for a summer sendoff seizing the opportunity to enjoy one last weekend basking in the good weather; however, families on Cape Cod are also taking the time to send off the members of the 181st Engineer Company.
The Sandwich-based unit is heading off to Afghanistan for their first mission overseas.
The company, also called the Cape Cod Pioneers, has been training for this mission for a year and will be stationed in Kandahar, Afghanistan for approximately one year.
Although members of the company are excited for their mission, it is a bittersweet day for them and their families.
Despite the difficulty of leaving family behind, and despite safety concerns, Capt. Adam Peterson told FOX 25 that his company is ready to go and ready to build.
"We're a vertical engineer company - we're composed of carpenters, plumbers, pipe fitters, interior electricians, our mission will be vertical construction," Peterson said.
The team of engineers will be building tall structures like guard towers, tactical operation centers, and dining facilities for U.S. troops with the intention of eventually handing it all over to Afghan security forces.
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