ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - “When we do training that doesn’t have a lot of real-world value it can be hard to stay motivated, but when we come together for the community, there is a real spirit about our work,” said Master Sgt. Salvo Parenti, an engineer with the 131st Bomb Wing’s Civil Engineer Flight.

“What hits you is when you visit these places you get a chance to visit with kids and people who will use the camp,” said Parenti.

This March, thirty-five 131st BW civil engineers head out from their home station, Jefferson Barracks Air National Guard Base in south St. Louis County, to Camp Kamassa near Crystal Springs, Mississippi. There, they will work alongside service members from other military branches building cabins, putting in gas, power, water and sewer lines, roads and more.

It’s all part of the Department of Defense’s Innovative Readiness Training or IRT. Which teams up the military with the community.

“How the IRT works is the non-profit or community typically provides the materials and basic services (facilities, construction material), while military units contribute manpower and training resources,” said Captain Jacob Colbert an engineer with the 131st Bomb Wing and heading up this years IRT with the 131st Bomb Wing.

According to The Mississippi’s Toughest Kids Foundation, the non-profit responsible for building Camp Kamassa, their partnership with the military has saved them six million dollars in labor costs. The Foundation must provide the supplies and the military provides the labor.

“It’s a win-win for everybody,” Colbert said. “Our team of engineers receives invaluable hands-on training, while the community is provided a much needed resource.”

Camp Kamassa is solely dedicated to those with disabilities, and will be the only one of its kind in Mississippi.

“Our team will be working with a group of Marine reservists to build several structures, all at various stages of completion,” said Parenti. “We have plumbers, structural specialists, and heavy machine operators. Everyone will get a chance to hone their skills, and also help create a camp for special needs children and adults.”

Parenti said the on-the-job training is crucial because it keeps the members trained and qualified in their specific jobs, which is especially helpful for Citizen-Airmen, who may only serve once a month

“It’s also important to get time in with the other military branches because in deployed environment that is who we will be working with, and it gives us a chance to learn from each other” he said.

IRT missions don’t just build, they also link military medical resources with local communities. In 2017, members of the 131st Bomb Wing’s Medical Group went to the Missouri Bootheel region to provide medical services to the local community, focusing on much needed dental care. They teamed up with other military medical personnel across the county to the cities of Charleston and Caruthersville to provide no-cost medical, dental, and ophthalmology.

Communities and nonprofit organizations throughout the United States can apply to have the military partner with them on projects like Camp Kamassa, which will be Mississippi’s first fully accessible year-round camp facility for children and adults with serious illnesses, physical and mental challenges and other special needs.

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