Photo By Maj. Holli Nelson | Soliders from the West Virginia Army National Guard’s 863rd, 156th and 157th...... read more read more
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Soldiers from the West Virginia Army National Guard’s 863rd, 156th and 157th Military Police took part in a patching ceremony held Oct. 20, 2019, at the Glen Jean Armory in Glen Jean, W.Va.
The Soldiers, who formerly fell under the command of the 77th Brigade Troop Command, will now unite under the 111th Engineer Brigade, 771st Troop Command Battalion commanded by Lt. Col. Jamie Bowen.
Leaders from the WVARNG including Brig. Gen. Russel Crane, Assistant Adjutant General - Army, Command Sgt. Maj. Dusty Jones, State Command Sgt. Maj., Lt. Col. Tonya McGonegal, commander of the 77th Brigade, Col. Murray Holt, commander of the 111th Engineer Brigade, and senior enlisted advisors from both the 77th and 111th Brigades took part in the patching ceremony.
McGonegal lauded the impact that the military police companies have made for the 77th Brigade during their time under that command. She specifically noted recent successful deployments to Afghanistan and the significant accomplishments these units have made during various state active duty missions for natural disaster response and recovery.
The 111th Engineer Brigade, which is headquartered in Eleanor, West Virginia, is the largest brigade in the WVARNG and has oversight of three battalions - the 1092nd Engineer Battalion, the 771st Troop Command Battalion and the 772nd Aviation Troop Command Battalion.
The 111th Engineer Brigade is known as the “Black Diamond” brigade and their patch is red and white, which are the colors traditionally used by engineer units. The tower signifies the brigade’s engineer mission while the black diamond signifies military consistence to the nation, in times of war and peace, and the rich coal resources of the state. The powder horn signifies the 111th Engineer’s heritage as “minutemen for freedom.”
Holt, who oversees the Brigade, welcomed the military police Soldiers to the Black Diamond brigade and reminded them of the unique force structure capability that they bring to the unit.
“You all will bring the ability to enhance the domestic response capabilities of the 771st Troop Command Battalion for state active duty missions and CERFP operations,” he said. “You will also help enhance the force structure capabilities of the 111th. One of the key things we are planning for the future are combined arms training. By bringing together elements of the MPs, engineers, aviation, EOD, and possibly other units, we’ll be able to enhance training and interoperability as an organization.”
The 156th Military Police Law and Order Detachment and the 863rd Military Police Company (Maneuver Support) previously fell under the 1st Squadron, 150th Cavalry Regiment. The 156th MP Co.’s mission is to provide technical supervision, planning, employment and support coordination for police operations. The mission of the 863rd MP Co. is to provide military police support to an assigned area of operation and be able to execute all of the military police functions in support of a combatant commander.
The 157th Military Police Company (Maneuver Support) previously fell under the command responsibility of the 1st Battalion, 201st Field Artillery Regiment. Their missions is similar to that of the 863rd MP Co.
The three military police units will now make up the largest contingent of the 771st Troop Command Battalion.
| Date Taken: | 10.20.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 10.21.2019 10:38 |
| Story ID: | 348427 |
| Location: | GLEN JEAN, WEST VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 308 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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