62nd FEST-A returns from Pacific region mission

Photo By Ana Allen | JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii, -- (April, 1, 2021) Members of the 62nd Forward Engineer Support Team – Advance (FEST-A) returned from a mission within the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command area of operation today where they conducted technical engineering site assessments to support U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and U.S. Army Pacific posturing initiatives. Command Sgt. Maj. Douglas Galick (pictured right), Pacific Ocean Division’s senior enlisted advisor greeted the team at the Air Force passenger terminal on the Hickam side, personally thanking experts for their commitment to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) mission, which includes international work. Also pictured is LTC Nikki Smith (left), POD G3. Not pictured are POD Senior Executive Service members, Damon Lilly, POD director of programs, and Brian Kamisato, POD regional business director, who were also present to greet the returning team members. The team is in Hawaii for a layover and is expected to return to their permanent duty locations now that the mission has concluded. FEST-A members pictured are Maj. Joseph Betz (second from left), 62nd FEST-A commander, Joseph Gonglik (third from left), Philadelphia District structural engineer, Leslie Huynh (center), Sacramento District civil engineer, Stephen Pranger (third from right), Army Engineer Research and Development Center chemical engineer, and Master Sgt. Brian Rethage, senior enlisted member of 62nd FEST-A. The 62nd FEST is commanded out of the USACE Alaska District.  

HONOLULU, HAWAII, UNITED STATES

04.01.2021

Story by Ana Allen 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Pacific Ocean Division

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii, -- (April, 1, 2021) Members of the 62nd Forward Engineer Support Team – Advance (FEST-A) returned from a mission within the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command area of operation today where they conducted technical engineering site assessments to support U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and U.S. Army Pacific posturing initiatives.

Command Sgt. Maj. Douglas Galick, Pacific Ocean Division’s senior enlisted advisor greeted the team at the Air Force passenger terminal on the Hickam side, personally thanking experts for their commitment to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) mission, which includes international work. “The strength of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is it’s people and the immense reach-back capability leveraged across the entire enterprise. FEST-A is a great example of this – our world-renowned experts coming together in support of U.S. military partner strategic missions in the Pacific. This team of professionals is a shining example of USACE’s overall commitment to serving in any environment and in the face of engineer challenges great and small. A job well done by these outstanding team members,” Galick said.

The team is in Hawaii for a layover and is expected to return to their permanent duty locations now that the mission has concluded. FEST-A members pictured are Joseph Gonglik, Philadelphia District structural engineer, Stephen Pranger, Army Engineer Research and Development Center chemical engineer, and Leslie Huynh, Sacramento District civil engineer. “We had a great mission. The team was resilient and overcame several challenges and continued to develop and build skills through our new experiences,” Huynh said.

The 62nd FEST is commanded out of the USACE Alaska District, led by Maj. Joseph Betz and Master Sgt. Brian Rethage.

ABOUT FEST-A:
The Forward Engineer Support Team - Advance (FEST-A) is an expeditionary eight-person team of engineers that provide rapidly deployable engineering capability in civil, electrical, mechanical, structural, environmental, and auto-computer-aided design and drafting/geospatial disciplines. The FEST-A provides responsive technical engineer support, design capability, and project programming to support U.S. Forces during military contingencies.

• Date Taken: 04.01.2021
• Date Posted: 04.21.2021 16:38
• Story ID: 393121
• Location: HONOLULU, HAWAII, US