Photo By Staff Sgt. April Mota | Brig. Gen. Glenn Hammond, III (left) and Command Sgt. Maj. Verna Henderson, of the...... read more read more
BAGHDAD, Iraq—Leaders of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 16th Engineer Brigade officially planted their flag in Baghdad, during a transfer of authority ceremony, Nov. 4, here, on Camp Liberty.
This deployment marks the second tour to the Middle East for the Ohio National Guard Soldiers. Currently, the 16th Engineer Brigade also has units serving in Afghanistan.
The ceremony marked the transfer of authority from the Louisiana National Guard's 225th Engineer Brigade to the 16th Engineer Brigade. The U.S. engineers now assume responsibility for providing support and coordination to civil reconstruction efforts in partnership with Iraqi army engineers.
"We look forward to standing shoulder to shoulder with the legendary 'First Team' Soldiers and the Iraqi Army's 6th, 9th, 11th and 17th Divisional Engineer Forces," said Brig. Gen. Hammond, before a mixed crowd, to include senior leaders of the Iraqi army and Federal Police. "As we assume our mission today, we do so not as individuals, but as one team. Our chin straps are fastened and we are ready to engineer another page in history. 'Iron Castle' is present for duty."
The 16th Eng. Bde. has a proud history of combat support. The brigade served in both World Wars, the Korean War and provided extensive engineering support to nations around the globe; including Cambodia, El Salvador, Germany, Honduras, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Jamaica, Madagascar, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Panama, Serbia, South Korea, Turkey and Vietnam.
Brigade troops have supported border patrol missions in Texas, as well as disaster relief and humanitarian assistance following Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Gustav.
In Sept. 2009, Soldiers completed mobilization training at Fort McCoy, Wis. They were validated on Army Warrior Training standards ensuring that each individual was ready for success in Iraq. These training tasks included weapons qualification, improvised explosive device defeat, entry control point operations, and detainee operations.
By mid October, Soldiers of the 16th Eng. Bde. had packed their bags and were off to Camp Buehring, Kuwait. Following a brief stay, consisting of in theater briefings, enemy threat classes, tactical training events and acclimatization to the desert environment, the brigade flew to their new home—Camp Liberty, Baghdad.
Since arriving in Baghdad, Soldiers of the 16th Engineers have worked side-by-side with the 225th Engineers to prepare for the official transfer of authority ceremony on Nov. 4th.
"The 225th has created a credible and sustainable partnership," said Brig. Gen. Owen Monconduit. "We've changed authority to the 16th today. The name of the brigade may have changed but the qualities remain the same."
| Date Taken: | 11.04.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 11.06.2009 02:14 |
| Story ID: | 41171 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 354 |
| Downloads: | 158 |
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