Photo By Maj. William Carraway | Command Sgt. Maj. Timothy Baker relinquishes the colors of the 878th Engineer...... read more read more
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The Georgia Army National Guard’s 878th Engineer Battalion celebrated exemplary non-commissioned officer leadership Jan. 23, 2022, as the unit bid farewell to U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Timothy Baker and welcomed Command Sgt. Maj. Willie Sanders as the new senior enlisted leader of the Augusta-based engineer battalion.
“Today is the day where the Pioneer Battalion observes the transfer of responsibility between two outstanding leaders,” said Maj. Kevin Holley, commander of the 878th EN BN addressing representatives of the seven companies that comprise the 878th.
Appointed in October 2019, Baker provided leadership and mentorship to the engineers of the 878th as they performed unprecedented missions as part of Georgia’s coordinated response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In September 2021, the 878th mobilized more than 150 personnel and five debris clearance packages that traveled more than 700 miles in two days to assist civil authorities in Louisiana following Hurricane Ida. Baker was among the first Georgia Army National Guard Soldiers on the ground coordinating for the arrival and employment of the engineers and their debris clearance equipment.
Command Sgt. Maj. Willie Sanders is a veteran engineer having previously served as first sergeant of the Swainsboro-based 810th Engineer Company, which is part of the 878th EN BN. Before assuming responsibility for the 878th EN BN, Sanders served as the command sergeant major of the Fort Stewart-based 3rd Infantry Division Main Command Post Operational Detachment.
“Command Sgt. Maj. Sanders comes highly recommended from the MCPOD,” said Holley. “He is the right NCO for the job. We deployed together ten years ago, and I look forward to serving with you again.”
The 878th Engineer Battalion formed in 1968 and carries on the proud legacy of the Richmond Hussars which first mustered in 1786. The Hussars served in the Creek War and American Civil War. As a cavalry troop, the unit mobilized to the Mexican Border in 1916 and deployed to France in 1918. In World War II, the unit was redesignated as an antiaircraft battery and deployed to the Pacific Theater of the war where it provided air defense over Henderson Field at Guadalcanal. The current units that make up the 878th have deployed multiple times to Iraq and Afghanistan over the past two decades. Personnel of the unit most recently activated in support of severe winter weather that impacted northeast Georgia in January.
| Date Taken: | 01.24.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 01.24.2022 14:54 |
| Story ID: | 413332 |
| Location: | AUGUSTA, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 252 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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