Photo By Maj. Charles Emmons | Soldiers from the Georgia Army National Guard's 177th Brigade Engineer Battalion stand...... read more read more
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Soldiers from the Statesboro-based 177th Brigade Engineer Battalion welcomed new leadership as the outgoing command team of Lieutenant Colonel Daniel M. Chicola and Command Sergeant Major Travis K. Rapp relinquished command and responsibility respectively to Major Craig A. Henderson and Master Sergeant Nicholas C. Ives during a ceremony October 16, 2022, at the battalion headquarters in Statesboro, Georgia.
The Ga. Army National Guard battalion is a component of the Macon-based 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. The 48th IBCT’s commander, Col. Jason Baker presided over the ceremony and praised the outgoing command team.
“Your contributions will have a lasting impact, and you are leaving behind yet another foundation for continued success,” said Baker. “Thank you for your both for your dynamic and versatile leadership.”
Chicola had commanded the battalion since December 2019, with he and Rapp flexing as leaders to meet unexpected missions in 2020 and 2021 including pandemic response, civil disturbance support, and Presidential Inauguration security.
“It was a very dynamic set of challenges and opportunities,” said Chicola. “Of course, we still had to complete all of our annual training requirements on top of it.”
In addition, the battalion maintained one of the highest retention rates in the Ga. ARNG.
“That is indicative of a positive command climate, the conduct of quality training, and a place where Soldiers are valued and can reach their full potential,” said Baker.
Most recently, the battalion completed the brigade’s Exportable Combat Training Capability exercise during annual training in Fort Stewart, Ga., conducting their engineer and Sapper qualification tables.
“We ran over 40 dismounted lanes and eight live fire lanes with our maneuver battalions and had no issues,” said Chicola, who will be continuing his service with the Ga. ARNG as a liaison officer assigned to the 648th Manuever Enhancement Brigade’s Main Command Post Operational Detachment (MCPOD).
Major Henderson, a resident of Powder Springs, brings a wide breadth of experience to the position as commander. He previously served in several developmental roles, including assistant S-4 (logistics), route clearance platoon leader during a combat rotation to Afghanistan, company commander, aide de camp to the commanding general of the Ga. ARNG, assistant operations officer, and cavalry squadron executive officer. He currently serves full-time as the Human Resource Plans Branch Chief in the state G1 (Administration) office.
The 177th BEB provides engineer support to maneuver commanders with organic engineer, military intelligence, signal, planning, and execution capabilities including breaching equipment, obstacle emplacement, explosive clearance, earth-moving vehicles, and other assets.
Redesignated in its current configuration in 2015, the 177th BEB has a rich history. Originally constituted in 1930, the battalion served as an artillery battery, and the Soldiers of Battery A, 264th Coast Artillery fought in World War II and the Korean War. Over time, the unit evolved into the 648th Engineer Battalion and was mobilized to Iraq in 2005. Two years later, they were reorganized as the 48th BSTB and deployed to Afghanistan a few years later.
| Date Taken: | 10.16.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 10.17.2022 20:57 |
| Story ID: | 431476 |
| Location: | STATESBORO, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 451 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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