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The U.S. Marines and Sailors of 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, known as the "Super Breed," have been honored as the combat engineer unit of 2023 by the Marine Corps Engineer Association.
This marks the second consecutive year the battalion has been selected as the unit of the year by the MCEA, a nonprofit organization that advocates for the combat engineer community within the Marine Corps and recognizes exceptional achievements among individual engineers and units.
“This award is an acknowledgement of the hard work that the Marines and Sailors of the battalion do on a daily basis,” said Lt. Col. Tyrone Barrion, the commanding officer of 1st CEB. “Anywhere there are 1st Marine Division units, there are usually 1st CEB Marines and Sailors in that formation.”
In the past year, the battalion has deployed roughly 500 Marines and Sailors in support of every division exercise across the globe, to include Marine Rotational Force – Darwin; the 13th, 15th, and 31st Marine Expeditionary Units, and three deployments to Okinawa.
“A lot of times when they’re attached to the different battalions within the division, they are just an attachment, and they don’t really get the acknowledgement that I think they deserve with their work,” said Sgt. Maj. Nicholas Carrel, the battalion sergeant major of 1st CEB. “This just shows the impact of the day-in and day-out effort that they're putting out.”
According to Barrion, much of the battalion's success can be attributed to the extensive revamp of its training program, which focused on small unit engineer tactics and techniques. The Sapper Leader’s Course was one of the main highlights, which all team and squad leaders were required to complete. This initiative quickly enhanced the battalion's structural competency by standardizing techniques, tactics, and procedures.
“I hope what it signifies for the future is that other Marines are looking at trying their best to become that person recognized, because in addition to the battalion being recognized, we actually had a Marine who was identified as utility Marine of the year,” noted Barrion.
Cpl. Gabriel McNulty, a fire team leader in the battalion’s utilities platoon, was named as the utilities Marine of the year for 2023. He held a staff noncommissioned officer billet for the majority of the year.
“As a utility Marine, often we are sent off into small teams deployed with other units,” said Master Sgt. Joseph Stanek, the utilities chief with 1st CEB. “You are relied upon at a low rank to be innovative and confident in your abilities. It was McNulty’s job and responsibility to make sure they had a constant uninterrupted supply of power so that everyone else could do their jobs.”
McNulty was one of the many Marines from 1st CEB who supported a multitude of overseas exercises in 2023. Throughout the MRF-D 2023 rotation, he supported exercises such as Talisman Sabre, Crocodile Response, Northern Edge and Predator Run.
“Without all of the Marines that share the 1164 MOS, field operations, training exercises and deployments would not be possible as most operations require power on some level to complete any given mission,” said McNulty.
The Marines and Sailors of 1st CEB not only support current missions but also are laying the groundwork for future advancements.
“The battalion is better postured to integrate with new formations in the division, to include the mobile reconnaissance battalion, fire support battalion, and new infantry formations because of the work it has put into developing new combat engineer techniques,” said Lt. Col. Christopher Kim, who served as the battalion’s commanding officer in 2023.
The award is a testament to the battalion’s dedication and innovation. By focusing on improving and evolving techniques and enhancing their skill set, they are setting the stage to be more effective in the future fight.
“Having the innovative mindset in this battalion, where the only limitation to how we can employ ourselves is our imagination,” added Barrion. “We are always looking for ideas from within and sometimes even outside of the battalion, on how we can best employ ourselves and build the combat power, combat effectiveness, and lethality of the division.”
| Date Taken: | 07.23.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.26.2024 19:58 |
| Story ID: | 479417 |
| Location: | CAMP PENDLETON, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 92 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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