Photo By 1st Sgt. Jessica Barnett | Lt. Col. Robert F. Whittle, a native of Mystic, Conn., and battalion commander of 1st...... read more read more
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CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – Soldiers of the 1st Engineer Battalion, 130th Engineer Brigade, out of Fort Riley, Kan., celebrated their battalion's 164th birthday with a fun-filled week of events on Contingency Operating Base Speicher, near Tikrit, Iraq, May 17 - 20.
The events promoted battalion pride and emphasized the battalion's remarkable long-standing history, while providing a time for Soldiers to relax.
The first event, the anti-vehicular ditch and berm relay, consisted of 36 Soldiers from each company running in two groups of 18. Each group ran one mile, completing a total of 36 miles. The 573rd Clearance Company, 1st Eng. Bn., 130th Eng. Bde., out of White Sands Missile Range, N. M., won with a time of 14:27.
During their deployment, the Soldiers of 1st Eng. Bn. constructed a 36-mile-long berm that extended toward the Syrian border to provide security in Northern Iraq. It took them 45 days to complete.
"The mission is significant to the battalion because it was difficult, but taught our Soldiers the value of working together to accomplish a great task," said 1st Lt. Gustavo D. Madrigal, a native of Blythe, Calif., and the electronic warfare officer for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Eng. Bn. "So we decided that it would be fun to run the length of the berm and a great way to honor all the Soldiers that participated in the mission. Like the berm, the Soldiers worked together as a team to accomplish the [36-mile run]."
The commemoration continued with a softball tournament won by the Forward Support Company, 1st Eng. Bn., 130th Eng. Bde., and a tug-of-war competition the following day, conquered by the 573rd Clearance Company.
The last day of the celebration, 1st Engineer History Day, started with a four-mile run in the bright morning sun. Winners of each category - junior enlisted, non-commissioned officers, and officers of each gender - received Certificates of Appreciation from Lt. Col. Robert F. Whittle, a native of Mystic, Conn., and battalion commander of 1st Eng. Bn., and 1st Sgt. Chad M. Lokken, a native of Parker, Colo., and acting command sergeant major of the battalion.
The day continued with "Diehard time", a presentation of the battalion's history and accomplishments to date. During the presentation, Lt. Col. Whittle also handed out the first deployment coins to a "Diehard Hero" of each company for going above and beyond their daily duties. Certificates were also awarded to winners of the past events.
The 1st Eng. Bn. can be traced back to May 15, 1846, at West Point, N.Y. From that time, the battalion has served in every major conflict around the world, except Korea, earning 62 decorations and campaign streamers and eight foreign awards, according to the 1st Eng. Bn. Web site.
The dozens of streamers and awards that proudly display the battalion's history on the 1st Eng. Bn. colors greatly exemplifies their motto - "No Mission too Difficult, No Sacrifice too Great – Duty First! Always First! Diehard!" This also gives the Soldiers of the 1st Eng. Bn. something to celebrate and be proud of.
"We wanted to take some time out this week to remind the Soldiers that we are the oldest engineer battalion in the Army," said Lt. Col. Whittle. "Part of it is to honor the Soldiers that came before us and make sure that we recognize the great contributions that they made and the legacy they left us. An additional part of it is to make sure each of our Soldiers know what an important organization they're a part of. They can take that on and embody it.
"My fondest hope is that each and every one of our Soldiers … will look at this as one of the greatest time periods they had. That their contribution to the 1st Engineers Battalion, to the U.S. Army, to their nation, during this deployment and their time in the Army is the thing that they are most proud of."
| Date Taken: | 05.20.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 05.24.2010 02:18 |
| Story ID: | 50139 |
| Location: | CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, IQ |
| Web Views: | 408 |
| Downloads: | 180 |
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