By Sgt. 1st Class Robert Timmons
4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Public Affairs
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Capt. Chad Edlund took command of Company Alpha, 4-1 Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division from Capt. Terrance Alvarez during a ceremony at Forward Operating Base Falcon, June 22.
Company Alpha is the sole engineer company organic to the 4th BCT, and is tasked with keeping the roads clear of improvised explosive devices.
Lt. Col. Joseph Birchmeier, 4-1 BSTB commander said that Alvarez, who arrived at the unit in 2005, "when you could count all of the battalion on one hand," was an efficient leader who helped prepare the brigade for deployment to Iraq.
Birchmeier also said Edlund will continue the tradition set by Alvarez.
"It feels good to take command," Edlund said after the ceremony. "I have been waiting 4 years for this since I made captain. I wish my family could witness this, but just not here."
The unit's mission is a dangerous one. They go out before dawn to slowly scour the streets for any types of explosive devices that could injure coalition or Iraqi forces. The company lost 1st Lt. Ryan Jones and Spc. Astor Sunsin-Pineda to an improvised explosive device (IED) while on a route clearance patrol.
"Our mission is critical," said Edlund, who was born in 1978. "This is something that is not overlooked by brigade. The battalions are looking to us to ensure their safety."
During the current deployment, the "Sappers" of Company Alpha, have gone on 130 missions covering more than 100 km and found more than 30 IEDs, Birchmeier said.
For one Soldier who used to serve with Edlund in the brigade engineer cell, he is the best man for the job.
"He is very knowledgeable, professional and more than capable of handling the company," said Sgt. 1st Class Troy Mulliger, who worked with Edlund for more than a year. "He easily adapts and overcomes any difficulty."
During the brigade's National Training Center rotation in November 2006, the engineer cell was having trouble tracking IEDs, Mulliger said, until Edlund helped create a successful tracking system that the brigade still uses.
"His leadership style is what will help him," the Canandaigua, N.Y. native said. "He is kind of laid back and easy to get along with, but if he needs to get in your face he will. But, he is not a hothead – he will do very well."
Alvarez, who Birchmeier said went "from building the unit training to building the team," was proud to serve with the Sappers.
"They proved their mettle at Patrol Base Dog," Alvarez, a graduate of Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania in 1996, said to the company. "Though the requirements are complex, you have remained flexible."
Alvarez, who is going to be the brigade liaison officer at the 1st Cavalry Division, has a bachelor's degree in classical literature and a master's in arts and public policy from Webster's University. He is married to Leslie Hufstedler Alvarez and has two children, Christian, 9, and Gracie, 2 .
Edlund is married to Erin Peterfeso, an officer in the Army Nurse Corps and has two children, Josh, 4, and Lauren, 2, and is expecting a baby girl in August.