Photo By 1st Sgt. HollyAnn Nicom | Susie and Jerry Huber, relatives of Capt. Joshua Kupchella, commander of 252nd...... read more read more
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. - Pennsylvania Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to 252nd Engineer Company, 103rd Engineer Battalion, 213th Regional Support Group were honored in a deployment ceremony April 5.
The Soldiers trained and re-trained during the last year for their upcoming mission to Afghanistan assisting coalition forces there.
“This ceremony is designed to publically recognize the Soldiers of the 252nd Engineer Company for their self-less service and their dedication to the mission that they are set to embark upon in defense of this great nation,” said Lt. Col. Christopher McDevitt, commander of 103rd Engineer Bn.
The 252nd Soldiers spent more than two weeks at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pa., where they learned and refreshed such skills as land navigation, individual movement techniques, low visibility driving, Modern Army Combatives, and combat life saving.
Speaking to the 250 supporters gathered in the auditorium, McDevitt said, “During my 25-plus years serving in the military I have never seen a unit as fine as yours. You are ready.”
Many Soldiers assigned to 252nd Eng. Company volunteered for the deployment, leaving their organic units and re-classing from their military occupational specialties.
“I volunteered to join when they put it out through the battalion, they were looking for volunteers to go overseas,” said Pfc. Jordan Farson, heavy equipment operator with the 252nd Eng. Company. “Originally I was a 12-Bravo, which is a combat engineer. I had to get re-classed to 12-November, which is a heavy equipment operator.”
We run equipment, anything from bulldozers, to dump trucks, excavators, added the Marysville, Pa., native.
The Soldiers trained as horizontal engineers, able to deconstruct existing buildings, but more importantly assist with building local infrastructure, including pipe work, roadway rebuilding and airport construction.
Each member of the deploying unit is confident in their ability to complete the mission.
“I’ve been with the unit for three years now,” said Sgt. Richard Doran, heavy equipment operator with the 252nd Eng. Company. “We’ve been training for the last 18 months to reach this moment. A lot of us have gone through extra training just to get to this moment.”
“I feel very confident we will complete our mission, any mission that we are given we will complete it,” added Doran, who calls West Newton, Pa., home.
Staff Sgt. Michael Lark, who previously deployed to Iraq with the 131st Transportation Company, 728th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 213th RSG, as truck driver, volunteered to deploy this time as the operations noncommissioned officer, organizing and tracking movement within the company.
He too is confident of the unit and its leadership.
“The leadership within the company is very, very well put together,” said Lark, who hails from Royersford, Pa. “And watching the new upper-echelon [noncommissioned officers] fit in the way they have is the only time in my career I’ve seen it done the way it has been so far. It was a very easy transition to come in here. Everybody works very well together.”
The Soldiers prepared for time spent away from family in addition to the mission, spending time with family before, during and after the ceremony.
“We spent a lot of time together in the last couple of months. Did a lot of family time,” said Lark, a father of two. “A lot of going out to eat, a lot of movies, play time with the kids.”
For many other Soldiers, the deployment marks their first. The separation from family and friends presents a new challenge to them.
“I’ve been in the military six years and this is my first time going overseas anywhere,” said Sgt. Benjamin Leib, also a heavy equipment operator with the 252nd. “In certain aspects of things, I’m looking forward to it. In other ways it’s going to be pretty tough on myself and obviously my family I’m leaving behind.”
Kupchella thanked the families for their support and flexibility during the train up for the deployment.
“I definitely cannot forget the families,” said Kupchella, who calls Strongstown, Pa., home. “The long times away, the last minute changes, training which seemed like every week this year, would not be possible without your support. Thank you.”
After leaving Pennsylvania, the 252nd Engineer Company will continue training at Fort Bliss, Texas before traveling to Afghanistan.
| Date Taken: | 04.05.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 04.06.2014 16:16 |
| Story ID: | 124558 |
| Location: | JOHNSTOWN, PA, US |
| Hometown: | MARYSVILLE, PA, US |
| Hometown: | ROYERSFORD, PA, US |
| Hometown: | STRONGSTOWN, PA, US |
| Hometown: | WEST NEWTON, PA, US |
| Web Views: | 455 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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