Photo By Adam Holguin | First Lt. Eric Rueda, commander, 716th Engineer Company, walks from the Silas L....... read more read more
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FORT BLISS, Texas -- The 716th Engineer Company, a U.S. Army Reserve unit based out of Somersworth, New Hampshire and the 442nd Engineer Company, a Texas Army National Guard unit from Angleton, Texas, departed here for missions in the Middle East July 29. The 442nd Eng. Company departed as part of two chalks, the first departing with the 716th Eng. Company and the second leaving on Aug. 1.
The units completed pre-mobilization training with the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security in advance of their departure to the Middle East to complete missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Inherent Resolve.
Brig. Gen. Miyako Schanely, deputy commanding general, 412th Theater Engineer Command, came to Fort Bliss to see off the 716th Eng. Company was enthusiastic for the opportunities that both units will have.
“It will be a very exciting time for them,” Schanely said. “It’s a brand new mission, so they are going to be defining their work as they go, which always presents great opportunities to learn, grow, and try new things.”
First Lt. Eric Rueda, commander, 716th Eng. Company, outlined the overall mission that the vertical engineer unit will undertake.
“Our first stop is Camp Arifjan, and then we have follow on missions in several different theaters of operations throughout the U.S. Army Central Command,” Rueda said. “We are attached to a contingency engineer battalion, so basically anywhere there is a need, we can get pulled as a platoon, a whole company, as small teams.”
For Sgt. Nicholas Sanichkowsky, team leader, 716th Eng. Company, after 10 years in the Reserves, he is ready to embark on his first deployment and put his skills to work.
“Engineering has to be the best job in the world,” Sanichkowsky said. “We go to a place and we build something that stays there, you always see your mark, wherever you go.”
Although excited to deploy, Sanichkowsky described his feelings as a cautious excitement.
“I have the excitement building up, all these new and unknown things to me and I am cautious because I am not sure what to expect or how things are going to be,” Sanichkowsky said. “I’m ready to adjust fire with regards to the mission and be able to maximize my time with my troops, make sure we are healthy, mentally ready to go.”
The 442nd Eng. Company will be completing a route clearance mission in Afghanistan, a high risk mission that the unit has been preparing for a long time.
“Really our preparation started a couple of years back when we started getting different orders for this mobilization,” said 1st Lt. John Rader, leader, 1st Platoon, 442nd Eng. Company “For the past two years we have had that mindset of getting ready for route clearance.”
After completing training at the state level, including four weeks of pre-mobilization training with the state and a two-week annual training, the unit arrived to Fort Bliss to continue refining those skills, a time that was instrumental for the unit.
“It was spot on, the experiences, comradery, knowledge sharing that … provided this unit the type of training they needed,” said Capt. Gabriel Rodriguez, commander, 442nd Eng. Company. “We were limited on equipment that we had back at state; but being able to come here and get our full route clearance package, get the guys hands on training helped them.”
Overall morale was high and the expectations were positive for both the 716th Eng. Company and 442nd Eng. Company who spent their last hours stateside relaxed, but with focus and discipline needed for a nine-month deployment.
“We are ready to go,” said Rodriguez. “It’s like football; you got that preseason and you are training and training and now it is time for the real game, take everything we’ve learned and put it into play.”
| Date Taken: | 08.13.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 08.17.2015 17:30 |
| Story ID: | 173431 |
| Location: | FORT BLISS, TX, US |
| Hometown: | ANGLETON, TX, US |
| Hometown: | SOMERSWORTH, NH, US |
| Web Views: | 1,882 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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