Photo By Staff Sgt. John C Garver | Maj. Christopher Berge, Commander of Troops, forms the officers and colors for the...... read more read more
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Story and photos by Cpt. Adam Cartier, 130th Engineer Brigade UPAR
SCHOFIELD BARRACKS – Soldiers, families, and friends of the 130th Engineer Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command gathered at Hamilton field for a change of command and change of responsibility, July 20.
The dual ceremony marked a change in leadership for the brigade after Col. Danielle J. Ngo, commander, and Command Sgt. Maj. Patrickson Toussaint, senior enlisted advisor, accepted the mantle of leadership as the brigade’s new command team.
“This brigade is an extremely valuable and versatile USARPAC asset and these Soldiers will not let you down,” said Col. Blace C. Albert, outgoing commander.
Under the command of Col. Albert and Command Sgt. Maj. Obeada the brigade provided the Pacific Command Theater with logistic, construction, combat, geospatial, dive, and general engineering support.
The focus of the ceremony involved the passing of the brigade colors, which represent the heritage and history of the unit, the loyalty of its Soldiers, and the commander’s authority.
As soon as Command Sgt. Maj. Obeada passed the brigade colors to Col. Albert, he stepped back and Command Sgt. Maj. Toussaint stepped forward to take his pace as the new brigade senior Noncommissioned Officer.
The colors were passed from the Col. Albert to Maj. Gen. Davidson to Col. Ngo and back to Command Sgt. Maj. Toussaint signaling the passing of authority and responsibility for the unit.
The 130th Engineer Brigade traces its lineage back to the 1303rd Engineer General Support Regiment, which was activated in July 1943 and was shortly thereafter deployed in support of both the European and Pacific Theaters in World War II. The unit also served in Operations Joint Endeavor, Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.
As the premier engineer unit in U.S. Army Pacific, the 130th Engineer Brigade is comprised of two battalions: The 84th Engineer Battalion (Construction Effects) and the 8th Special Troops Battalion, which are called upon consistently for engineering and logistic support across the Pacific Theater.
“The importance of the Pacific Theater at the strategic and operational level, I look forward to seeing the unit’s ability to meet the Army’s goal of providing a strategic advantage in a complex world,” said Col. Ngo.
Prior to the official ceremony, Maj. Gen. Susan Davidson presented the Legion of Merit to Col. Albert and Command Sgt. Maj. Obeada and awarded their spouses, Kelly Albert and Melania Obeda, the Army Engineer Association’s Essayons Award to honor their significant contributions to the morale welfare and spirit of engineer units and organizations.
| Date Taken: | 07.20.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 07.28.2016 16:13 |
| Story ID: | 205371 |
| Location: | SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, HI, US |
| Web Views: | 76 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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