Photo By George Davis | The command team of the 812th Engineer Company (interior) are presented a readiness...... read more read more
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It was raining, cold and dark when the Soldiers of the 812th Engineer Company went to work. They would not prefer it any other way. Preparing for convoy operations is second nature for a Sapper company, with mobility operations as one of its core functions. When convoy operations are completed to standard, there are hundreds of operational checkpoints and the combat engineers of the 812th strive to check them all.
Members of the 812th Engineer Company (Sapper) conducted convoy operations from their unit readiness center in Lorain to Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, near Newton Falls, Ohio, where they began a new year by continuing to develop their unit readiness and combat capability. Fortunately, they were able to build upon the successes achieved during the previous year of training.
“The 812th Engineer Company finished the year with the highest-rated readiness in the medium-sized company category in the program that we use to measure readiness in the Ohio National Guard,” said Col. Andrew Stone, 16th Engineer Brigade commander.
The Ohio Army National Guard measures and tracks unit readiness as the critical measurement of the force's ability to respond with ready units whenever they are called to action. Readiness factors include having physically fit and healthy Soldiers with appropriate training levels relative to their positions. It means having a sufficient number of Soldiers who are ready to deploy at a moment's notice. This level of readiness can be achieved only when Soldiers stay in the Guard and continue to develop their individual and team skills.
“In 2019, the 812th had over a 70% retention rate, which is certainly one of the highest in the state,” said Lt. Col. Eric Holtzapple, 112 Engineer Battalion commander. “And this, I think, goes back to the NCO leadership, particularly at the E5 and E6 level. As the battalion commander, that’s what I see in this unit: NCOs that are driven to take care of Soldiers. Direct, accountable leadership is happening at every level in this unit.”
This level of Soldier retention is not built overnight. The company has worked long and hard to develop the required levels of readiness to be successful.
“There’s a culture here that’s been instilled within the Soldiers from at least since the former commander, Maj. Chad Apple, was in charge of this unit,” said Capt. Shaun Mitchell, 812th Engineer Company commander. “If you ask any of them, they will talk about how they enjoy being in the unit because of the culture and camaraderie they have with each other.”
Added Sgt. Cody Palmer: “We have a lot of really good guys in our unit. That’s what has kept me here as long as I have been. Our leadership has brought in a lot of that active duty mentality with the discipline, high-speed training and a faster paced training as compared to some of the other units I’ve been in.”
The strong culture of the 812th can be directly attributed to the unique nature of the Sapper company. Sappers are specialized combat engineers who focus on supporting front line infantry.
“We are a combat engineer company that focuses on mobility and countermobility operations,” Mitchell said. “We look primarily to do route recon, clear out roadways and help prepare follow-on missions by infantry units or other follow-on combat engineer units to come in and rebuild or restructure".
Palmer agreed: “Combat engineers are kind of our own entity within the engineer corps. Our job doesn’t deal as much with the heavy equipment operations. Demolitions, mobility, countermobility and survivability are our key things as engineers.”
Sappers are a storied and celebrated military tradition. They have fought in every war in American history. The 812th specifically has a distinguished military history.
“The 112th Engineer Battalion is the oldest and most decorated battalion in the state of Ohio," Holtzapple said. “When you look back at the lineage and honors of the 112th, most of the subordinate units have moved around. The only one that has not is the 812th Sapper Company. Their lineage and Honors can be traced back all the way to 183,7 when the battalion was formed.”
In 2019, the 112th Engineer Battalion celebrated the 75th anniversary of the landing of Normandy during World War II. Company, B, 112th Engineer Battalion, which eventually would become the 812th Engineer Company, was at Normandy June 6, 1944 with the battalion headquarters. However, it is to the future that the current members of the 812th are looking today as they conduct their training. Their noncommissioned officers are working to develop the next generation of leaders because the responsibility could fall to anyone in their ranks to take charge and lead the way.
“We’ll be working over the next year on teaming up with infantry units and dispersing our platoons as support; should those Infantry units encounter any engineering obstacles along the way,” Mitchell said.
“They could get split up by squad or platoon and get sent to an infantry company here or armored battalion there and do a mission and then come back,” Stone said. “They have to be able to operate independently of one another, not as one cohesive company but as a squad or a platoon; separate, alone and unafraid.”
Added Palmer: “That’s what got me in to being a combat engineer, besides getting to use explosives of course, but I also I like the fast paced, hands-on, constantly changing nature of the job. Being a combat engineer, we are very versatile, we can jump on engineer-heavy equipment or serve as infantry. And this mentality has given us an edge and has definitely put us ahead of the game, I think.”
Wherever or however the Soldiers of the 812th Engineer Company are called to serve, they have proven to be ready, willing and motivated, and plan on working hard to stay that way. The Soldiers of the 812th consider themselves the standard to which all other units in the Ohio National Guard should work toward -- Always ready, always there.
| Date Taken: | 01.11.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 12.31.2020 22:28 |
| Story ID: | 358835 |
| Location: | LORAIN, OH, US |
| Web Views: | 432 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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