Photo By Staff Sgt. Melanie Trollinger | Lt. Col. Nicholas Katers (left), commander, 84th Engineer Battalion, and Command Sgt....... read more read more
MOSUL, Iraq— The 84th Engineer Battalion cased its colors, passing responsibility of engineer operations in Ninewa province to the 779th Eng. Bn., during a Transfer of Authority ceremony at Contingency Operating Station Marez, Nov. 7.
The "Never Daunted" battalion's mission focus was construction projects, route-clearance operations and Iraqi security forces training.
"This has indeed been a busy year. When the battalion arrived in Mosul 12 months ago, this was a vastly different environment. Violence was all around us as we fought daily for the city of Mosul and Ninawa province," said Lt. Col. Nicholas W. Katers, commander, 84th Eng. Bn. "The first few months were difficult as it seemed the violence would not let up. Then, sometime in the spring, after several coordinated efforts, we turned a corner and things started to get better. As we get ready to leave this week I am proud to say that we helped make things better for the Iraqi security forces and more importantly, the Iraqi people. I am privileged today to case the colors of this great battalion for redeployment."
During its 12-month deployment, the 84th Eng. Bn. transported thousands of tons of construction materials, equipment and vehicles and repaired numerous roads and bridges throughout Multi-National Division-North. They also constructed three floating bridges across the Tigris River, ensuring freedom of movement for local residents, U.S. forces and Iraqi security forces. The battalion conducted over 120 combat construction missions and emplaced numerous security checkpoints and T-wall barriers. Responsible for ensuring safe travel on main and alternate supply routes, the 84th completed over 600 route-clearance missions in MND-N. Partnered with the 2nd and 3rd Iraqi Field Engineer Regiments, the 84th Eng. Bn. Soldiers also provided construction, route-clearance and counter —improvised explosive devise training for hundreds of Iraqi army soldiers.
As the 84th Eng. Bn. returns home to Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, the 779th has smoothly transitioned into conducting engineering operations in MND-N. The Army National Guard battalion, comprised of Soldiers from Fla., Ind., and W. Va., wished the 84th well on their return home and thanked them for their leadership and advice during the transition.
"The [779th] was formed from a signal battalion. Its existence as an engineer battalion has only been three years now. It's pretty significant that in such a short time we've gone from converting to engineers and now we're in a combat theater.
"We are writing a significant amount of history for Iraq and U.S. Soldiers, in that we can come in and see the final stages of the government of Iraq prepare to stand up by itself and conduct operations without U.S. support. Our final goal here is to assure they are ready to stand on their own as the U.S. begins its departure from the country," said Lt. Col R. Dwayne Jarriel, commander, 779th Eng. Bn.
| Date Taken: | 11.06.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 11.06.2009 15:38 |
| Story ID: | 41207 |
| Location: | MOSUL, IQ |
| Web Views: | 372 |
| Downloads: | 248 |
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