Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Costner | U.S. Army Reserve Cpt. Brendan Doran, and 1st Sgt. Joshua Land, Commander and First...... read more read more
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During Chemical Corps Regimental Week, the U.S. Army Reserve’s 414th Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Company, based in Orangeburg, South Carolina, received the 2025 Maj. Gen. William L. Sibert Award for excellence in chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear readiness and performance. The unit, led by Capt. Brendan Doran and 1st Sgt. Joshua Land, returned from a deployment supporting U.S. Central Command earlier this year.
“This award signifies, for me, the amount of hard work that the soldiers put in to be recognized for their efforts as a whole versus individual awards,” said 1st Sgt. Joshua Land, first sergeant of the 414th Chemical Company.
Honoring excellence in the Chemical Corps
Named after Maj. Gen. William L. Sibert, the first chief of the Chemical Warfare Service during World War I, the Sibert Award recognizes one top-performing chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) unit in each Army component: active duty, National Guard and Army Reserve. Evaluation criteria include individual and collective training, equipment maintenance, safety performance and organizational excellence.
Competing against CBRN units across the Army Reserve, the 414th Chemical Company distinguished itself through operational readiness, high safety standards and strong leadership practices.
A year of readiness and achievement
Over the past two years, the 414th executed a wide range of training exercises and mission support operations. In October 2023, the unit participated in a training rotation at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California.
“NTC was a big one, because that really set forth that dynamic of worst-case expectations. Then when we got into Texas doing all of the mobilization readiness for going overseas, all the medical stuff, all the administrative stuff, that was a big one.”
“We went to NTC, we had to take all of our organic equipment, to turn around and get it back to fully mission capable and be ready to ship out in January to go overseas, we had that maintenance to complete and make sure that we were meeting the standard,” said Land. “Then personnel wise, Soldiers came from all over the East coast, so developing the relationships with everybody coming from New York, all the way down through Florida, all the way out west towards Texas was a challenge.”
The 414th deployed in support of Operation Spartan Shield in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.
“Their flexibility, CBRN specialized skill sets, and ability to integrate seamlessly with all Army components made them indispensable in addressing diverse threats,” said Lt. Col. Jerry Graven, commander of the 457th CBRN Battalion. “During Operation Spartan Shield, the 414th responded and were ready for potential weapons of mass destruction proliferation and natural disasters. The 414th had vital capabilities in CBRN reconnaissance and mass decontamination. They trained multiple units throughout the AO, and their knowledge of CBRN operations ensured personnel received and utilized critical CBRN training to successfully complete the overall mission.”
Building a culture of excellence
The success of the 414th Chemical Company is grounded in strong noncommissioned officer leadership, attention to detail and a culture of accountability.
“Really driving home and pushing the soldiers,” said Land. “When we got into theater, it was pushing for training standards and making sure that everybody was training, everybody was involved in building partnerships and building trust amongst each other.”
The unit also emphasized cohesion and morale.
“That was challenging because of all the different personalities that we had. One way we did it was that we were fortunate to have a chaplain's assistant with us, and he held at a minimum quarterly barbecues, but if there was a holiday that month, he held a barbecue and we just came together as a team and developed that camaraderie through those MWR events, and I'll say it over and over, going back to trust in the competence and leadership for the unit,” said Land.
Looking ahead
As the U.S. Army evolves its approach to CBRN defense in a complex global environment, reserve component units like the 414th Chemical Company remain critical to mission success.
| Date Taken: | 06.02.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.16.2025 17:06 |
| Story ID: | 500750 |
| Location: | FORT LEONARD WOOD, MISSOURI, US |
| Hometown: | ORANGEBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 162 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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