By U.S. Army Sgt. Robert Larson
LOGAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – After several months of training, the 54th Engineer Battalion took the reins from 27th Engineer Battalion at a transfer-of-authority ceremony at Forward Operating Base Shank, Dec. 4
The 54th Eng. Bn. began its mission of engineer support in Regional Command-East through counter-improvised explosive device missions within six provinces.
The battalion, based at Bamberg, Germany, assumed the task of route clearance in Wardak, Logar, Nangahar, Konar, Nuristan, and Laghman provinces from the Fort Bragg, N.C.-based 27th Eng. Bn., Task Force Tiger. During its deployment, the 54th Eng. Bn. will be known as Task Force, a name reflecting the unit’s history as well as its roots in Germany. Dolch is the German word for dagger.
During the ceremony, the Soldiers of both task forces gathered to signify the change of the mantle from TF Tiger to TF Dolch.
“There is no real permanence to a military organization except for the colors,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Angelita Bridges of Tupelo, Miss., TF Dolch retention noncommissioned officer. “It is the colors that bear the history of the unit, its battles, its campaigns and its accomplishments.”
The uncasing of the battalion’s colors signifies the completion of the TOA and the assumption of responsibility for route-clearance operations in RC-East. It is an important occasion, one that shows the commitment and dedication of the unit to its new mission in Afghanistan.
Both battalions did their best to prepare for the transfer, with TF Tiger passing TF Dolch Soldiers and leaders much of the knowledge they had acquired over the past year to ready the 54th for its job during the year to come.
“That way, they won’t have to reinvent the wheel,” said U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Malcolm Simons of Fayetteville, N.C., TF Tiger command sergeant major.
Task Force Tiger helped train soldiers of the 54th Eng. Bn. on multiple tasks ranging from day-to-day operations to using some of the newest equipment in theatre, including the newest two-passenger Husky route-clearance vehicle.
Soldiers learned the tactics, techniques and procedures that were effective for TF Tiger and how to implement them in their own operations. The learning experience gave the outgoing soldiers a sense of closure and the incoming soldiers knowledge needed to execute properly during their deployment.