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NEWS PAGE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 31, 2006
1ST INFANTRY DIVISION’S
82ND ENGINEERS TAKE ON NEW ROLE AS
BATTALION INACTIVATES
By Spc. Joe Alger
82nd Engineer Battalion inactivates, transforms
BAMBERG, Germany – Soldiers and family members in the Bamberg military community
witnessed the end of an era March 30 2006 at Warner Barracks with the inactivation of the
82nd Engineer Battalion. The battalion, which was activated
as the 1st Battalion, 39th Engineer Combat Regiment in April, 1942, was only the second combat engineer
battalion in the United States Army to mechanize. During their time
in the Army, the “Blue Babe” served in World War II, Operation Desert Storm, Bosnia, Kosovo and Operation Iraqi
Freedom II before receiving their orders to inactivate. While the unit may
be inactivated, it is also transforming.
According to MAJ Joel Quinn, 82nd Engineer executive officer, the battalion
will officially become the “Special Troops Battalion,” for the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team in
Vicenza, Italy, following its inactivation. The battalion, Quinn
said, will consist of about 30 Soldiers from the 82nd who are either airborne qualified or have the desire to go
to airborne school. The battalion will be made up of four companies; a Headquarters and Headquarters Company, an Engineer
Company, a Military Intelligence Company and a Signal Company. Quinn said the battalion will basically “provide
combat multipliers for the brigade.” The transformation has
been an ongoing process which began around September of 2005 when the 82nd Engineer Soldiers began turning in their
4,839 pieces of equipment. Some of the equipment, Quinn said, was turned
in to U.S. Army Europe for them to “re-build, and redistribute” to other units. Other equipment the 82nd
Engineers would need to keep when they became the Special Troops Battalion was laterally transferred to that unit, and the
remaining equipment was laterally transferred to the 82nd Engineers sister battalion, the 9th Engineer
Battalion, to help prepare them for an upcoming deployment to Iraq.
Along with the large turn-in of equipment,
which was completed in January 2006, came the reassignment of many Soldiers. Over
the last several months, Soldiers who did not wish to stay with the Special Troops Battalion have either been assigned to
other units in USAREUR or throughout the Army. Since returning form Iraq in early 2005, the battalion is down from around
418 Soldiers to 138.
LTC Gerald P O’Connor, 82nd
Engineer commander, who took command immediately prior to the unit’s deployment to Iraq, said his 26 months as the battalion
commander have been very rewarding. “I’m proud to have
had the honor to command a great battalion with a great history,” O’Connor said. “It’s been
very rewarding facing the challenges of having to command in two totally different environments; first being in Iraq for a
year and then coming back and going through the process of turning in equipment and taking care of Soldiers and helping them
with their reassignment process.” While O’Connor said
retiring the colors of the 82nd Engineers for the final time was a bittersweet moment, he knows it is necessary
for the advancement of today’s Army. “Watching all the
Soldiers leave and casing the colors is very emotional and sad, but at the same time, it’s necessary to support the
transformation goals of our Army.” (Story by SPC Joe Alger, 1st Infantry Division Public Affairs)
Capt. Bryan Sizemore of the 54th Engineer Battalion
of V Corps' 130th Engineer Brigade recently returned from deployment to Operation Iraqi Freedom. His wife, Capt. Sandra Sizemore,
is preparing to deploy for the second iteration of Operation Iraqi Freedom with her unit, the corps' 82nd
Engineer Battalion, 1st Infantry Division. (Photo courtesy of the Sizemores)
NEWS RELEASE
HEADQUARTERS
UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND
IRAQI AND COALITION FORCES CONDUCT RAIDS, CAPTURE
INSURGENTS
1/7/2005
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Iraqi and multinational forces
conducted multiple raids recently capturing insurgents and improvised explosive device materials.A task force from the U.S.
Army’s 82nd Engineers and the 213th Iraqi National Guard captured a suspected insurgent in Kan’an Dec. 27. In
an early morning raid the teams surrounded the target house and captured the suspect without incident.The 204th Iraqi National
Guard conducted a joint village engagement in Jayzania, meeting with local villagers, discussed security issues and handed
out pro-Iraqi security forces flyers and handbills to the villagers.On Dec. 29, the 205th Iraqi National Guard captured the
brother of an insurgent leader in the Muqdadiyah area. The suspect, Kahzil Mohsen Shalesh, is still at large, but his brother
Hazil Mohsen Shalesh was captured and is giving information about the possible whereabouts of his brother.Also in Muqdadiyah
the 205th Iraqi National Guard and a U.S. task force, in two separate raids captured men suspected of placing IEDs, seized
their weapons and IED supplies Jan 1. The ING captured Amir Saleh Ismael and Ahmed Qumra Isaa while placing IEDs. The two
are suspected of attacking the ING Dec. 29. The two also confessed to placing an IED in another location. The two confessed
to the location of another IED and a patrol found a 155mm white phosphorus round with detonation cord. In a second raid, three
high value targets Arkan Jawad Jari, Majid Abdul Hameed Kazim and Muthana Kahdum Al Madawwere, are all suspected of being
part of an IED cell. The weapons found consisted of five 82mm mortar rounds, nine AK-47s, IED materials, one mortar site,
two RPG sites and a RPK heavy machine gun.
NEWS RELEASE
SPC STEPHEN BAACK
Lt. Col. Gerald P. O’Connor, commander of the 1st infantry Division's 82nd Engineer Battalion, awards a Combat Action
Badge to 1st Lt. Eric Nelson, one of 70Soldiers from the battalion presented the badge atWarner Barracks in Bamberg, Germany
January 27.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 30, 2006
SOLDIERS OF 1ST INFANTRY DIVISION ENGINEER
By Spc. Stephen Baack1st
Infantry Division Public Affairs OfficeBAMBERG, Germany -- Nearly 300 Soldiers
of the 1st Infantry Division’s 82nd Engineer Battalion
received Combat Action Badges recently, and 70 of those Soldierswere
presented their badges at a ceremony at Warner Barracks here January 27. Approved
by the Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker last May,
the CAB recognizes any Soldier who is “personally present and actively engaging or being engaged by the enemy, and performing satisfactorily
in accordance with the prescribed rules of engagement.”
Attached to the division's 3rd Brigade while deployed in 2004 in support of the second iteration of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Task Force 82nd Engineers conducted combat operations, stability and support missions, and provided security to thepeople of Iraq. “For
an entire year, you executed your duties relentlessly,” battalion Commander Lt. Col. Gerald P. O’Connor told the awardees, part of a group of 289 Soldiers of the 82nd who earned the badge for their Iraq service. “Whether it was recruiting and
training the new Iraqi army; compassionately extending a helping
hand to those willing to make their country a better nation,
or striking a poised rattlesnake decisively, you exemplified
the Warrior Ethos in everything you did.” Prior to the
CAB presentation, ceremony attendees stood for a moment of silence in remembrance
the battalion’s Sgt. Charles Webb and Spc. Isaac Nieves, who were awarded
the badge posthumously. “The badge recognizes combat action
against a determined enemy, and is testament of your reaction
to contact where you were decisively taking the fight to the enemy,” said O’Connor. “Wear this badge of honor proudly and remember those who fought along your side. Also remember the hundreds of Soldiers who earned this badge that are unable to attend such ceremonies, as they paid the ultimate
sacrifice.”
by Spc. Sherree Casper, 196th MPAD
FORWARD
OPERATING BASE GABE, BAQUBAH, Iraq –
“Hopefully nothing goes boom.” Less than 24 hours after arriving at this forward operating base near Baqubah,
2nd Lt. Eric Nelson found himself uttering those ominous words after finding a suspected improvised explosive device. Nelson
commands 3rd Platoon, Charlie Company, 82nd Engineer Battalion, 1st Infantry Division.On this day the platoon comprised the
3rd Brigade Combat Team’s Quick Reactionary Force. Quick being the optimum word. While on a lunch break from patrolling
Blue Babe Highway, the QRF received word that an IED had been spotted alongside Canal Road east of FOB Warhorse. Soldiers
barely had time to grab their lunch and go. Within moments, a small convoy of humvees was racing to the reported location
“It’s hard to catch them,”
said Sgt. Joshua S. Staderman, a combat engineer tapped as a gunner for the mission. The Oklahoma City, resident was referring
to the enemy insurgents who planted the IEDs designed to maim and kill Soldiers as well as innocent Iraqis. From the beginning
of July until mid-August, Staderman has been in five IED explosions, escaping injury each time.“Being on QRF is like
being a firefighter, you’re on call,” said Nelson, who graduated this summer from the Engineer Officer Basic Course
at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. “We are supposed to be the first ones to respond to a scene. ”The QRF may encounter
everything from IEDs to Rocket Propelled Grenade attacks to small arms firefights and ambushes. Sgt. 1st Class Mark Patterson
said the mission of the QRF is to secure Blue Babe Highway. To its credit, the 3rd BCT’s QRF has been very successful
in that task. Patterson said there has been a 30 percent decrease in IEDs along the stretch of roadway in the last three months.
“Normally we find an IED by hitting them,” he said. “That’s probably the easiest way to find them.
It’s not the preferred method of finding them.” Patterson said having up-armored humvees has lessened Soldiers’
casualties. Only the week before, the vehicle Patterson was riding in was struck by an IED. “It was a huge blast,”
he said. “We got hit, but kept moving.” Except for some pain to his ears, Patterson and his crew were unscathed
by the attack. The up-armored humvee proved its mettle. “Up-armored vehicles are great. If you don’t have one
you are wrong. If Soldiers don’t have one the unit is wrong. The Army needs to get more up-armored humvees.” He
said sometimes while on patrol, the QRF finds itself positioned in a certain location for an extended period of time. “You
might have someone take a shot at you and you’ll pursue that person for maybe an hour,” Patterson said. “It’s
pretty hard to find them. It’s pretty much like chasing a rabbit most of the time.”
Nelson, who calls Jackson, Miss., home,
said his first hours on the job have been an eye-opener. “I know what to look for from now on,” he said. Of course,
he appeared to be among some seasoned QRF veterans.“ We are glorified infantrymen that know how to play with demo,”
Staderman said. After arriving on the scene, the QRF was advised by local Iraqis where the suspected IED was buried. “If
they don’t blow up on us we usually blow them up,” said Spc. Justin A. Hayse, a combat engineer from Plainfield,
Ind. Staff Sgt. Ivan D. Cruz uncovered red and green wires coming from a small black box buried beneath a small mound of dirt
along Canal Road. “It’s time to play in the dirt,” Hayse said. At first the QRF tried to destroy the suspected
IED themselves.“ A 50 cal. ought to move some stuff,” Nelson said.“ Light her up,” Staderman said.
When the rounds failed to get the job done, the QRF requested it be allowed to blow up the suspected IED with C-4. Instead
they are put in a holding pattern until the Explosives Ordnance Detonation team arrived. The EOD experts were instead tasked
with the mission of getting rid of the suspected IED. In the end, the EOD found that it has blown up remnants of a former
IED that had exploded, but had not been disposed of. But the QRF Soldiers found it’s better to be safe than sorry.
NEWS RELEASE
Welcome home, soldier Hailey National Guard scout returns on leave from Iraq
by MATT FURBER May
25th, 2005 Spc. Casey Markwell,
19, a scout with the reconnaissance unit of the Idaho National Guard based in Hailey, returned home Monday for a two-week
leave from Kirkuk, Iraq. He is the first member from his unit that departed last November to come home on leave. Markwell
and his fellow soldiers in the Idaho National Guard are serving with the Army's 82nd Engineers.
"I am glad to be home. I miss home," Markwell said,
after his mother, Brenda, hugged and kissed him as he stepped out of the plane at Friedman Memorial Airport. She just happens
to work for SkyWest Airlines and pushed a luggage cart out on the tarmac to collect her son's duffel bag from the aircraft
before she escorted him into the terminal. Markwell
was one of the last passengers off the plane. Family and friends worried momentarily that he missed his connection in Salt
Lake City. "There he is. He looked
so much younger when he left," joked Caron McNamara, as an older gentleman exited the plane. McNamara is a family friend and
a Delta Airlines flight attendant, who brought her dog J.J. to greet Markwell. Following the "false alarm," Markwell appeared dressed in his camouflage uniform.
His sister, Rebecca, popped with excitement,
her jaw dropping like she had just seen a porpoise leap out of the water as she saw her brother step out of the plane in his
fatigues. Markwell's former baby sitter Kelly Schilling also greeted the Guardsman. When asked how he felt about the homecoming, Markwell's brother Tyler
flashed a big smile and gave a silent thumbs up. Markwell had been in transit for nearly a day traveling from a debriefing in Kuwait via Ireland, Dallas and
Salt Lake City before landing in Hailey for his break from conducting mounted patrols from a Humvee. Markwell said he has enjoyed serving with other guys from
Idaho, but they will not be on leave together. When asked about his mission in Iraq, Markwell responded, "We're trying to win the hearts and minds ... it's
going." Markwell's duffel—which
he carried in addition to a backpack and briefcase—was heavy. Tyler lifted it with pride and struggled with McNamara
to carry it to the car as Markwell's stepfather, Joey Jarmillo, handed the soldier a bottle and a package of Swisher Sweets
to celebrate his return. "They
held the road from Kirkuk to Baghdad for 28 days with no showers," Jarmillo said, explaining that his stepson joined the National
Guard to support his country and to earn benefits for his education. Markwell wants to become a pilot. Markwell's Humvee is decorated with stickers from local restaurants
such as KBs, Lefty's, and The Red Elephant. His uniform is already decorated with several combat patches. Markwell said although other members of the Hailey scout platoon
will be coming home separately, he will be back in Iraq before most of them arrive. "Leave starts ... midnight tonight," he said. Markwell was already running around town on Tuesday, his aunt said. She
expected that the family would be due for an afternoon nap, as the excitement of Markwell's return turned to exhaustion after
the first day of his leave.
VEHICLE SEARCH — U.S.
Army Sgt. Lemonte Armstrong, Company B, 82nd Engineer Battalion, searches a truck at a vehicle control point near Baquba,
Iraq, on July 19, 2004. The 82nd Engineer Battalion is in Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
U.S. Army photo by Spc. James B. Smith Jr.
NEWS RELEASE
Duane P. Gapinski,
Colonel, U.S. Army (Retired)
Duane Gapinski is a Senior Program
Manager with HDR, an employee-owned architectural, engineering and consulting firm with more than 5,500 professionals, in
more than 130 locations worldwide, who excel at managing complex projects and solving challenges for clients.
Recently retired after more than 24 years of military service, Duane served with engineer units in the 9th Infantry Division,
1st Armored Division and 1st Infantry Division. He commanded the 82nd Engineer
Battalion from 1998 to 2000 and was the Task Force Falcon Engineer in
Kosovo for 7 months during that time. Duane also served as the Commander of the Rock Island District of the US Army
Corps of Engineers from July 2003 to July 2006. In September of 2005 he was designated the commander of Task Force Unwatering,
the operation to temporarily repair levees and floodwalls and pump the floodwaters out of the New Orleans area after Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita. Because of these efforts, he was named one of Engineering News-Record magazine’s Top 25 Newsmakers
in 2005 and one of the top ten Federal Engineers of the Year by the National Society of Professional Engineers. In addition to a Bachelors Degree from West Point, he holds
Masters Degrees in Chemical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and National Resource Strategy from the National
Defense University. He is a member of the Society of American Military Engineers and is a registered professional engineer
in Virginia.
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