Paratroopers from 1st Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division lined up on the cold morning of Dec. 11 to bid farewell to their colors on Fort Bragg, N.C., and to become part of the proud legacy of the 127th Engineer Battalion.
Since 2006 1BSTB, also referred to as Devil Strike, has provided 1st BCT with engineer service, tactical intelligence and signal support. Along with these capabilities, Devil Strike has augmented the Devils with military police capabilities, chemical reconnaissance and combat service support.
"Today, as we inactivate and farewell our BSTB, we pause to recognize the unique history and legacy of the companies and [its] remarkable contributions to the Devil brigade," said Col. Trevor J. Bredenkamp, commander of 1st BCT.
Bredenkamp referred to the battalion's rich combat history, which includes two World Wars, conflicts in Vietnam, Panama, South West Asia, Iraq, and most recently, Afghanistan.
"For the 127th Engineer Battalion the full story has not been written," said Lt. Col. Mark Childress, commander of 127th En. Bn. "History alone will provide the true measure of our efforts to give the best to our nations defense."
Former members of the 127th En. Bn. were on hand for the unit's reactivation, bridging the gap between past and present paratroopers of the unit. At that very moment, current paratroopers stood tall, anxiously awaiting their next challenge as members of the unit.
"We've always been a combat engineer unit, but it's nice to see that we can focus more on the engineer role," said Spc. Zane Bose, a paratrooper with 127th En. Bn. "I'll be proud to carry on the legacy of the 127th."
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