JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska - Paratroopers with the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division welcomed some new comrades into the Spartan Brigade during a reflagging and re-patching ceremony Oct.1, 2014 at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.
The 725th Brigade Support Battalion formally added a new forward support company while simultaneously attaching it to the 425th Brigade Special Troops Battalion during the reflag and re-patching ceremony.
The new logistics support company, Echo Company, transferred into the 4th IBCT (ABN) from U.S. Army Alaska's 6th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Engineer Brigade as part of the larger Army-wide force restructuring currently underway.
The unit will bring direct support to the 425th BSTB in the way of equipment maintenance, fuel, and ammunition supply.
The FSC was originally constituted into the 2nd Engineer Brigade back in 2008 at Fort Richardson and has supported operations around the world to include missions in Micronesia, the Philippines and Australia.
The unit, comprised mostly of qualified parachutists, will continue to train in airborne operations as it joins the Spartan Brigade. The 4h IBCT (ABN), one of five airborne brigades in the Army, has undergone extensive airborne training this year. The unit has coordinated with not only its joint Air Force partners at JBER, but also with Air Force units from Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington State and Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii. The additional aircraft have allowed the Spartan Brigade to schedule large packages of personnel and equipment drops, leading to greater brigade-wide efficiency and ability in airborne operations.
"It's awesome, we get to jump more now," said Staff Sgt. Danny Uk, a section sergeant with Echo Company. "And we can provide support to the whole battalion. Our guys are motivated and we will bring a lot of capabilities to our new team."
Echo Company's leadership is confident in the unit's ability to conduct operations and it dependability.
"We have competent and capable NCOs and Soldiers," said 1st Sgt. William Plachinski, Echo Company's first sergeant. "We have a great track record of servicing and maintaining equipment as well as providing fuel and ammunition distribution, and we intend to bring those same qualities and attributes to the 4/25."
Social Sharing