JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. -- A former Army slogan once said in part, “We do more before 9 a.m. than most people do all day.” That saying aptly fit 555th Engineer Brigade’s observance of Engineer Days May 20.
A full day of events starting with a brigade run followed a ball the previous evening, May 19.
Hundreds of Soldiers hit the road for a four-mile run with Col. Michael Brobeck, brigade commander, and his senior enlisted adviser, Command Sgt. Maj. Elmo Leichenauer, taking the lead.
Following the run, Brobeck reviewed the history of Army engineers " a history almost as old as the Army itself.
“We turn 236 years old this year,” Brobeck said, noting that the Army will turn 236 two days earlier than the corps " on June 14. The Continental Congress established the Corps of Engineers on June 16, 1775. Miners and sappers helped construct roads, build fortifications and ensure mobility of the Colonial Army, he said.
“I could go down every formation out here and talk about these great histories we share,” Brobeck said.
Following engineer tradition, Brobeck handed out muster cards to brigade leaders and Soldiers wearing historical uniforms of key periods. Each stepped forward and read the Army engineers history of that period.
“Your names will be permanently entered in the ‘Triple Nickel’ rolls,” Brobeck said. “We keep a roster of everyone who has passed through the ranks of the 555th.”
Every Soldier in the unit is part of its diverse history, he said.
Brobeck acknowledged another reason for celebration that day.
“This is the first time, in at least three years, we have the colors from all of our battalions together in one place,” Brobeck said.
The unique mission of the brigade means some portion of the unit is always deployed, he said.
“We’re doing a lot of stuff,” Brobeck said. “We’re spread out from Cambodia to Afghanistan.”
There is not a member of the unit who hasn’t been affected by the war in some way, he said.
“Thank you for what you do,” Brobeck said. “At the end of the day, every shovel, every truck, every Soldier makes it happen.”
Leichenauer said there would be no Army without engineers.
“We provide the Army the ability to move forward,” Leichenauer said.
Taking a day to recognize the contributions and losses of the brigade is important not only for the unit but for Army as a whole, he said.
“It’s a very proud moment to stand with the brigade and look at the history and the current Soldiers and know they’re the future history,” Leichenauer said.
Rick Wood: rick.wood@nwguardian.com
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