FORT DRUM, N.Y. (Jan. 26, 2017) -- Leaders of 63rd Ordnance Battalion (EOD) of the 52nd Ordnance Group (EOD) cased the colors and formally inactivated the unit after 11 years of active service on Fort Drum during a ceremony Jan. 19 at Magrath Sports Complex.
Col. Mark Faria, 52nd EOD commander, spoke proudly of the unit's history -- from its original activation in 1942 in support of World War II to its most recent deployment to Afghanistan, where it served as Task Force EOD, redeploying in December.
"The casing of the colors does not erase what the Soldiers have accomplished nor what they will accomplish in the future," Faria said. "I have no doubt that her Soldiers' legacies will continue."
Faria highlighted some of the 63rd EOD's accomplishments, to include producing Soldiers of the Year, EOD Teams of the Year, and EOD Group commanders and command sergeants major.
During its most recent deployment, the battalion eliminated 16,000 explosive hazards and removed more than 900,000 pounds of hazardous net explosive weight from the battlefield.
The 63rd EOD, which has fallen under the leadership of the 52nd Ordnance Group out of Fort Campbell, Ky., has been assigned to Fort Drum since 2005. Soldiers of the 63rd EOD will remain at Fort Drum, dispersing into two separate EOD companies and one chemical company.
Lt. Col. Edward Rowsey, 63rd Ordnance Battalion (EOD) commander, expressed his gratitude to the Soldiers and their Families, and to the larger units that have supported the 63rd EOD, saying "I never dreamed I would be the final commander of this legacy unit."
Rowsey praised the partnership of the 63rd EOD and the 10th Mountain Division (LI), expressing his confidence that as the companies depart from the battalion, that partnership with the division and Fort Drum would remain strong.
As the smaller units disperse among Fort Drum, Faria looked ahead, imploring the Soldiers to continue their legacy of excellence.
"I challenge the Soldiers to take your illustrious history and your pride with you to your next unit and to make them as good as, if not better than, the mighty 63rd EOD Battalion," he said.
"We will see what the future brings," he added, "but even if the Army never calls her number again, know that the Soldiers have served her well."
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