"Sappers In" Brigade Conducts Change of Responsibility

By CPT Adam V. Cartier, UPAR, 130th Eng. Bde.April 12, 2018

130th Engineer Brigade Change of Responsibility
1 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Col. Danielle J. Ngo (right) commander of the 130th Eng. Bde., passes the unit colors to Command Sgt. Maj. Chad Blansett, delegating authority and entrusting him with the responsibility and care of the unit. The ceremony marked the end of Command Sgt... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
130th Engineer BDE Change of Responsibility
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130th Engineer Brigade Change of Responsibility
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130th Engineer Brigade Change of Responsibility
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130th Engineer Brigade Change of Responsibility
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SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii -The 130th Engineer Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, hosted a change of responsibility for its incoming and outgoing brigade command sergeants major on April 5, 2018 where Command Sgt. Maj. Chad C. Blansett assumed responsibility from Command Sgt. Maj. Patrickson Toussaint as Col. Danielle J. Ngo presided over the ceremony.

The unit bid a heartfelt farewell to Command Sgt. Maj. Toussaint, who will be moving to the USACE Pacific Ocean Division to serve as the senior enlisted advisor. Over the course of Command Sgt. Maj. Toussaint's tenure, his drive to shape the unit's identity as "PACOM's Unit of Choice" and his commitment to strong Families within the brigade, its units, and its individuals resulted in the unit earning a variety of excellence awards and recognition while accomplishing its forward deployed theater mission.

After a final "Sappers In," Toussaint stepped away from the podium and took his place next to his wife, Tanya, leaving Blansett responsible for the unit before him.

Blansett, who entered the U.S. Army in April of 1992, comes to the 130th Eng. Bde following an assignment as the command sergeant major for the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Transatlantic District in Bagram, Afghanistan.

The selection of a unit's senior enlisted leader is a key factor in the success of an organization. This fact wasn't lost on Blansett who stated "I'm both honored and humbled by this opportunity," underscoring his sentiments on the new assignment.

The 130th Engineer Brigade traces its lineage back to the 1303rd Engineer General Support Regiment, which was activated in July 1943 and was shortly thereafter deployed in support of both the European and Pacific Theaters in World War II. The unit also served in Operations Joint Endeavor, Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. Since 2007 the 130th Eng. Bde. has served as the theater engineer brigade in the United States Pacific Command area of responsibility providing combat, construction, and geospatial engineering, along with dive operations support to joint and combined partners.