JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. - Squinting against the morning sun and projecting from the front-leaning-rest position, Col. Michael Brobeck continued to call cadence for his brigade formation: "One for the 'Through-the-breach' Soldier in the sky! One for...someone you know!"
Hundreds of Soldiers in high spirits gathered on Able Field counted their pushup repetitions, a few with their unit guidons draped across their backs.
The 555th Engineer Brigade celebrated the Engineer Corp's birthday May 20 with "Engineer Days'" activities that began with a brigade run that included hundreds of Soldiers affiliated with the "Triple Nickel" and I Corps.
The run was followed by an all-engineer muster to celebrate the history of the "Triple Nickel" Brigade and to honor military engineers throughout all branches of Service.
"The Engineer Corps birthday is actually the same as the Army's birthday - June 16 - but we're taking the opportunity to come together in celebration while all of the battalion's colors are home. It's a short window that we have as the 14th Engineers will be deploying soon," said 1st Lt. Nathan Meyer, a spokesperson for 555th En. Bde.
Following an address to the formation to recognize excellence within the ranks of the 555th Engineers, Brobeck distributed muster cards to the Soldiers of the "Triple Nickel."
"These cards are sent up to Human Resources Command, and your name will be entered in a register so that it becomes historic record that you served alongside your engineer corps brothers and sisters," said Brobeck.
During the muster ceremony, Soldiers Dressed in US Army uniforms from the American Revolution up to the present day stood reverently as the history of the Engineer Corps was read.
The day's events would include the dedication of the unit's memorial to fallen Soldiers at Memorial Park on Joint Base Lewis-McChord. The morning formation included a moment of silence for those fallen Soldiers, giving those unable to attend the dedication the opportunity to pay their respects.
The memorial includes the names of 27 Soldiers who died while deployed with units assigned to the 555th Engineer Brigade from 2003 to 2011; over eight years of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The day ended with the "Castle Ball," a formal dinner event held at the Tacoma Convention Center.
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