Soldiers of 'Brigade of Choice' honored, reunite with Families after Afghan deployment

Soldiers of 'Brigade by Choice' honored, reunite with families after Afghan deployment — 1 / 19 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Lt. Gen. Jeffrey W. Talley, Chief of Army Reserve and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Reserve Command, thanks 'Sgt. Zoe' for his service in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, during a Welcome Home Warriors Ceremony for the 411th Eng. Bde. Sat... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

Soldiers of 'Brigade by Choice' honored for service in support of OEF — 14 / 19 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Lt. Gen. Jeffrey W. Talley, Chief of Army Reserve and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Reserve Command, thanks the Soldiers of 411th Engineer Brigade, 412th Theater Engineer Command, for their service in support of Operation Enduring Freedom durin... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

NEW WINDSOR, N.Y. - Ninety Soldiers with 411th Engineer Brigade, 412th Theater Engineer Command, received a warm welcome home Saturday after a nine month deployment in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

More than 500 Family members, community supporters, veterans, and government and military officials packed the 2nd Aviation Detachment hangar to honor and thank them for their service and sacrifice.

The event was a moving sight as the Soldiers were showered with hugs, kisses and tears of joy. It was the first time for the Soldiers to see their loved ones since they mobilized April last year.

"I'm feeling glad to be back home, and I want to thank my wife and my daughter, for supporting me during my deployment, I couldn't have done it without them," Master Sgt. Henry Mack told Cablevision News reporter Karen Reyer during an interview after the ceremony.

Henry and the 411th Soldiers were not only impressed with the huge turnout, but more so with the many 'stars' who made the trip to New Windsor.

"I didn't expect to see so many generals here. But it's nice to know they care, that they took the time to be here and appreciate what we've done to accomplish our mission," said Pfc. Brett Schlosser, pointing to nine general officers who were in attendance.

Dignitaries included Lt. Gen. Jeffrey W. Talley, Chief of Army Reserve and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Reserve Command; Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Bostick, Chief of Engineers and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Lt. Gen. David H. Huntoon, Superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney, New York Army Reserve Ambassador Robert J. Winzinger, Sr., and Brig. Gen. Douglas R. Satterfield, Deputy Commanding General of 412th Theater Engineer Command.

Talley and Bostick remarked on the unit's great achievements and presented numerous awards during the two hour event.

Awards presented included the Purple Heart Medal to Spc. Miguel Martillovargas, Combat Action Badge to Maj. Philip Engle, Capt. Karen Hallett, capt. Jason McKnight, Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Johnson, Sgt. 1st Class Jason Armano, Staff Sgt. Michael Cush, Spc. Ray Mendock and Spc. David Quinones, and Combat Medic Badge to Spc. Miguel Martillovargas and Spc. Lindsey Meyer.

Brig. Gen. David L. Weeks, commander of 411th Eng. Bde., was awarded the Legion of Merit for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements.

More than 80 Soldiers were also recognized and awarded the De Fleury Medal, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal and Army Commendation Medal.

As the lead engineer force assigned to U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, the 411th Eng. Bde., as Joint Task Force Empire, assumed Mission Command from 22d Naval Construction Regiment, adding two engineer battalions and increasing the size of JTF strength to 5,000 service members.

The significance of the transition set the conditions for JTF Empire to be the single, theatre engineer brigade for all of Afghanistan. As such, and with technical staff members working throughout the country, the 411th successfully executed sustained, multifunction engineer operations in support of OEF.

One of those was Camp John Pratt, where more than 300 JTF Empire engineers constructed over 200 acres of cutting and leveling operations moving over 687,000 cubic meters of material. The volume of the material moved is equivalent to 2.25 times the volume of Freedom Tower in New York City.

Another was Operation Shrimp Net, a mission where JTF Empire staff identified the operational need of a Route Clearance Platoons being moved from one regional area of operation to another.

Others included Operation Cool Breeze, a bridge reconnaissance that involved nine separate bridges on Route Carolina; Operation Mountain Blade, where engineers and partners completed emergency repairs for the Salang Tunnel and provided technical training to ensure trafficability between Kabul and Northern Afghanistan through the winter.

The success of Salang Tunnel enables approximately 9,000 trucks per day travel unhindered with cargo valued at $104 million per month. The 2.4 km tunnel also supports the movement of over 1.5 million gallons of fuel monthly.

From October to November 2012, JTF Empire conducted the phased deconstruction of FOB Tillman. The deconstruction reduced everything except the Mosque back to natural terrain. In order to accomplish this mission, Soldiers had to take significant protective measures against indirect fire and small arms fire.

In Operation Devil Hammer II, which consisted of COP Pace being expanded, the mission

required the brigade to deploy a tactical operations center to provide command and control and logistical support. These missions were all carried out with the professionalism and expertise that are embodied in the motto - Plan, Build, Protect.

The 411th also tracked and synchronized 4,081 combat route clearance patrols over 216,795 kilometers, which resulted in over 689 IEDs found and cleared and making the roads safer for Coalition Forces and the Afghan population.

The New Windsor-based unit also maintained and tracked the status of culvert denial and crater repair operations in addition to route sanitation and the status of critical bridges. The brigade engineers planned, coordinated, and tracked Force Protection Construction, Base Expansion and Closure, and Quality of Life Improvements, all while maintaining meticulous attention to minimum military requirements to ensure proper utilization of Soldiers and materials.

The brigade supported over 107 named operations and conducted training for nearly 1,000 Soldiers in theater regarding critical requirements for new equipment used for route clearance. It also completed over 120 construction missions, building over 350 kilometers of road, and constructing over 840 structures.