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276th Engineer Battalion Archive
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Va. Guard Soldiers compete in 2013 Adjutant General’s Rifle Match
Posted on May 20, 2013 | No CommentsFORT PICKETT, Va. — More than 55 Virginia Army National Guard Soldiers from around the state competed in the Adjutant General’s Rifle Match May 17-19, 2013, at Fort Pickett. Hosted by the Virginia National Guard Marksmanship Training Unit, the top six finishers in the three-day event will go on to represent the Virginia Army National Guard at the regional rifle marksmanship competition in Pennsylvania. Sgt. Steven Fletcher with Company A, 116th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, took first place overall after finishing as the runner up in 2012. First place for Excellence in Competition went to 2nd Lt. Alexander Symons, of A Troop, 2nd Squadron, 183rd Cavalry Regiment. Sgt. Chad Stigall of the 157th Engineer Platoon,... -
Va. Guard CERFP validated for duty following external evaluation in Virginia Beach
Posted on May 5, 2013 | No CommentsVIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A Virginia National Guard special response force capable of providing support to first responders and civil authorities was recommended for validation following an external evaluation April 27 at the Virginia Beach Fire & EMS Training Center. The Virginia National Guard’s Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear High Yield Explosive Response Force Package, known as the CERFP (pronounced “surf-p”), was rated as “fully trained” on 15 of the 16 major tasks they had to accomplish. The CERFP can conduct tasks associated with incident management, urban search and rescue, mass causality decontamination, technical decontamination, medical triage and treatment and fatality search and recovery. The force is made up of Soldiers and Airmen from units based in Petersburg, West Point, Rocky... -
Stafford Civil War Park opens with help from Virginia Guard
Posted on April 30, 2013 | No CommentsSTAFFORD, Va. – The Stafford Civil War Park opened to the public Saturday, April 27, 2013, with an official ceremony that included speeches by state and local officials, historical lectures, living history displays, and more than 1,300 locals and Civil War enthusiasts there to enjoy the new 41-acre park. Soldiers and Airmen of the Virginia National Guard were recognized for their significant contributions to the construction of the park. Built on the site of Union Army of the Potomac encampments, fortifications and roads from the winter of 1862-63, the site had long been forgotten to all but local relic hunters until retired Air Force Col. Glenn A. Trimmer and the Friends of Stafford County Civil War Sites got involved. “He... -
Virginia National Guard special response force to conduct external evaluation in Virginia Beach
Posted on April 25, 2013 | No CommentsVIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — More than 180 Virginia Army and Air Guard personnel from a special response force of the Virginia National Guard will conduct an external evaluation exercise April 27, 2013, hosted by the Virginia Beach Fire Training Center in Virginia Beach. The exercise will validate response capabilities and improve operations for the response force. FOR THE NEWS MEDIA: Members of the news media are invited to attend training and preparations for the evaluation on Friday, April 26, 2013, at 11 a.m. Reporters and photographers should check in at the Virginia National Guard readiness center at 1096 South Birdneck Road in Virginia Beach no later than 10:45 for an information briefing and transport to the training location. Please DO... -
189th Engineers field new bridge system
Posted on April 22, 2013 | No CommentsFORT A. P. HIll, Va. — Soldiers from the Bowling Green-based 189th Engineer Company, 276th Engineer Battalion, 91st Troop Command conducted new equipment training on the Dry Support Bridge system at Fort A. P. Hill April 19, 2013. During the two-week certification course taught by representatives from WFEL, the bridge manufacturer, Soldiers spent time in the classroom as well as in the field to learn how to set up and take down the bridge. At the same time, unit mechanics conduct training on how to maintain the new equipment. The new bridge takes less personnel and less time to set up than the previous system, and the company also has a float bridge system in their inventory. A total of... -
Va. Guard and VDF support 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Fredericksburg
Posted on December 13, 2012 | No CommentsFREDERICKSBURG, Va. — Soldiers from the Virginia National Guard’s Bowling Green-based 189th Engineer Company, 276th Engineer Battalion provided the latest in military mobile bridging technology in support of Civil War reenactors during the observation of the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Fredericksburg Dec. 8, 2012. Members of the Virginia Defense Force also supported the event with traffic control and visitor assistance, and the 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team provided a color guard and howitzer for the weekend’s final events Dec. 9. “This is a great training opportunity for the Soldiers of the 189th to be able to assemble the bridge on a flowing river,” said 1st Lt. Marianne E. Heldmann, commander of the 189th. “This mission also required coordination... -
Va. Guard engineers and VDF to support 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Fredericksburg
Posted on December 5, 2012 | No CommentsBOWLING GREEN, Va. — Soldiers from the Virginia National Guard’s Bowling Green-based 189th Engineer Company, 276th Engineer Battalion will provide the latest in military mobile bridging technology in support of Civil War re-enactors during the observation of the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Fredericksburg scheduled for Dec. 8, 2012. Members of the Virginia Defense Force will also support the event with traffic control and visitor assistance. “This is a great training opportunity for the Soldiers of the 189th to be able to assemble the bridge on a flowing river,” said 1st Lt. Marianne E. Heldmann, commander of the 189th. “This mission also required coordination with multiple civilian agencies which is what we do when we are on state active... -
House Bill No. 1217 honors SW Va. fallen heroes
Posted on October 23, 2012 | No CommentsCEDAR BLUFF, Va. – Virginia Senator Phillip Puckett, Delegate Will Morefield, Honorable Michael Hymes and the American Veterans Honor Guard Association unveiled highway road signs honoring Sgt. Brandon Asbury and Sgt. David Lambert during a ceremony held Oct. 19 in Cedar Bluff, Va. The ceremony was held to officially fulfill the House Bill No. 1217 requirements to designate the portion of Virginia Route 19 between Tazewell and Claypool Hill, Va., as the Brandon Asbury Highway and to designate the entire Virginia Route 609 as the Sergeant David Lambert Highway. “For decades the youth of Tazewell County have been willing to leave their friends and family and march off to war to defend our freedom. Our country is dependent upon the... -
Virginia Guard team works with Tajikistan on Security Cooperation
Posted on September 30, 2012 | No CommentsSANDSTON, Va. – Soldiers of the Virginia Army National Guard completed an engagement with the Tajik Army on small-unit tactics and Improvised Explosive Device avoidance on Sept. 12, 2012. Capt. Jack Nothstine, from the 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute at Fort Pickett, led the team, along with 2nd Lt. Alexander Nance, 237th Engineer Company, and Sgt. Kevin Hundley, Headquarters Support Company, 276th Engineer Battalion. Tajikistan, formerly part of the Soviet Union, is located in Central Asia, directly north of Afghanistan. The Virginia Guard began the partnership with Tajikistan in 2004, only a few years after the beginning of the war in Afghanistan. Since then Virginia and Tajikistan have cooperated on dozens of mutually beneficial events. Tajik military leaders have become... -
Engineers compete for bragging rights as “best squad”
Posted on September 28, 2012 | No CommentsCAMP PENDLETON, Va. — Soldiers from 1st Squad, 2nd Platoon of the Bowling Green-based 189th Multi-role Bridge Company, 276th Engineer Battalion, 91st Troop Command took first place in the unit’s best squad competition held Sept. 22 at Camp Pendleton in Virginia Beach. Seven squads of approximately 10 Soldiers each tested their skills and stamina in a wide variety of events including vehicle maintenance checks, weapons assembly and disassembly, drill and ceremonies, tire flip and launching a Zodiac assault boat into the surf. “This competition is to determine the best squad, but it is also a team building exercise,” said Capt. Matt Nowak, commander of the 189th. “The Soldiers are going to face some adversity, and they may be tired, but they still have smiles on their faces.” He explained that... -
Army and Air Guard engineers improve communities with service projects
Posted on August 16, 2012 | No CommentsRICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Army and Air Guard engineers put their skills, experience and equipment to work for community service projects in Richmond and Stafford County in late July and early August. Not only did the projects help the two communities, they also gave the Soldiers and Airmen valuable real-world training they can put to use for both their federal and state missions. Both projects were part of the Innovative Readiness Training program that allows Army and Air Guard engineers to put their military skills to work on community service projects approved by National Guard Bureau. Work began last summer on the initial phases of both projects. Approximately 40 Soldiers from the Virginia Guard’s Cedar Bluff-based 1033rd Engineer Support Company, 276th Engineer Battalion,... -
Virginia National Guard CERFP successfully conducts continuous disaster response exercise
Posted on July 28, 2012 | No CommentsVIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The Virginia National Guard’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, High Yield Explosive Enhanced Response Force Package conducted their longest continuous training exercise to date July 25, 2012 at the Virginia Beach Fire Training Center. The training is conducted in order to evaluate the team’s ability to respond effectively and proficiently in the event of a disaster. “This is the best training we have done since I came in to the unit in 2010,” said Lt. Col. Mike Renforth, 192nd Fighter Wing Expeditionary Medical Support commander and CERFP Medical Element Leader. “This is the first time we have ever done overnight, continuous operations with real-world training.” The CERFP’s mission is to assist local, state and federal agencies in... -
Virginia Guard Soldiers bridge the gap
Posted on July 27, 2012 | No CommentsFORT A.P. HILL, Va. — Virginia Guard Soldiers from the Bowling Green-based 189th Multirole Bridge Company bridged White’s Lake outside Fort A.P. Hill July 24 as part of the culminating exercise of their two-week annual training. The Soldiers constructed an approximately 120-meter long bridge, called an Improved Ribbon Bridge, consisting of 13 interior bays and two ramp bays during their three-day field training exercise. “What we can do, we can put these bridge bays down and connect them together and put any vehicle in the Army’s system across it,” said Capt. Matt Nowak, commander of the 189th MRBC. “We can put it down and have it out in 30 minutes to an hour and have tanks across it, have Bradleys... -
Virginia Guard troops lead exchange with Tajikistan Peacekeeping Operations Battalion
Posted on July 23, 2012 | No CommentsSANDSTON, Va. — A seven-man team from the Virginia National Guard ended its three-week State Partnership Program exchange in Tajikistan by spending July 7- 13 with the Tajikistan Peacekeeping Operations Battalion at Shamsi Military Base in the capital city of Dushanbe. The last half of the exchange began with a day-long seminar on Counter IED measures delivered by 1st Lt. Art Taryan from the West Point-based 237th Engineer Company. Taryan used his deployment experience in 2009 to lead the seminar as well as set up an IED lane on the base’s training grounds. On July 4th, the team delivered a presentation on the American holiday as a way to help the Tajiks get a better understanding of American culture and values that... -
Virginia Guard Soldiers on hand as Cannon Creek Greenway project dedicated
Posted on May 8, 2012 | No CommentsRICHMOND, Va. — A ribbon cutting ceremony was held May 5, 2012 to celebrate the opening of the first phase of the Cannon Creek Greenway Bicycle and Pedestrian Trail, a project that was supported by members of the Virginia National Guard’s Powhatan-based 180th Horizontal Construction Company, 276th Engineer Battalion. The project was started in 2008 and was developed to establish a family-oriented park that will increase the social, economic and physical revitalization of the area. The 276th, who were recognized at the ceremony, played a vital role in the development of the area clearing the trail, removing debris, laying gravel by utilizing their military training in support of the community service project. Their effort is estimated to have saved the... -
Chemical Company gains proficiency on new detection equipment
Posted on April 14, 2012 | No CommentsFORT MCCLELLAN, Ala.—The Rocky Mount-based 229th Chemical Company, 276th Engineer Battalion sent a platoon to the Biological Identification/Detection System New Equipment Training at Fort McClellan, Ala., March 5-21 to become proficient in operating the joint biological point detection system, or JBPDS. The 29 Soldiers trained to effectively conduct biological surveillance and sample evacuation of suspected biological warfare agents and report their findings to their commander and higher headquarters. “Soldiers were introduced to basic biology of bioweapons, toxins, and current medical treatments, followed by a robust academic course which detailed several high-value and advanced computer systems contained within each BIDS unit,” said 1st Lt. Andrew Czaplicki, commander of the 229th. “The biggest challenge with the course was the massive amount of... -
Chemical Company trains for new mission as decontamination unit
Posted on February 21, 2012 | No CommentsFORT PICKETT, Va. — At first glance, it may have seemed like the Soldiers of the 229th Chemical Company from Rocky Mount had set up an elaborate car wash Feb. 10 for cleaning their Humvees at Fort Pickett, but upon further investigation, one would have learned that the Soldiers were in the “crawl” phase of implementing their new decontamination equipment. As part of the unit’s restructuring, the Soldiers have transitioned from a wheeled battlefield obscuration company to one of the first Area Support Chemical Companies in the Army National Guard; capable of providing Chemical, Biological, Nuclear, and Radiological Reconnaissance, Biological Surveillance, and Decontamination assets to a brigade-sized element. Since 1988, the chemical company Soldiers trained to deploy and provide obscuration... -
Virginia Guard personnel support Hurricane Irene recovery operations
Posted on August 31, 2011 | No CommentsSANDSTON, Va. — The Virginia National Guard brought more than 350 personnel on state active duty to assist in the Commonwealth’s response to Hurricane Irene from Aug. 27 to 31, 2011. The Guard began staging forces Aug. 26 at readiness centers in Bowling Green, Emporia and Sandston as well as co-locating with Virginia State Police personnel in the Eastern Shore Region of Virginia near Onancock, and from there Soldiers worked with the VSP to clear nearly 350 fallen trees during the hurricane as well as in the immediate response after the storm had passed. Virginia Guard engineers from the Bowling Green-based 189th Engineer Company, the West Point-based 237th Engineer Company and the Powhatan-based 180th Engineer Company cleared debris fields along...