DVIDS – News – The Ultimate Chapter for the 171st Engineer Firm

Strolling into the armory in St. Pauls, North Carolina, felt like strolling right into a reunion.

The armory, which belongs to the North Carolina Nationwide Guard (NCNG), is the previous residence of the 171st Engineer Firm.

I walked previous former and present NCNG Troopers hugging, laughing, and telling tales as I entered the constructing on January 7, 2023.

I used to be in awe on the variety of folks in civilian garments; there have been extra individuals who now not served than uniformed Troopers in attendance.

Ready for the ceremony to begin, I noticed a younger lieutenant holding a ceremonial bugle, a horn instrument fitted with a speaker to play faucets when a musician is unavailable. He was the ultimate government officer for the 171st. He could be pushing the button to play the music throughout the ceremony to honor the unit’s reminiscence and those that had died in service.

U.S. Army 1st Lt. Justin Duncan was a part of the unit for lower than a yr earlier than being transferred as a part of the Engineer Firm’s closure.

“It is a combination of emotions,” Duncan mentioned. “The preliminary feeling is ‘why is that this taking place’, and making an attempt to grasp the organizational purpose for the unit closing down.”

Later throughout the ceremony, Capt. Micheal Haugh, the 171st’s last commanding officer, mentioned that the unit closing down symbolized that the NCNG was responding to present threats and transferring in the direction of a brand new drive construction.

The 171st Troopers weren’t strangers to the concept of restructuring to satisfy the wants of the navy; the unit traces its lineage again to 1949 when it started as an anti-aircraft artillery battalion.

From there, the unit transitioned to an armor unit earlier than reorganizing as Charlie Firm, a hundred and fifth Engineer Battalion in 1996, which deployed to Iraq in 2004. In 2006, it turned the 171st Engineer Firm.

After the ceremony, former and present Guardsmen gathered for pictures, beginning with those that had been a part of C. Co. The group had a mixture of each former and present Troopers.

“You’ll be able to look out in any respect the beards on this crowd and see how the guard has had a really numerous and distinctive group of Troopers who served their group,” Duncan mentioned. He was referencing the previous Troopers in attendance, lots of whom had grown beards after leaving the navy.

Following that, somebody referred to as out for a photograph of those that had served within the 171st. Many within the first picture stood in place as that they had served within the unit throughout the transition in 2006.

The third group picture befell in entrance of the memorial, which was one purpose faucets performed throughout the ceremony.

The memorial honors the sacrifice of Pvt. 1st Class Adam Lee Marion, who was killed in 2008 whereas deployed with the 171st to Baghdad, Iraq.

Most of the “beards” who attended the occasion got here to see their former comrades or honor the recollections of their fallen mates.

In the course of the ceremony, Maj. Greg Gebhardt, the a hundred and fifth Engineer Battalion Commander, mentioned that the flag folding ceremony wasn’t concerning the unit or itself however concerning the individuals who served collectively within the unit.

“Whereas we’ll fold up this guidon in a couple of minutes, the spirit of 171st will dwell on in you and the tales that you simply inform about your experiences whereas serving on this unit,” Gebhardt mentioned whereas pointing on the viewers.

Trent Crawford was one of many man “beards” within the viewers. A former Specialist, he had spent seven years within the NCNG serving all of them within the 171st, aside from a deployment with the thirtieth Heavy Brigade Fight Workforce to the Center East in 2020.

I used to be curious why of all of the issues a comparatively younger man may do on a Saturday, he selected to attend a flag-folding ceremony.

“[I came] to see my mates,” Crawford mentioned. “and actually, for 1st Sgt. Hicks.”

One more reason they performed faucets throughout the ceremony was to honor 1st Sgt. Bryant Hick, who was serving within the 171st when he died on Could 6, 2020, at age 46.

“He was an enormous affect in my life,” Crawford mentioned of his former 1st Sgt. “He was undoubtedly a father determine to a variety of us. I got here to pay respects to him.”

The group gathered on the garden outdoors the armory after the ceremony. It lingered for greater than half-hour, laughing and reminiscing about time spent collectively serving within the NCNG.

I advised Crawford I used to be shocked that this many former Guardsmen had not solely proven as much as the ceremony however had stayed so lengthy afterward.

“You miss the folks; we’re nonetheless in contact with one another,” Crawford mentioned. “Regardless that it sucked if you needed to exit to the sphere, you simply knew you had these folks to rely on.”

This ceremony was the ultimate chapter for the 171st. A brand new unit will quickly take over the armory, and the previous Guardsmen have already transferred to new models inside the NCNG.

Adapting is a invaluable talent within the navy, and folding the flag of the 171st Engineer Firm is only one extra means the NCNG is adapting and transferring into the longer term.