Engineer Battalion, airborne ready

  • Published
  • By Spc. Tamika Dillard
  • 3rd MEB PAO
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  By Nearly 70 years after the first U.S. Army airborne operation, friends, family members and fellow service members marked the 6th Engineer Battalion's formal transformation to an airborne unit Oct. 14 at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson's Malemute Drop Zone.

The day began with an air drop of a small emplacement excavator followed by more than 70 Soldiers of the 6th Engineer Battalion jumping from a C-17, operated by 517th Air Wing Squadron Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson. This was the first jump since airborne school for almost half of the Soldiers.

Spc. Isela Ulman, a recent airborne school graduate, smiled as she described her feelings after the jump.

"It was so much better than airborne school," she said. "I felt so comfortable when I stepped out of the airplane."

As the Soldiers landed on the ground, Command Sgt. Maj. James Dickens, the battalion command sergeant major quickly assembled everyone into formation for the 6th Engineer Battalion airborne transformation ceremony. Lt. Col. Marc Hoffmeister, battalion commander, centered himself in front of his battalion and gave the command "don beret," signifying their new airborne status with a change from black to maroon headgear.

The airborne capability gives this battalion greater flexibility to deploy to remote areas, according to Hoffmeister.

He noted, for example, that it gives the unit the ability to seize an airfield.

"By airborne insertion of engineers and our equipment," Hoffmeister said, "We can repair damaged airfields, bring them up to standards in order that friendly and coalition forces can land aircrafts with additional troops and supplies so that we can sustain forces and continue the fight."

240th Engineer Detachment activiation

The day also marked the activation of a new unit in the 6th Engineer Battalion.

After the beret exchange Hoffmeister passed the guidon to Capt. Dexter Buchanan, commander of the newly activated 240th Engineer Detachment. The unit will support the 6th Engineer Battalion by conducting studies and tests for engineer work projects.