Press Release
☷Army Engineers wrap up Regimental Week events
U.S. Army ( By Press Release office)
May 05,2022
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Capt . Alaimoana Paunga ( right ) and 1st Lt . Eric Mattia , from the 20th Engineer Battalion , at Fort Hood , Texas , complete the Prusik Climb April 23 at Training Area 147 . Paunga and Mattia earned the right to be called ‘Best Sapper’ during the 15th Best Sapper Competition held April 23 through 25 . The U . S . Army Engineer School hosted Engineer Regimental Week from April 20 to May 1 . Besides the BSC , the week included events such as the Senior Engineer Leader Council , the Army Engineer Association industry exhibition , Army Engineer family day , the Fallen Sapper Tribute and the Engineer Regimental Ball and awards ceremony . U . S . Army Engineer School Regimental Command Sgt . Maj . John Brennan ( left ) , and Col . Daniel Hibner , USAES commandant , place a wreath in remembrance of fallen engineers during the Fallen Sapper Memorial April 28 at Soldier Memorial Chapel . Capt . Aleksandrs Schuler , an Engineer Captains Career Course instructor ( center ) , speaks with one of the nearly 40 defense contractors and industry partners on hand April 27 at Nutter Field House for the Army Engineer Association industry exhibition . Heidi Grabowski – spouse of Lt . Col . John Grabowski , 31st Engineer Battalion commander – operates a backhoe loader while Staff Sgt . Byron Lobos , Company A , 554th Engineer Battalion , supervises during the Engineer Family Day April 27 at Training Area 244 . The event gave spouses and family members the chance to learn more about what it’s like to be an Army Engineer . FORT LEONARD WOOD , Mo . — The U . S . Army Engineer School hosted Engineer Regimental Week from April 20 to May 1 , including events such as the Best Sapper Competition , the Senior Engineer Leader Council , an Army Engineer Association industry exhibition , Army Engineer Family Day , the Fallen Sapper Tribute and the Regimental Ball and Awards Ceremony . With COVID - 19 limiting regimental week events for the past two years , Col . Dan Hibner , the 99th U . S . Army Engineer School commandant , called this an opportunity to reconnect and enhance dialogue about the future of the regiment . “It is also an opportunity to celebrate our heritage and recognize the accomplishments of the Best Sapper Competition competitors and regimental - award recipients , ” he said . Best Sapper Competition The 15th Lt . Gen . Robert B . Flowers Best Sapper Competition took place from April 23 to 25 , with 47 two - person teams traveling a total of 64 miles in 54 hours over rugged and rolling Missouri terrain while completing multiple mental and physical challenges with very little sleep . At the end , Capt . Alaimoana Paunga and 1st Lt . Eric Mattia , with the 20th Engineer Battalion , 36th Engineer Brigade , at Fort Hood , Texas , earned the right to be called ‘Best Sapper . ’ The winners of the 2022 competition were announced during a ceremony held April 26 in Lincoln Hall Auditorium . “We came in with the goal to win it all , ” Paunga said . “We have former winners in our brigade , so it was definitely a goal of ours . Everything just kind of fell together one event at a time . It feels great to be recognized at the end of it . ” Mattia , who also competed in last year’s competition , agreed . “We did a good job of segmenting it all . We just stayed focused , and the lanes were awesome , ” he said . “We had fun with it , but we kept our eyes ahead . ” The team credited their coach’s support and their training regimen , which included training with the other teams from their unit , in helping them bring home the trophy . Both agreed the competition was tough , both mentally and physically . “Overall , the competition was physically enduring . I think over the course of the three days , I got a total of three hours of sleep , ” Paunga said . “There were some times where we thought we couldn’t pull through , but we got over that mental block , finished it and accomplished the mission . ” Click here to see more photos from the competition . Senior Engineer Leadership Council The theme for this year’s regimental week was , “Developing the Engineer Force for 2030 and Beyond . ” The two - day SELC provided an opportunity for the regiment to look at ways they can ready and modernize the force by sharing information , documenting lessons learned and comparing best practices . The SELC also typically serves as a forum for the leaders of the Engineer Regiment to build consensus on critical issues . Army Engineer Association industry exhibition The Army Engineer Association hosted an industry exhibition April 26 and 27 at Nutter Field House . The event showcased some of the latest engineering technology , and about 50 agencies participated . Army Engineer Family Day The family day event gave spouses and family members 16 years and older a chance to learn more about what it’s like to be an Army Engineer . Displays and equipment provided the opportunity to learn about engineer skills such as firefighter and lineman tasks , diving , breaching and backhoe loader excavation . They were also able to participate in the Assault Breacher Vehicle and the Javelin Assault Bridge simulators . Lunch was provided by the USO . Heidi Grabowski — spouse of Lt . Col . John Grabowski , 31st Engineer Battalion commander — operated a backhoe loader with instruction from Staff Sgt . Byron Lobos , Company A , 554th Engineer Battalion . “I came out here to learn about all this cool stuff , ” she said . “I absolutely love this . I think it is very important that we as spouses and family members know what the Soldiers do every day . ” Fallen Sapper Tribute Fort Leonard Wood honored fallen Army Engineers during the Fallen Sapper Tribute ceremony Aug . 28 at Soldier Memorial Chapel . The ceremony included a history of the Army Engineer Regiment and a moment of silence for those who have died in service to the country . Before he and USAES Regimental Command Sgt . Maj . John Brennan laid a wreath , Hibner spoke on the importance of remembering the sacrifices service members make for freedom . “We will always remember what they sacrificed for our freedoms , and we must always remember that freedom is not , and never will be , free , ” he said . “It is my humble honor today to ask you all to remember all those brave souls that gave the ultimate sacrifice . ” A detail fired three volleys and a bugler from the 399th Army Band played taps to close out the ceremony . Click here to see more photos from the ceremony . Regimental awards The regiment also held their annual awards ceremony Friday at Nutter Field House during the Regimental Ball . The Itschner Award recognizes the most outstanding Army Engineer company in each Army Component — active duty , Reserve and National Guard . This year , the active - duty award was presented to the Bravo Troop , Regimental Engineer Squadron , 2nd Cavalry Regiment , Tower Barracks , Germany; the Reserve award was presented to the 712th Engineer Support Company , 391st Engineer Battalion , Goose Creek , South Carolina; and the National Guard award was presented to the 130th Engineer Support Company , 201st Engineer Battalion , Madisonville , Kentucky . The 2021 Outstanding Platoon Leader Award was presented to one active - duty and one National Guard Soldier . The active - duty winner was 1st Lt . Taylor Massa , 500th Engineer Support Company , 15th Engineer Battalion , Grafenwoehr , Germany; and the National Guard winner was 1st Lt . Nathaniel Alexander , 577th Sapper Company , 201st Engineer Battalion , Prestonburg , Kentucky . The 2021 Outstanding Warrant Officer Awards were presented to one Soldier from each Army Component . The active - duty winner was Chief Warrant Officer 2 Darius Cooper , 3rd Power Station , Company B , 249th Engineer Battalion ( Prime Power ) , Fort Bragg , North Carolina; the Reserve award was presented to Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Chamberlain , 411th Engineer Battalion , 9th Mission Support Command , U . S . Army Pacific , Fort Shafter , Hawaii; and the National Guard award was presented to Chief Warrant Officer 2 Charles Dengler , Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center , Camp Shelby , Mississippi . The Sturgis Medal — recognizing noncommissioned officers for their outstanding contributions to military engineering — was presented to one active - duty and one National Guard Soldier . The active - duty winner was Staff Sgt . Christopher Miller , Company A , 169th Engineer Battalion , Panama City , Florida; and the National Guard winner was Staff Sgt . Tracy Trabue , 1138th Engineer Company , 1140th Engineer Battalion , Lexington , Missouri . The Van Autreve Award — recognizing junior enlisted Soldiers for their outstanding contributions to military engineering — was presented to one Soldier from each Army Component . The active - duty winner was Spc . Clayton Martinez , 573rd Engineer Company , 46th Engineer Battalion , Fort Polk , Louisiana; the Reserve winner was Cpl . Zachary Baker , 712th Engineer Support Company , 391st Engineer Battalion , York , South Carolina; and the National Guard winner was Spc . Charles Phillips , 1020th Engineer Vertical Construction Company , 527th Engineer Battalion , Clarks , Louisiana . The 2021 Outstanding Civilian Award was presented to one civilian supporting active - duty Soldiers and one civilian supporting Reserve Soldiers . The active - duty winner was Anthony Lister , Program Integration Branch Office of the Chief of Engineers , Washington , D . C . ; and the Reserve winner was Quecha Perez Gomez , 689th Engineer Company , 841st Engineer Battalion , Orlando , Florida . The Sapper and Miner of Distinction Award was presented to the families of retired Maj . Gen . Mark Yenter and retired Command Sgt . Maj . Ioakimo Falaniko to recognize their service and contributions to the Engineer Regiment . The Gold de Fleury Medal was presented to retired Lt . Gen . Todd Semonite and retired Maj . Gen . Bryan Watson . The medal is presented to individuals who exemplify boldness , courage and commitment to a strong national defense . ( Editor’s note: Dawn Arden and Ryan Thompson , Fort Leonard Wood Public Affairs Office , contributed to this article . )
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