27th Engineer Battalion deploys to Afghanistan

by Paula M. Fitzgerald
Paraglide

	photo by Paula M. Fitzgerald/Paraglide Soldiers from 27th Engineer Battalion, 20th Engineer Brigade, XVIII Airborne Corps, participate in a deployment ceremony at Smith Field Friday. The ‘Tiger Battalion’ deployed to Afghanistan this week.

The Soldiers of 27th Engineer Battalion, 20th Engineer Brigade, XVIII Airborne Corps said goodbye to Fort Bragg during a deployment ceremony at Smith Field Friday.

The “Tiger Battalion,” commanded by Lt. Col. Alan M. Dodd, deployed to Afghanistan this week and will support Regional Command-East while in theater. This is the unit’s third tour to the war-ravaged country.

“We’ve been training since we were tasked with this deployment in June,” Dodd said. “Our mission, once we get to Afghanistan, will be to conduct counter-(improvised explosive device) operations.”

This is not a typical mission for 27th Eng. Bn. Dodd said the unit had to be completely reorganized and retrained for road clearing operations.

“We just finished an exercise in October which allowed us to prove that the battalion is certified to handle our mission in Afghanistan,” he said.

As Dodd explained during the ceremony, this is not the first time the 27th Eng. Bn. has been tasked with atypical missions. During World War II, the unit’s engineers were required to assume the role of infantrymen. Without question, they traded their bulldozers for rifles, Dodd said.

“These Soldiers before you today are trained, ready and motivated to go over there and do this mission,” Dodd asserted. “They understand that they bring value to the fight and are there to protect American lives and make the country safer for the people of Afghanistan.”

Col. Richard Kaiser, the commander of 20th Eng. Bde., was on hand for the day’s event. He also underscored the importance of the mission the Tiger Battalion was preparing to embark.

“This battalion has a duty, and it will be done very well because these Soldiers are well trained and well prepared,” Kaiser said. “Families and friends, you will be proud of them and everything they will accomplish.”