By Melissa Buckley, Fort Leonard Wood Public Affairs Office
FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (May 5, 2023) — Fort Leonard Wood was covered in engineer castles last week, from street signs, to brochures, T-shirts, sidewalks, walls, banners, napkins and even Gammon Field — that’s because U.S. Army Engineers were gathering at the home of their regiment to celebrate Engineer Regimental Week, April 20 to 30.
The theme of this year’s celebration was “Regiment 2040.” Events included the 16th Lt. Gen. Robert B. Flowers Best Sapper Competition; an Army Engineer Association industry exhibition; the Senior Engineer Leaders Forum; an Engineer Family Readiness Group Day; the Fallen Sapper Tribute; an awards ceremony; and the culminating event, the Engineer Regimental Ball.
The Best Sapper Competition kicked off the festivities on April 21 in Waynesville’s Roubidoux Park, with 50 teams of two all hoping to win the title of Best Sapper. Having part of the competition off post was a first for the event, officials said.
Competitors covered 60 miles in 58 hours, while being tested on more than 25 Sapper tasks within the four days of events.
This year’s winners came from the 101st Airborne Division in Fort Campbell, Kentucky — Capts. Matthew Cushing and Joseph Palazini, with the 21st Brigade Engineer Battalion of the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
“What happens here echoes into eternity. Take what you have experienced and continue to sharpen the Sapper sword,” said Sgt. Maj. Jose Casillas, Best Sapper Competition award ceremony guest speaker.
Casillas had only had his Sapper tab for two months when he competed in the inaugural competition in 2005.
“I had the honor of competing in the very first Best Sapper Competition,” Casillas said as he addressed the competitors. “Every year, you make history through these events.”
Casillas said one of this year’s teams provided another first for the competition.
“We had our first private first class and specialist team that not only entered the competition but made it across the castle finish line. They put all out there and risked failure for a chance to hold that trophy. I applaud them,” Casillas said.
A two-day Senior Engineer Leadership Forum was a key component of the week, where the regiment looked at ways to ready and modernize the force by sharing information, documenting lessons learned and comparing best practices.
Families participated in the Engineer Family Readiness Group Day on April 26. The event at Training Area 137 allowed families to see what their loved ones do as Army Engineers. The event included demonstrations of Army Engineer operations, an obstacle course and displays of equipment.
Engineer spouse, Kristi Queen, participated in the paintball activity and gave the rope bridge a try. She said she enjoyed the activities and has a new appreciation for her husband’s profession.
“It was rough,” Queen said. “The paintball was difficult, but it was fun.”
During the week, Nutter Field House was filled with the Army Engineer Association’s industry exhibition. This event showcased some of the latest engineering technology.
A Fallen Sapper Tribute took place April 27 at Soldier Memorial Chapel. The wreath-laying ceremony served as a tribute, memorializing the lives and service of fallen engineers lost in war and support operations.
The U.S. Army Engineer Regimental Awards Ceremony was held on Friday in Lincoln Hall Auditorium.
Col. Joseph Goetz, U.S. Army Engineer School commandant, called the 15 awardees “the best of our regiment.”
“They distinguished themselves in the eyes of their peers, their subordinates, their supervisors, and they competed against other similarly talented and dedicated individuals from across the Army,” he said.
The 1st Lt. Orville Munson Award is presented each year to an active-duty, Reserve and National Guard engineer lieutenant or warrant officer platoon leader in recognition of outstanding contributions to military engineering by demonstrated technical and leadership ability.
This year’s winners were 1st Lt. Lauryn Westman, with the 523rd Engineer Support Company at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, in the active-duty category; Capt. Trevor Shaffer, with the 377th Engineer Company, Butler, Pennsylvania, in the Reserve category; and 1st Lt. Jason Ball, with the 2061st Multi-Role Bridge Company, Burlington, Kentucky, in the National Guard category.
The Outstanding Warrant Officer Award is presented each year to an active-duty, Reserve and National Guard engineer warrant officer in recognition of outstanding contributions to military engineering by demonstrated technical and leadership ability.
This year’s winners were Chief Warrant Officer 2 Uriel Reyes, with the 4th Power Station, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, in the active-duty category; Chief Warrant Officer 2 Philip Abreght, with the 340th Engineer Construction Company, Kensington, Pennsylvania, in the Reserve category; and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ted Schroeder, with the 1436th Engineer Vertical Construction Company, Montigue, Michigan, in the National Guard category.
The Sgt. Maj. of the Army Leon Van Autreve Award is presented each year to an active-duty, Reserve and National Guard junior enlisted engineer Soldier.
This year’s winners were Pfc. Rachel Wiles, with the 523rd Engineer Support Company, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, in the active-duty category; Spc. Austin Johnson, with Headquarters, 926th Engineer Brigade, Montgomery, Alabama, in the Reserve category; and Spc. Chelsie Kreamer, with the 1020th Vertical Engineer Company, Marksville, Louisiana, in the National Guard category.
The Lt. Gen. John Morris Outstanding Civilian Award is presented each year to a civilian selected in recognition of outstanding contributions and support to the Corps of Engineers and the Engineer Regiment.
This year’s winners were Jeremy Pianalto, with the Facilities and Construction Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, U.S. Army in Europe and Africa, Wiesbaden, Germany; and Kevin Troglin, with the 374th Combat Engineer Company, Darien, Illinois.
Additionally, four individuals were recognized as honorary regimental leadersfor distinguishing themselves with outstanding service to the Engineer Regiment. Each awardee served as a Soldier and civilian employee.
This year’s honorees were retired Chief Warrant Officer 5 Scott Owens, who was named Honorary Regimental Chief Warrant Officer; retired Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Robinson, who was named Honorary Regimental Command Sergeant Major; retired Col. Jim Rowan, who was named Honorary Colonel of the Regiment; and retired 1st Sgt. Brian Black, who currently serves in the Engineer Directorate for Army Futures Command, was named Distinguished Member of the Regiment.
Festivities ended on Friday evening, when Nutter Field House was converted from an expo center into a ballroom. Engineers donned their dress uniforms to conclude the weeklong celebration with the Engineer Regimental Ball.
Photos from throughout the week are available to view and download from the Fort Leonard Wood Flickr page.
(Editor’s note: Angi Betran and Brian Hill, Fort Leonard Wood Public Affairs Office, contributed to this article.)
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About Fort Leonard Wood
Fort Leonard Wood is a thriving and prosperous installation that has evolved from a small basic training post more than 80 years ago to a premier Army Center of Excellence that trains nearly 80,000 military and civilians each year.
Fort Leonard Wood is home to the U.S Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and three U.S. Army schools: the U.S. Army Engineer School; U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School; and the U.S. Army Military Police School. In addition to training engineer, CBRN and military police specialties for the Army, Fort Leonard Wood also provides gender-integrated in-processing and Basic Combat Training for new Soldiers.
Fort Leonard Wood also hosts and trains with the largest Marine Corps Detachment and Air Force Squadron on any Army installation as well as a large Navy construction detachment.
More information about Fort Leonard Wood is at: https://home.army.mil/wood/index.php/about/mission