NEWBERRY — The 117th Engineer Brigade has found a new home in Newberry after the South Carolina National Guard held an activation ceremony earlier this month. The unit will be headquartered out of the Newberry Readiness Center.
The unit is the Army’s newest engineer brigade and will serve as the headquarters for the 122nd Engineer Battalion, the 178th Engineer Battalion, and the 710th Explosive Hazardous Coordination Cell. The 117th Engineer Brigade is comprised of approximately 1,600 U.S. Army National Guard Soldiers with the South Carolina National Guard. The unit will be commanded by: U.S. Army Col. James Fowler and U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Peter Heggie.
“The activation of the 117th Engineer Brigade creates a headquarters unit for command and control of all engineer assets in the South Carolina National Guard,” said U.S. Army Col. James Fowler, 117th Engineer Brigade commander. “This is significant because the engineers play a major role in the South Carolina National Guard, both for their state-side mission, as well as while deployed overseas in support of contingency operations. The 122nd and 178th Engineer Battalions have been activated in response to natural disasters in the state nearly every year since the floods of 2015, providing debris clearing support to civil authorities, repairing roads, and moving sand in the coastal island region to allow for citizens to return home after evacuations have been lifted. At the same time, the engineers have continued to deploy overseas providing route clearance and construction support in the Middle East, as well as firefighter capabilities in Europe.”
