133rd Engineering Battalion Formally
Starts Mission in Afghanistan
Story Courtesy Asset, Photos by 1st Lt. Jonathan Bratten
On October 16, Maine’s 133rd Engineer Battalion conducted a Transfer of Authority ceremony
with the 864th Engineer Battalion from Washington, marking the beginning of the next phase
of the CENTCOM Materiel Recovery Element mission, as the U.S. works to hand over security
to Afghan forces.
When the 864 arrived in Afghanistan they began the CMRE mission from scratch. By the time
they transferred authority to the 133rd, they had successfully closed or retrograded over
eight bases.
The Forward Detachment of the 133rd includes nearly 200 soldiers that support
Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Forward Support Company, and the 1035 Survey
and Design Detachment. Along with other units that came together for the mission, they
conducted their pre-mobilization at Camp Shelby, Miss., before heading to Afghanistan.
The history of the 133rd includes battles or mobilizations from the War of 1812, the Civil
War, World War I, World War II and Operation Iraqi Freedom. At the transfer-of-authority
ceremony last month, Lt. Col. Dean Preston, the 133rd Battalion’s commander, discussed the
strength of the National Guard, noting that people from all walks of life and professions were
represented in the battalion’s ranks, and he said, “Chamberlain’s Battalion has been one of
the best in the Army for some time and I expect this version to continue the tradition. There
will not be a down tick from what the 864th has started. The 133rd will carry this mantle
through the next finish line. Task Force Black Bear will ‘Push Through.’”