Augusta Engineers Head for Middle East

The Georgia Guard’s 878th Engineer Battalion left this past week for assignment to the Middle East and to assist in the reconstruction phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Lt. Col. John Heath, the battalion commander, said his soldiers have been ready for weeks to get their deployment underway.

"We’ve trained hard, going over tasks we expect to be given when the unit arrives, and done repeated training on individual soldier skills to help our troops adjust to the kind of environment they may find when they arrive ‘in country,'" Heath said. "Our people have trained and retrained to be ready and we’re glad to finally be on our way and to start contributing to the mission."

The 878th Engineers were alerted for mobilization early in the year. The unit received its mobilization orders in February and then activated during the first weeks of March. By mid-March the 878th had packed up, said goodbye to family and friends and made its way to Fort Stewart near Savannah.

While training for their deployment, unit members assisted the National Guard Training Center at Stewart with several construction projects such as the repair of the NGTC athletic track and related facilities.