FORT DEVENS, Mass. — On Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009, Soldiers from the 249th Engineer Battalion participated in an activation and assumption of command ceremony for the unit’s new Delta Company.
During the ceremony, Capt. Brian Schonfeld became the first commander for one of the Army’s most unique companies. “We’re the only unit in the U.S. Army that’s actually a power line company,” said Schonfeld. “The 249th Engineers, our parent battalion, is the only prime power battalion within the Army and we’re also in the only battalion that falls directly under the Corps of Engineers.”
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| Lt. Col. Matthew R. Tyler addresses the Soldiers of D Co and guests during the unit's activation ceremony (photo by Sgt. Mayra O'Neill-Dalton) |
Lt. Col. Matthew R. Tyler, commander for the 249th Eng. Bn., Fort Belvoir, Va., explained the significance of the day’s events. “Today was a great day,” he said. “It brings a Reserve component company underneath our battalion headquarters, our other companies are all active duty.”
Previously, the 249th’s Reserve Soldiers were spread out amongst platoons in several companies. According to Tyler, the formation of Delta Co., will “consolidate [them] underneath a single company command. This allows us to train them more effectively, and to add them to our force generation model to be able to deploy out to Iraq and Afghanistan and support our overseas contingency operations.”
The new Delta Co., with its headquarters in Cranston, R.I., is made up of “three platoons that are power line platoons, and they’re responsible for servicing overhead electrical lines; then we have a fourth platoon... a prime power platoon, which deals with the... large-sized generators somewhere in the neighborhood of 500 kilowatts to the low megawatt range. They deal with power generation, distribution... and a lot of stuff dealing with the design of electrical systems,” said Schonfeld.
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| Lt. Col. Matthew R. Tyler (right) and Capt. Brian Schonfeld (left), unveil the colors of D Co, 249th Engineer Battalion during the units activation ceremony.(photo by Sgt. Mayra O'Neill-Dalton) |
According to Master Sgt. David Hergenroeder, master sergeant for Delta Co.’s 4th platoon, power generation and distribution is an essential component of the Army’s force projection. “We’re the Army’s electric company,” he said. “We generate the power that keeps the grid going, in case of natural disaster or conflict anywhere in the world.”
As might be expected, the 249th plays an essential role in Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. Though there are few prime power assets in the Army, their role is essential to the war effort, said Tyler. “We have a small presence... but what those Soldiers do is just absolutely incredible for the coalition forces that are there. Whether it’s at Kandahar or Victory Base Complex in Iraq, they end up managing the power generation and power distribution to all the coalition forces that are located on these major forward operating bases.”
Indeed, it’s hard to overstate the importance of these Soldiers’ contribution. “Essentially, the Soldiers that have power, for them to be able to relieve stress, to enjoy air conditioning when they come off of patrol, or to have the electricity that’s needed to run the command and control systems that are monitoring the battles – that power comes from the work of our prime power Soldiers,” Tyler said.
While such capabilities are essential to U.S. efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq, Hergenroeder argues that their utility is actually more global in scope. “We have a constant presence in all areas of the world. And whenever there’s a natural disaster and the power goes down, we send Soldiers in to maintain the grid until the local community can bring the power back up under their own resources,” he said.
Tyler illustrated the potential advantages of these capabilities by adding, “those same prime power assets help our nation in any kind of response that’s required to a natural or man-made disaster within the United States or its territories.”
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| D Co, 249th Engineering Battalion Soldiers pose for their first group photo after the unit's activation ceremony (photo by Sgt. Mayra O'Neill-Dalton) |
As part of the 249th’s force projection model, Delta Co. will no doubt prove an invaluable asset, both overseas and on the home front. Nevertheless, it also has potential value for Reserve Soldiers looking to advance their career, or seek out new challenges. According to Schonfeld, the training to become certified as a 21P (prime power specialist,) or 21Q (overhead distribution specialist,) is demanding. However, the rigorous training required in this field makes qualified Soldiers’ in high-demand in civilian careers.
“The 21P’s – they attend a year long school at Fort Belvoir, Va. That school deals a lot with mathematical theory and then moves on to actual generator maintenance, installation as well as doing work on the instruments you need to monitor all that stuff,” said Schonfeld. The 21Q’s, too, go through a rigorous training process at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, he added.
As Lt. Col. Tyler said during the ceremony, “the activation of Delta Co., 249th Eng. Bn., increases the Army’s ability to support our military forces and Nation with prime electrical power in wartime, and in response to natural or man-made disasters. Our Soldiers, Army, and Nation will benefit from reorganizing our Reserve component power production specialists and transmission distribution specialists into the Army’s only Reserve prime power company.”
