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416TH THEATER ENGINEER COMMAND

Darien, Illinois

Myles Eckert, son of Sgt. Gary Eckert, 983rd Engineer Battalion, talks to Lt. Col. Stephen M. Spineeli, commander, 983rd Engineer Battalion, about his father receiving the Ohio Military Medal of Distinction after being killed in action in May 2005.

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Marlee Eckert, daughter of Sgt. Gary Eckert, 983rd Engineer Battalion, talks to Lt. Col. Stephen M. Spineeli, commander, 983rd Engineer Battalion, about her father receiving the Ohio Military Medal of Distinction after being killed in action in May 2005.

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Tiffany Eckert, wife of Sgt. Gary Eckert, 983rd Engineer Battalion, talks to Chief Warrant Officer 5 Russell P. Smith, command chief warrant officer of the U.S. Army Reserve.

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Army Reserve, Navy and Marine Corps members from the greater Chicago area arrived to send off the families participating in the Snowball Express, minus the actual snow, on Dec. 12. The program is sponsored by American Airlines, coordinating flights from 84 cities via nearly 60 chartered and commercial flights. The Snowball Express is a nonprofit organization established in 2006, providing an all-expenses-paid trip to families across the United States with a mission of bringing hope and new memories to the children of military heroes who have died while on active duty since Sep. 11, 2001. This year marks the 10th annual celebration, 13 Gold Star families from Northern Illinois were on this flight to Dallas for a weekend getaway of festivities and a memorial service for those family members that have been lost. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Carrie A Castillo)

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Canadian Army soldiers wait their turn to fire during a light machine gun night fire match during the 2015 Canadian Armed Forces Small Arms Concentration at the Connaught Range outside of Ottawa, Canada, Sept. 14. The marksmanship competition brought in more than 250 total competitors from the British, Canadian and U.S. armed forces competing in more than 50 matches involving rifle, pistol and light machine gun events using various combat-like movements and scenarios. (U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Michel Sauret)

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Engineer Soldiers from various Army Reserve and active duty units plunge into the Arkansas River during a training exercise known as a helocast at Fort Chaffee, Ark., Aug. 1, as part of Operation River Assault. The entire River Assault training exercise lasted from July 28 to Aug. 4, 2015, involving one brigade headquarters, two battalions and 17 other units, to include bridging, sapper, mobility, construction and aviation companies. (U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Michel Sauret)

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Army Reserve Soldiers from the 310th Engineer Company (Multi-Role Bridge), from Fort A.P. Hill, Va., "baptize" 1st Lt. Shane Yingling, executive officer, into the Arkansas River during Operation River Assault 2015, a bridging training exercise involving Army Engineers and other support elements to create a modular floating bridge at Fort Chaffee, Ark., Aug. 4, using improved ribbon bridge bays. The entire training exercise lasted from July 28 to Aug. 4, 2015, involving one brigade headquarters, two battalions and 17 other units, to include bridging, sapper, mobility, construction and aviation companies. (U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Michel Sauret)

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U.S. Army Reserve combat engineers from the 374th Engineer Company (Sapper), of Concord, Calif., plot points on a map as the night sets in during a team-based land navigation course as part of the 2015 Sapper Stakes competition at Fort Chaffee, Ark., Aug. 30. The competition is designed to build teamwork, enhance combat engineering skills and promote leadership among the units. (U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Michel Sauret)

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Sgt. Nicole Pierce, 401st Engineer Company, Mustang, Okla., serves as the raft commander directing the watercraft to align both halves of the Improved Ribbon Bridge. Bridge crewmembers from different engineer companies joined forces deploying Mark 4 watercraft from transport trucks on the river bank, pushing improved ribbon bridge partitions into place to construct a floating ribbon bridge across the entire Arkansas River, August 4 as the main training event to River Assault 2015 at Fort Chaffee, Ark.
(U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Roger Ashley)

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U.S. Army Reserve combat engineer Soldiers from the 374th Engineer Company (Sapper), headquartered in Concord, Calif., conduct an air assault landing and patrol training July 18 during a two-week field training exercise known as a Sapper Leader Course Prerequisite Training at Camp San Luis Obispo Military Installation, Calif. The unit is grading its Soldiers on various events to determine which ones will earn a spot on a "merit list" to attend the Sapper Leader Course at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. (U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Michel Sauret)

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Staff Sgt. Chad Bentley, bridge crew member, and Spc. Ben Adams, medic, both from Tulsa, Okla., with the 341st Engineer Company (Multi-Role Bridge), ride on an MK-2 boat as safeties while a Chinook caries a boat bay to drop it in the Arkansas River, July 31. Soldiers from various Army Reserve and active duty units trained together at River Assault, a bridging training exercise involving Army Engineers and other support elements to create a modular bridge on the water across the Arkansas River at Fort Chaffee, Ark. The entire training exercise lasted from July 28 to Aug. 4, 2015, involving one brigade headquarters, two battalions and 17 other units, to include bridging, sapper, mobility, construction and aviation companies. (U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Michel Sauret)

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Spc. Christonio Hatten, a bridge crew member with the 502nd Engineer Company (Multi-Role Bridge), from Fort Knox, Ky., prepares to hook a sling to attach a boat bay to a Chinook during a sling load training operation with Army Reserve Soldiers at Fort Chaffee, Ark., July 31. Soldiers from various Army Reserve and active duty units trained together at River Assault, a bridging training exercise involving Army Engineers and other support elements to create a modular bridge on the water across the Arkansas River at Fort Chaffee, Ark. The entire training exercise lasted from July 28 to Aug. 4, 2015, involving one brigade headquarters, two battalions and 17 other units, to include bridging, sapper, mobility, construction and aviation companies. (U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Michel Sauret)

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Engineer Soldiers from the 501st, 310th and 341st Engineer Companies brave strong winds to hook up bridge components to Chinook helicopters to be moved to the Arkansas River during River Assault 2015, on July 31, at Fort Chaffee, Ark.

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Spc. William McGuigan, Army Reserve color guard team member with the 416th Theater Engineer Command, holds a display rifle before presenting the colors at a Chicago Cubs game at Wrigley Field, June 25. The 416th TEC is headquartered just 30 miles driving distance from Wrigley Field and is responsible for more than 12,000 Army Reserve Soldiers in 27 different states. The color guard team members were Pudowski, Staff Sgt. Timothy Cooper, Sgt. Peter Garcia, McGuigan and Spc. Travis Gantz. (U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Michel Sauret)

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A U.S. Army Reserve Soldier climbs a rope during the obstacle course event of the 2015 Combined Theater Engineer Commands' (TEC) Best Warrior Competition April 27. Approximately 35 U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers with the 412th and 416th TECs are competing for the title of Best Warrior noncommissioned officer and junior enlisted of the 412th and 416th TECs at Fort McCoy, Wis., April 25 to 29. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Debralee Best)

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Staff Sgt. Robby Courson, of Silverdale, Wash., with the 301st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, helps Staff Sgt. Amanda Cady, of Stafford, Va., with the 458th Engineer Battalion, arrange her gear before a 4-mile ruck march with approximately 65 pounds worth of gear and equipment at Fort McCoy, Wis., April 28 during the 2015 Combined Theater Engineer Commands' (TEC) Best Warrior Competition hosted at Fort McCoy, Wis., April 25-29. The competition was organized and hosted by the 412th and 416th TECs, and it will send winners to compete at the U.S. Army Reserve Command level. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Michel Sauret)

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Soldiers from the 277th Engineer Company (Horizontal) and 31st Trailer Transfer Point lift a winch block onto an M984 recovery vehicle during a muddy recovery operation at Camp Bullis, Texas, March 22. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Michel Sauret)

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A Soldier from the 277th Engineer Company (Horizontal) gives ground-guiding directions to a driver while staging vehicles during a battle assembly weekend at Camp Bullis, Texas, March 22. The 277th En. Company is one of several Army Reserve units that boasts strong retention numbers due to an emphasis on quality training and strong rapport between its leaders and Soldiers. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Michel Sauret)

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Staff Sgt. Dennis Howard, an Army Reserve drill instructor with the 2-330th Infantry Battalion, One Station Unit Training, leads a march of Chicago teenagers during the Steve Harvey Mentoring Weekend hosted at Chicago State University the weekend of Jan. 23-25. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Michel Sauret)

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Spc. Irizarry Rodriguez drags Spc. Myk'l Schmidt, both Army Reserve medics with the 321st Engineer Battalion, during a mass casualty trainign scenario as part of an 18-day Sapper Advanced Tactical Medical Course taught at Gowen Field Air National Guard Base, Idaho, in January, 2015. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Michel Sauret)

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