2008 Holiday Party

The party was a great success. There was a fantastic turn-out, and the food and holiday spirit were terrific. Thank you to our FRG leadership and to all of those who helped support this effort.

Photos are available and will be added as they are received. To view and download them, click here!

Also, see just how festive our own SGT Barbee and family can be, check out their video below.

Individual Weapons Qualification (IWQ)

IWQ went very well, considering there were 145 soldiers from the 166th Engineer Company and at least two dozen more from supporting units.

The bottom line is that we had no injuries and successfully completed qualification for 113 of our soldiers. Those who were unable to attend or who failed to complete all three events (day fire, NBC fire, and

night fire) will have to go with the rest of the Battalion in January. It's going to be very, very cold no doubt!

We were also able to complete the large majority of the make-up validation training to set the stage for our last few months at home. It will be busy, but it should be much more manageable for us all now that we're back on track.

Oh, and Ben was finally able to try out his new jammies. Weird.

Annual Training

This year's annual training was definitely not the norm. We had more than 130 tasks to train, in preparation for the deployment, and we spent three weeks at Pelham Range and Fort McClellan working toward that goal.

Here's a video of one of the training tasks (hand and arm signals):



Several days prior to the end of our time there, we learned that Hurricane Gustav was en route and that we were to be alerted to support any recovery operations. Talk about a challenge! We had to stop all training, pack up all our equipment, and move across the state to Winfield for the order to move south to support the new mission. We did just that - and then were instructed to move right back and complete the training. So...we packed up again, and headed back to Fort McClellan to wrap up our validation.

In the end, we were tired. No, we were all exhausted.







Nonetheless, more than 100 soldiers were trained and ready to go, and we were all experts at how to conduct administrative convoy operations. We have another 70 or so soldiers who will go with our headquarters, 877th Engineer Battalion, in January to round out the entire unit's requirement for the validation training. February is right around the corner.

The Beginning

The unit learned in December that it had been sourced to deploy. Flexibility is the key.

"We're going to Iraq." No, wait. "We're going to Afghanistan."

When? "Well, it'll be in October, 2008."

No, wait. "It'll be in June of 2009."

Maybe not. "February 2009."

Regardless of the changes in the plan and demands placed upon them, the soldiers of the 166th Engineer Company have been fantastic and motivated.

It is now October, and we're mere months from the day we'll leave. Life has been busy, and it will become even more hectic as we continue to train.

Whatever is required of us from now through the time we return, there is no doubt that the soldiers in this fine unit will do it and do it well.