CSoto_EoY_Storyboard

OEF XIII-XIV

The sun sets on the route clearance package while stationedat Forward Operating Base Pasab in the Zharay Provinceeast of Kandahar in the Arghandab River valley.

Photo: SPC. Soto

(This page) The 455th EngineerCompany's castle adorns the

entrance to her TacticalOperations Center.

(Opposite Top) Commander:Capt. Mason Flemmer

(Opposite Center) ExecutiveOfficer: Andrew R. Turner

(Opposite Bottom) FirstSergeant: Adam J Schoessler

Photo: SPC. SotoPhoto: SPC. Soto

SGT. Schatz secures the Buffalo after an all-day routeclearance simulation during Mobilization. Training culminatedwith a week long validation process prior to deployment.

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Images are low-resolution, are not color-managed, and do not reflect final quality.

Copyright © Jostens Inc, 2014

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In the late summer of 2013, numerous Soldiers from across the countryvolunteered to deploy with the men and women of the 455th EngineerCompany out of Hayden, Idaho. These volunteers came from units as faraway as the East Coast and from Military Occupational Specialties asdiverse as Surveyor Draftsmen, Truck Drivers, and Cavalry. For the nextnine months, their lives as students, teachers, tradesmen, and businessmen would be placed on hold. Their mission was to seek out theimprovised explosive device (IED) threats which plagued the roadsthroughout Regional Command- South. Upon arriving in Afghanistan, the Maintenance Platoon quicklyestablished an efficient base of operations. With limited resources, theywere able to adapt and overcome extreme adversity and successfullyprepare the company’s three Route Clearance Packages (RCPs), each ofwhich consisted of more than one-dozen vehicles. Through their hard workand determination, the Maintenance Platoon sustained a nearly 100percent rate of mission readiness for each package throughout theduration of the deployment. The Headquarters department, too, faced its own set of challenges. Inspite of limited available resources and outside support, they managed tomeet the logistical and administrative demands of the company’s threeRCPs. The platoon leaders and platoon sergeants demanded much of theirSoldiers. They not only devoted themselves to ensuring their Soldiers werewell versed in the latest Counter- IED tactics and procedures to combatthe threats; but they also committed themselves to raising their morale anddeveloping their military careers. Some Soldiers even submitted packets toearn their “stripes.” But the sacrifices of the Family Readiness Group, and the countlessfamily members and loved ones we left back home cannot gounrecognized. The hardships of a deployment are shouldered by all weleave behind. Congratulations and thank you to all the members of the 455thEngineer Company for a job well done. Prey to Kill!

Photo credit

455th En Co

SSG. Mittler Keeps Calm and Chives On.

12The infamous Poo Pond of Kandahar AirField.

The RCP barelyoutruns a wall ofsand and rainnear Kandaharcity.

Photo: SSG. Montoya

Photo: SSG. Montoya

Photo: SPC. Soto Photo: SPC. Soto Photo: SPC. Soto

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Photo: SPC. Soto

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The Headquarters platoonfaced countless insurmount-able challenges well before

even setting the first boot onAfghan soil. From last minutebilleting issues to resolving a

Soldier's administrativeconcerns to sustaining the

company's combat readinesswith adequate supplies and

equipment while dividedbetween two locations; HQ

thrived on a resourcefulnesswhich never let it fail to

successfully accomplish thetask. And the glue which

seemed to hold everythingtogether was SFC. Hartman.

With his heavy Vietnamese accent,SPC. Nguyen was a natural for

Radio Telephone Operator.

CPL. Kinser was more than theSupply Clerk. He was an integralpart of the company's success.

CPL. Pederson , the CommoNCOIC.

HEADQUARTERS PLATOON

SSG. Mace maneuvers his forces intoposition to dominate the battle space.

(Rear, L-R) SGT. Vroman, SFC. Hartman, 1LT. Turner, CPT. Flemmer, SSG. Mace, PFC. Byrd, SPC.Pederson, SPC. Hulse. (Front, L-R) SPC. Nguyen, SSG. Kalpee, SSG. Minor, 1LT. Lind, SFC. "FirstSergeant" Schoessler, SGT. Bucher, SGT. "Doc" Wilson, and SPC. Pollei.

SFC. Hartman (left) pictured with SGT.Bucher (center) and SSG. Mace.

The First Sergeant,SFC. Schoessler

All photos this page by SPC. Soto except where noted.

Photo: SSG. Montoya

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1st Platoon spent the first partof the tour "holding the fortdown" from Kandahar while2nd and 3rd were stationed atFOB Pasab. With the companyconsolidated once again backat KAF, 1st Platoon thenpushed out to FOB Pasabwhere they were to spend theremainder of the Tour to serveas the Infantry's go-toBreaching Element. Fromthere, they maintained a fastpaced mission tempo clearingalong the numerous routes tothe south and west eliminatingany and all possible IEDthreats along the way.

SPC. Gunkel displays his defianceto the insurgency.

SPC. "Obee" O'Brien conducts pre-mission checks on the Buffalo.

SPC. Bell was a critical part of theAsset Recovery Team.

1ST PLATOON1LT. Elhert (pictured) briefs his platoon prior to departing

on a mission from Kandahar Air Field. Most missionsbegan well before sunrise. A "late" morning start such as

this was a luxury welcomed by all.

Shortly after taking this photo, SPC.Paul certainly did sprout wings.

Photo: SSG. Montoya

All photos this page by SPC. Soto except where noted. 43

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2nd Platoon was led by 1LT.Bailey and SSG. Montoya.

Shortly upon arriving toKandahar, 2nd pushed off with

3rd Platoon to the austereconditions of Forward

Operating Base Pasabapproximately 10 miles west ofKAF where they would operatewith the 2nd Cavalry Regiment

"Dragoons". 2nd Platoonconsolidated back to KAFshortly before New Years.

They would continueconducting route clearance

operations this time with the4th Infantry Division. The

platoon also operated as asecurity force during a base

closer and as a QuickReaction Force to attacks.

Doc Schmidt renderingcritical life-saving aid.

SPC. Fife loves it whena plan comes together.

Waiting with a sense ofurgency.

SPC. Soto and SPC. de St. Jeancelebrate with Old St. Nick.

2nd PLATOON

SPC. O'Neill, CPL. Hawkins, andSPC. Brigman prior to SP.

SSG. Montoya (left) takes roll call with SSG. Mittler prior to departingon a route clearance mission from FOB Pasab near Kandahar City.1LT. Bailey,Platoon Leader, briefs last

minute mission details prior to SP.

2nd Platoon prepares to collectively crushthe run portion of the Army Physical

Fitness Test while at KAF. The platoonsavored a 100% passing rate and relished

in the fact each one shaved at least oneminute off their individual run times.

SGT. Ortiz demonstratessuppressive firing techniques.

(L-R) "Doc" Schmidt,CPL. McGuckin, and

SGT. Yahrling.

All photos this page by SPC. Soto.

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Soldiers of 3rd Platoon,your leadership is veryproud. On behalf of SSGMatiska and myself, itwas an honor to workwith each and every oneof you. We could nothave asked for a bettergroup of Soldiers. Thankyou to 1st and 2ndplatoon as well. Yoursupport was vital tomission success.

-- 1LT. James T. Hill

SGT. Allen, PV2. Beckman, and SPC. Weaversuited up and ready for mission.

SPC. Hislop and SPC. Walker enjoysome down-time prior to a mission.

SGT. Allen keeps CPL.Green in check.

SPC. Bogart peers through the rearhatch of his Royal Guard-33.

3rd PLATOON

SSG. Bowers is all smilesin the pilot's seat of anAH-64D Apache atKandahar Air Field. TheArmy's combat-provenmulti-mission attackhelicopter played anessential role in thecompany's mission bymaintaining constantvigilance from highabove againstany threats tothe routeclearancepatrols.

One of theApache's 40 Hydra

70 fire-and-forgetrockets

One of theApache's 40 Hydra

70 fire-and-forgetrockets

SSG. Kochanski patiently awaits toboard his flight out to FOB Pasab.

All photos this page by SPC. Soto except where noted.

Photo: SSG. Montoya

Photo: SSG. Montoya

Photo: SSG. MontoyaPhoto: CPL. MoorePhoto: CPL. MoorePhoto: CPL. Moore

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Led by Motor Sergeant, SFC.Humphrey, and Shop

Foreman, SSG. Abbott, theMaintenance Platoon diligently

worked 10 hour days on sixday rotations with one day off

per week to tackle thecompany's various services

from routine lube orders to full-on engine swaps. By tour's

end , Maintenance logged anexcess of 2,800 labor hours tomaintain an impressive 98.6%

Full Mission Capability.

"If we can git the pawrts, wecan git that sum bitch outta

here!" --SFC.Humphrey

SGT. Nonnemacher supervisesrecovery of the M916's flat-bed.

SPC. Maldonado is a master of hiscraft and fabricated numeroussolutions to tricky repair jobs.

SPC. Campbell bears the tell-talesigns of long hours spent under thetrucks.

MAINTENANCE

CPL. Abramyan awaits to board thebird out to FOB Pasab from KAF.

SPC. Peterson and SGT. Dyer re-place the brake pads on a MaxxProMine Resistant Ambush ProtectedVehicle between missions.

All photos this page by SPC. Soto46

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(Above) Battalion Commander Col. Acker personallypresents CPL. Moore with the Army AchievementMedal. In all, 14 Soldiers were presented with the

AAM for their exceptional contributions to thesuccess of the 65th En Bn's mission.

(Above) The 14 Soldiers of the 455th whoreceived AAMs during an awards ceremonypresided by Lt. Col Acker, 65th En BnCommander.

(Left) The Army Achievement Medal (AAM) isawarded for distinguished meritorious serviceor achievement or for an exceptional specificachievement in either combat or noncombat.

(Below) The face of the65th Engineer BattalionChallenge Coin .

(Left) Awardees of theArmy AchievementMedal are personallycongratulated byCommand Sgt. Maj.McVicker.

(Below) 65th EngineerBattalion Commander, Lt.

Col. Acker presents severalSoldiers of the 455th withthe Battalion's Challenge

coin for their variouscontributions to the

success of the platoon.

(Below) The back sideof the 65th EngineerBattalion Challenge

Coin awarded by theBattalion Sergeant

Major and Commanderfor excellence in

combat.

AWARDSReceiving of the Task Force Bayonet Coin.Recognition of meritorious service and achievements.Recognition for Excellence in Combat.

Eight Soldiers re-enlisted whileon tour. Here, SSG. Matiska

swears in at his ceremony.

All photos this page by SPC. Soto escept where noted.

Photo: SPC. O'Neill

Photo: SSG. Montoya

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(Above) The newest members of the NCOCorps: (L-R) SGT. Schatz, SGT. Allen,

SGT. Hanni, and SGT. Clawson.

(Right) Private First Class Mellott also earnsthe honor of promotion to Specialist.

(Below) Private FirstClass Sedgewick is

welcomed to the NCOranks as he receives his

promotion to Corporal.

(Right) 2nd Platoon, 1stSquad Leader, SGT.

Mittler, represents the455's only non-

Commissioned Officer toascend the NCO ladderto earn the rank of Staff

Sergeant.

(Below) Privates FirstClass Tran (picturedwith Capt. Flemmer)receives his promotionto Specialist. PFC.Pederson (left) joinsthe NCO Corps asCorporal.

(Left) Private FirstClass Ferguson, oneof 2nd Platoon'smachine gunner,receives his longawaited promotion toSpecialist.

PROMOTIONS2 Promotions to PV2. 14 promotions to Specialist.

8 promotions to Corporal. 6 promotions to Sergeant. Onepromotion each to Staff Sergeant and Sergeant

First Class. And one promotion to First Lieutenant.

(Below) Private First Class Johnsonreceives his promotion to Specialist fromCompany Commander Capt. Flemmer.

(Left) SecondLieutenant Bailey iscongratulated bymembers of hisplatoon after receivinghis field promotion toFirst Lieutenant..


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Lineage and History

455th Engineer Company

The humble beginnings of the 455th Engineer Company (En Co) stretches back to World War II when it was constitutedas the 608th Engineer Light Equipment Company in Rockford, Illinois by the United States Army on 19 December 1942. Itwas activated shortly thereafter on 25 January 1943 at Camp Swift, Texas and sailed for England later the same year withjust over 100 Soldiers.

Elements of the 608th landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day and helped clear the beach of debris with their bulldozers forthe oncoming waves of landing Soldiers. The remaining elements crossed the English Channel to land on Utah Beach on D+39. Under Patton's 3rd Army, in France and Germany the 608th cleared roads of rubble and debris for the advancingArmy, repaired bomb-cratered roads, erected bridges, dug entrenchments and even dug graves. The 608th returned fromEurope in 1945 and later deactivated 27 June 1946.

The next year it was redesignated as the 455th Engineer Light Equipment Company and activated from Kansas with theOrganized Reserves. It spent the next ten years reorganized and redesignated first as the 455th Engineer MaintenanceCompany, next as the 455th Engineer Aviation Maintenance Company, then the 455th Engineer Aviation Field MaintenanceCompany, the 455th Engineer Aviation Company, and finally on 1 February 1957 as the 455th En Co from Olympia,Washington.

In 2006, Bravo Co "Wolf Pack" deployed to Iraq under the 321st Engineer Battalion on a route clearance mission as thelead element of "Task Force Pathfinder." For its part, the 321st earned the Army's Valorous Unit Award for display ofextraordinary heroism in action and the Navy Unit Commendation for service with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force wherethey helped redefine the concept of valor to meet the needs of counterinsurgency operations throughout Anbar Province.Numerous Bronze Stars and Purple Hearts were awarded to Bravo Co's Soldiers during the war.

Activated from its new home in Hayden Lake, Idaho on 16 September 2008, the 455th En Co would deploy to southernAfghanistan in October 2013 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Under the 65th Engineer Battalion, the 455th"Lobos" would conduct counter-Improvised Explosive Device (IED)and IED-Defeat operations clearing over 6,500kilometers of roads from IED threats as part of "Taskforce Bayonet."

The 455th En Co returned to its home in Hayden Lake, Idaho in late July 2014 where it stands ready to deploy onceagain ready to support the next mission as world-class Combat Engineers. Prey to KILL!


The FOSSI arm was anindespensible tool used to

interrogate culverts, debris, andany suspected IED threats.

A brief stop over at Spin Boldak near thePakistani border provides for a quick photo op.

2nd Platoondismount team

sweeps forcommand wire-IEDs

along Hwy. 4outside of

Spin Boldak.

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CSoto_EoY_Storyboard