Story by Sgt. 1st Class Scott Raymond, 133rd
Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
The Kentucky National Guard’s 149th Brigade Support Battalion (BSB) cased its colors for the final time during a re-designation ceremony, Sept. 12 at the Wendell. H. Ford Regional Training Center in Greenville, Ky. The unit was then re-designated as the 1792nd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion (CSSB) in accordance with the U.S. Army’s force structure realignment. (Photo Submitted)GREENVILLE, Ky. — The Kentucky National Guard’s 149th Brigade Support Battalion (BSB) cased its colors for the final time during a redesignation ceremony, Sept. 12 at the Wendell. H. Ford Regional Training Center in Greenville, Ky.
Click HERE for all photos from the event
The unit was then redesignated as the 1792nd
Combat Sustainment Support Battalion (CSSB) in accordance with the U.S. Army’s
force structure realignment.
The colors of the 1792nd were uncased signifying
the Logistics Center of Excellence for the Kentucky Guard. The CSSB will
operate from Bowling Green with transportation and maintenance support
companies geographically dispersed across the commonwealth.
“This redesignation has very significant meaning for both
the Soldiers within the battalion as well as for the Kentucky Army National
Guard in terms of capabilities and relevance, now and in the future,” said Lt.
Col. Stephen Engels, 1792nd commander. “A Logistics Center of
Excellence will serve as the home for all logistics MOSs and become a coveted battalion
where every Soldier can shape their future careers from enlistment to
retirement.”
The Kentucky National Guard’s 149th Brigade Support Battalion (BSB) cased its colors for the final time during a re-designation ceremony, Sept. 12 at the Wendell. H. Ford Regional Training Center in Greenville, Ky. The unit was then re-designated as the 1792nd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion (CSSB) in accordance with the U.S. Army’s force structure realignment. (Photo Submitted)The 1792nd will maintain a
mission similar to the 149th. The 1792nd
differs from the 149th as it will be more adaptable to statewide
support and missions for the Kentucky National Guard. The BSB operated as a
support battalion for the state’s largest brigade, the 149th
Maneuver Enhancement Brigade. The CSSB will now take on a support role for the
entire Kentucky Guard.
According to Engels, the revised mission of the battalion
will increase the unit’s potential to provide logistical support on a scale
beyond the borders of the commonwealth.
“It will be of utmost importance to ensure the CSSB is ready
to respond to any potential future mission, here or abroad, in order to sustain
Soldiers with critical supplies and units with timely maintenance so that
maneuver elements can ensure victory during any contingency,” he said.
The casing of the colors is a time-honored military
tradition signifying the end of service for the unit. Still referred to as the
Orphan Battalion, the 149th BSB is among the most historical units
in Kentucky with lineages traced back to the Mexican War in 1846. The BSB most
recently deployed in support of Operation New Dawn in Iraq in 2011.
“It’s a bittersweet moment, to be a part of all the
history that the BSB has accomplished is very humbling,” said Sgt. 1st
Class Heidi Macomber. “All the Soldiers who have served within the BSB have
made this the great battalion that we are today. I know the 1792nd CSSB will
continue that tradition in the Kentucky National Guard.”
Macomber has served with the unit for six years. She
currently serves as the readiness NCO for the 1792nd headquarter
element and said the redesgnation increases the overall size of the unit by
more than 300 Soldiers.
“This is an exciting time to be a part of the Orphan
Battalion. We are eager to see where our new mission as the CSSB takes us in
the future,” she said. “The Soldiers are looking forward to new missions, new
challenges, and supporting the units underneath the CSSB.”