Sen. Barrasso traveled to the Persian Gulf to visit the Wyoming Army National Guard’s 133rd Engineering Company over the Fourth of July weekend and thank soliders their for their service. The unit was deployed in May to Isa Air Base in Bahrain to provide base security.
(Washington, D.C.) – The office of U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) said today the Senator spent the 4th of July weekend visiting with Wyoming National Guard troops serving in Bahrain.
Sen. John Barrasso thanked SFC John Connolly of Lander.
Barrasso visited with members of the 133rd Engineering Company, a unit based out of Laramie, that is stationed at Isa Air Base in Bahrain. There are currently over 160 Wyoming Army National Guard soldiers deployed in Bahrain.
Barrasso shared lunch with the service members, toured the base and was briefed by military officials on operations in the Middle East region. The 133rd is responsible for all of the security on Isa Air Base.
“It’s an honor and a privilege to visit with and thank Wyoming troops serving overseas. We can all be proud of the remarkable work the 133rd is doing to defend our freedom. All of the soldiers I talked to wanted me to let folks at home know they’re well, they’re getting everything they need, and look forward to getting home to Wyoming,” said Barrasso.
Sen. Barrasso thanked SPC Christopher Friday of Ft. Washakie.
“During our visit, I reminded the troops that the people of Wyoming are extremely grateful for the sacrifices they make to keep us safe and free. In Wyoming, we can continue to show our support by including the families of those deployed in our family and community events.”
The 133rd Engineering Company was deployed to Bahrain in May 2013 for a nine month deployment.
Prior to its deployment, the Company trained at Camp Shelby Training Site, near Hattiesburg, Miss., in preparation for departure to Isa Air Base, where the 160-strong company will be charged with providing security for the base that houses approximately 3,000 service members from all branches of the military.
Like many military units that deploy overseas, the 133rd engineers are assigned with a mission unlike their primary engineer duties, which include construction and earthmoving. As part of learning a new skill set, the company recently completed training involving identification of, and defense against improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and its new mission, base security.
“This is our bread and butter,” Capt. Tyler Schiele, the company’s commander, said to his Soldiers at the start of a six-hour block of classroom instruction. “So really focus, this is where we really make our money.”
The classroom was set up in one of the dining facilities, built on a mock-up of a forward operating base, typical of any overseas base where Soldiers operate while deployed. Radio communications, guarding techniques, entry point security and working with locals and interpreters all come into play.
The company was deployed in mid-May.