555th Engineer Brigade headquarters redeployment ceremony Friday

Fort Lewis, Wash. – The 555th Engineer Brigade headquarters will conduct a unit redeployment and colors uncasing ceremony Friday, October 23 at 10:30 a.m. in the Stone Education Center.

The 555th Engineer Brigade headquarters recently redeployed from a 12-month deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The brigade deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in September 2008, where it was headquartered at Joint Base Balad, supporting Multi-National Corps Iraq. The brigade’s mission was to support combat operations, construction, and geospatial operations in partnership with Provincial Reconstruction Teams and Iraqi Army engineers. Other missions included training Iraqi Army engineers, base closure support, munitions clearance, and route clearance patrols.

This concludes the brigade headquarters’ third deployment to Iraq.

The colors uncasing ceremony symbolizes the completion of the unit’s return to Fort Lewis. Prior to leaving theater, Soldiers case the colors for transport to home station in a formal ceremony. Soldiers, particularly those in large units, frequently return home over a period of days or weeks, and an informal homecoming ceremony is conducted as each group returns. A formal uncasing ceremony typically follows, once all of the unit’s Soldiers have returned from deployment, to mark the reassembly of the complete unit.