District of Columbia National Guard celebrates National Engineers Week
Spc. Jarod Waggoner, 1331st Well Drilling Team, Indiana Army National Guard, sifts through mud while well drilling on Camp Atterbury, Indiana, June 7th, 2023. The Indiana Army National Guard 1331st Well Drilling Team provided hands-on training for the soldiers of the DC Army National Guard 140th Engineer Unit during their Annual Training. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Simone Sampson)
District of Columbia National Guard celebrates National Engineers Week
Soldiers of 1331st Well Drilling Team, Indiana Army National Guard, guide a drill head into a well on Camp Atterbury, Indiana, June 7th, 2023. The Indiana Army National Guard 1331st Well Drilling Team provided hands-on training for the soldiers of the DC Army National Guard 140th Engineer Unit during their Annual Training. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Simone Sampson)
District of Columbia National Guard celebrates National Engineers Week
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Cory Thomas, squad leader of the 1331st Well Drilling Team, Indiana Army National Guard, explains well drilling equipment on Camp Atterbury, Indiana, June 5th, 2023. The Indiana Army National Guard 1331st Well Drilling Team provided hands-on training for the soldiers of the DC Army National Guard 140th Engineer Unit during their Annual Training. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Simone Sampson
District of Columbia National Guard celebrates National Engineers Week
U.S. Army Sgt. Christian Boutte, a team leader of the 1331st Well Drilling Team, Indiana Army National Guard, describes how to create mud for well drilling on Camp Atterbury, Indiana, June 5th, 2023. The Indiana Army National Guard 1331st Well Drilling Team provided hands-on training for the soldiers of the DC Army National Guard 140th Engineer Unit during their Annual Training. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Simone Sampson)
District of Columbia National Guard celebrates National Engineers Week
Soldiers of the 1331st Well Drilling Team, Indiana Army National Guard, sit on a piece of equipment on Camp Atterbury, Indiana, June 5th, 2023. The Indiana Army National Guard 1331st Well Drilling Team provided hands-on training for the soldiers of the DC Army National Guard 140th Engineer Unit during their Annual Training. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Simone Sampson)
District of Columbia National Guard celebrates National Engineers Week
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Cory Thomas, squad leader of the 1331st Well Drilling Team, Indiana Army National Guard, kneels near the well drilling equipment to prepare the water pump on Camp Atterbury, Indiana, June 7th, 2023. The Indiana Army National Guard 1331st Well Drilling Team provided hands-on training for the soldiers of the DC Army National Guard 140th Engineer Unit during their Annual Training. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Simone Sampson)
District of Columbia National Guard celebrates National Engineers Week
U.S. Army Spc. Nathan Scudder, 1331st Well Drilling Team, Indiana Army National Guard, begins the operation of the Skid-Steer forklift on Camp Atterbury, Indiana, June 5, 2023. The Indiana Army National Guard 1331st Well Drilling Team provided hands-on training for the soldiers of the DC Army National Guard 140th Engineer Detachment, during their annual training. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Simone Sampson)
By Sgt. Tyrone Williams, 715th Public Affairs Detachment / Published Feb. 20, 2024
WASHINGTON,
The District of Columbia National Guard joins other agencies nationwide on Feb. 18 through Feb. 24 to celebrate 2024 National Engineers Week.
National Engineers Week was founded in 1951 by The National Society of Professional Engineers and is celebrated annually to coincide George Washington's Birthday. President Washington is seen as the nation's first engineer, especially for his survey work.
National Engineer Week was created to honor remarkable men and women in the engineer career field. The week is also a way to increase the discourse about the need for engineers while emphasizing the contributions engineers have made in society.
According to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the theme for 2024 National Week Engineers week is “Welcome to the future! It’s about celebrating today’s achievement and paving the way for a brighter and more diverse future in engineering.”
The District of Columbia activated two engineer detachments in 2019, The 1380th Engineer Detachment and the 140th Engineer Detachment. The 1380th Engineer Detachment is the headquarters component for the 140th Drilling Engineer Detachment. Both units specialize in well drilling.
“We're a unique set of units,” said Capt. Chad Pickering, Commander, 1380 Engineer Detachment. “I believe there's less than 10 water well drilling units in the Army overall and they're all in the National Guard.”
The units will provide the District of Columbia National Guard with the ability provide water to areas that didn’t have access previously. The unit also trains in horizontal construction.
“Horizontal Engineering is important because we can set roads, build bridges and basically get you from here to there,” said James Porter, Horizontal Construction Engineer, 140th Detachment. “We are a well-drilling company that means we can also offer a humanitarian aspect for the DC Guard in addition to the other capabilities we offer.”
The District of Columbia National Guard celebrates the engineers in its ranks, as well as worldwide and are thankful for their service.
