Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort --
Marine Wing Support Squadron 273 engineering company received the Engineer Company of the Year Award, Nov. 7.
The Sweathog engineers were presented awards by Lt. Col. James Stone, the commanding officer of MWSS-273, due to providing support to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward).
The support included building 12,000 sq. ft. of office space and building 135 ordnance barriers. Engineering Company also supported the Marine Air Ground Task Force by building 11 helicopter landing zone air sights which allowed forward deployment of aircraft. The award is also thanks from the local community due to supporting the re-establishment of the beach hut at the Hunting Island State Park.
After the award ceremony, Stone congratulated every Marine for a job well done.
"This ceremony wasn’t just to commemorate the engineering company," said Stone. "We are a team and if you take a hard look at the organization, we have over 70 military occupational specialties just within this squadron. Engineer Company didn’t do it alone, they did it because they had support from every other company."
As the Marines of MWSS-273 congratulated each other for being a part of receiving this award, Capt. George Saenz Jr., the MWSS-273 Engineer Company commander, also had words of wisdom for his Marines.
"Even though I was the one that received this award from the commanding officer, it doesn’t belong to me," said Saenz. "This award belongs to all of us. Without all of us working together as a team and accomplishing our mission as the engineer company, this would have never happened."
One of the Engineer Company generator mechanics, Cpl. Samuel Jarrell, received the Utilities Marine of the Year for superb performance not only during their last deployment but during the rest of his time with the unit.