Indiana National Guard Lt. Col. Derek Sutton, right, receives the 113th Engineer Battalion colors from Col. John C. Roark, the 219th Engineer Brigade commander, during a change of command ceremony Sept. 15 at the Johnson County Armory in Franklin. Change of command ceremonies signify the peaceful transfer of leadership from one leader to another.
PHOTO COURTESY OF INDIANA NATIONAL GUARD
The Indiana National Guard’s 113th Engineer Battalion, headquartered in Gary and known as the Ironman Battalion, changed commanders in a ceremony in September at the Johnson County Armory in Franklin.
Indiana National Guard Lt. Col. Derek Sutton took the battalion’s reins from Lt Colonel J. Christian Johanningsmeier, who had commanded the battalion since September 2022.
Sutton, who has served in the military for more than 29 years, is from LaPorte and currently lives in Indianapolis with his wife Holly.
Sutton thanked his family, friends, peers and predecessors during his ceremony speech, and outlined his guidance as he steps into the command role in a unit he started with as a private.
“Leaders of the Ironman battalion, it is our responsibility to have a commitment to mentorship to ensure the knowledge is passed down from generation to generation, strengthening our unit and preparing our soldiers for the challenges that lie ahead,” Sutton said.
Likewise, Johanningsmeier also thanked his family for their enduring support, his predecessors for their mentorship, and the battalion soldiers and noncommissioned officers for their professionalism and ability to complete their missions.
“The 113th Engineer Soldiers maintain a culture of being the best in their crafts: breaching, digging, building, distributing, rescuing,” Johanningsmeier said. “I am confident the Ironman Battalion will continue to try new ways to serve its communities and prepare for our nation’s challenges. They continually demonstrate the Engineer motto, ‘Essayons! Let us try.’”
For Johanningsmeier ‘s steadfast leadership of the 113th, he earned the Meritorious Service medal. He will now move onto the 219th Engineer Brigade, based in Franklin, to serve as the executive officer.
The 113th Engineer Battalion has been headquartered is in Gary, Indiana, since 1917 and has seen service in World War I, World War II in the Pacific Theater, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and recently in 2020 in Kuwait.
The battalion has six subordinate units in Gary, Valparaiso, Franklin and Edinburgh comprising more than 600 citizen-soldiers who come from communities across the Hoosier State.
