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Sgt. Robert Passut, son of Barbara and Robert Passut of Burke, has returned from a 10-month deployment to Iraq and Kuwait with the US Army's 299th Engineer Company participating in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The 299th, a Multi-role Bridge Combat Engineer Company, fought with the 3rd Infantry Division during Operation Iraqi Freedom. They participated in battles at An Nasiriyah, An Najaf, Karbala, Baghdad, Mosul, and Balad.
The 299th built the first Assault Float Bridge and Medium Girder Bridge in combat over the Euphrates River. The bridges allowed the 3rd Infantry additional mobility in order to seize and secure Baghdad. The 299th has been awarded the Army Presidential Unit Citation for gallantry in combat. The unit is based at Fort Belvoir.
Passut, a 1995 graduate of Lake Braddock Secondary School, and his wife Jolene reside in Manassas.