Twenty-nine years ago, Karl Groninger arrived at home from his job of working for a county road-paving crew to tell his wife, Vicky, that he was joining the Army. She laughed.

Today, he is the new command sergeant major of the 579th Engineer Detachment (Forward Engineer Support Team-Main).

“I joined up, and we never looked back,” Groninger said.

The 50-year-old, originally from New Jersey, was transferred to Vicksburg in June after spending a year as command sergeant major at Soto Cano Air Base in Honduras.

Toward the end of his term in Honduras, he got a call informing him that his next assignment would be in Vicksburg.

“I grabbed my wife and we spent two weeks looking for a house,” Groninger said. “Now we’re here and we’re jumping in with two feet.”

Groninger’s job means he will serve as the personal adviser to the commander of FEST-M about the civilians and military personnel working for the 579th.

The unit consists of nine military personnel and 27 civilians, and Groninger is responsible for their training and professional development.

In April, the unit returned from a yearlong deployment in Afghanistan, where they worked with engineering design and construction support for Afghan facilities and U.S. troop support.

Groninger also wants to spread the word about the 579th and educate people about what they do.

“I don’t think a lot of people understand who we are and what we do,” he said. “A lot of times people overlook the civilians who work with us over there in harm’s way. They’re a part of the family, too, and I want to make sure their story gets told.”

Groninger is taking the place of Harry L. Collins, who retired in May after 35 years of service.

Groninger said he is happy to be in Vicksburg and is looking forward to becoming involved in the community.

“I’ve learned that in moving so much, if you want to get involved you have to do it quickly,” Groninger said. “We’ve eaten at about half the restaurants here and we’re crossing things off our list to do.”

On Tuesday, he and his wife officially became homeowners in Vicksburg, but he isn’t exactly settled yet.

“We have a beautiful home with some paper plates in the kitchen and a nice air mattress,” Groninger said. “I’m still getting lost a lot, too.”