15th Engineer Battalion

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name=15th Engineer Battalion


caption= 15th Engineer Battalion Crest
dates= 1916-1919, 1940-1946, 1948-1962, 1966-1969, 1972-1991, 2008-
country= United States
allegiance=
branch= United States Army
type= Construction Effects Battalion
role= Construction Effects
size= Battalion
command_structure= 18th Engineer Brigade
garrison= Schweinfurt
garrison_label=
equipment=
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nickname=
patron=
motto= Drive On!
colors=
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mascot=
battles=
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decorations=
battle_honours=
current_commander=LTC David E. Hurley
current_commander_label=Commander
ceremonial_chief=CSM Bradley J. Houston
ceremonial_chief_label=Command Sergeant Major
colonel_of_the_regiment=
colonel_of_the_regiment_label=
notable_commanders=

identification_symbol=
identification_symbol_label=Distinctive Unit Insignia
identification_symbol_2=
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The 15th Engineer Battalion is a Construction Effects battalion of the United States Army. It is currently a subordinate unit of 18th Engineer Brigade and is headquartered at Conn Barracks in Schweinfurt, Germany. Soldiers of the 15th Engineer Battalion provide various supportive duties to other Army units, including construction, engineering, and mechanical work on other Army projects.

Organization

The 15th is composed of four companies and one survey and design detachment (534th). The Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) contains the command and staff sections, providing planning and coordination for unit missions. The Forward Support Company (FSC) provides logistical and maintenance support to the battalion. The 500th Engineer Company performs horizontal construction, and the 902nd Engineer Company is the Vertical Construction company.

History

The 15th Construction Engineer Battalion has a proud and distinguished lineage. From its auspicious beginnings in the trenches and mud of World War I battlefields of France to the steaming hot jungles of Vietnam, the 15th Engineers maintained their spirit. [ [http://www.oldreliable.org/15th_eng.html 15th Combat Engineer Battalion ] ]

World Wars

Constituted on 3 June 1916 as the Fifth Reserve Engineers (Regiment) at Oakmont, Pennsylvania. On 8 August 1917, the Regiment was redesignated as the 15th Engineers (Regiment)(Railway). During World War I, the Regiment received battle streamers for the St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne campaigns. Deployed to France in July 1917, the 15th planned and constructed railroads, and helped build barracks, hospitals, and supply depots during the war. The Regiment was demobilized at Sherman, Ohio on 15 May 1919. The 15th Engineers were reconstituted and placed on the inactive rolls on 25 August 1921, followed by assignment to the 9th Infantry Division on 24 March 1923. The unit was redesignated as the 15th Engineer Battalion in July 1940 and activated at Fort Bragg on August 1st. During World War II, the 15th first saw action in North Africa in 1943, fighting with the 9th Infantry Division during the Algerian-French Morocco and Tunisian Campaigns. Next, the battalion participated in the invasion of Sicily, hitting the beach at Palermo in August 1943. With Sicily secured, the 9th Infantry Division sailed to England and prepared for the Normandy invasion. Landing at Utah beach on 10 June 1944, the Battalion drove on to Cherbourg and later took part in the St. Lo breakthrough. Fighting its way across France earned the Battalion a battle streamer for its role in the Northern France Campaign. In September, the Battalion earned the Presidential Unit Citation for its actions on the Siegfried Line. In December 1944, the Battalion helped defeat Hitler's forces in the Battle of the Bulge to earn another battle streamer. In March 1945, B company earned the Presidential Unit Citation for its part in seizing the Ludendorf Bridge, crossing the Rhine, and extending the Remagen Bridgehead. After the Rhineland Campaign, the Division advanced eastward, fighting through the remnants of Hitler's army to earn a battle streamer for the Central European Campaign. The war's end brought about the 15th's inactivation in November 1946.

Korea

Although reactivated on 12 July 1948 at Fort Dix, the 15th remained stateside during the Korean War, serving first at Fort Dix, New Jersey, and later at Fort Carson, Colorado, from 1954, until inactivation in January 1962.

Vietnam

The Battalion was reactivated at Fort Riley, Kansas, on 1 February 1966 and later joined American fighting forces in the jungles of Vietnam. The Battalion twice earned the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Palm for its outstanding military service and also received a Civil Action Honor Medal, First Class, for numerous civic actions. Alpha and Charlie Companies were recognized for their effective support of the 1st Brigade, 9th Infantry Division in 1968: Alpha Company received the Presidential Unit Citation for its valiant actions in the Dinh-Tuong Province and Charlie Company earned the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry for its heroic support of highly effective search and destroy operation in the Long-An Province. The Battalion rotated to Hawaii in August 1969, where it inactivated.

Post Vietnam

The 15th Combat Engineer Battalion was reactivated at Fort Lewis in June 1972. In 1983, Delta Company was reorganized as a General Support Heavy Engineer Company, and the Bridge Company became Echo Company. On 1 April 1984, Echo Company reorganized to form to form the 73rd Engineer Company(Assault Ribbon Bridge), I Corps, and attached them to the 15th Combat Engineer Battalion. In January 1990, the Army ordered the 9th Infantry Division to inactivate. Charlie Company cased its guidon on 1 October 1990. Delta Company inactivated on 14 February 1991, when it reorganized to form the nucleus of the 102nd Engineer Company, 199th Infantry Brigade(Motorized). Soldiers and equipment from across the battalion were used to fill the new company. The 73rd Engineer Company, after its three-month combat tour in Operation Desert Storm, returned to I Corps control and was attached to 3rd Battalion, 2nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment, on 1 July 1991. The remaining companies and the battalion Headquarters inactivated on 1 August 1991.

Global War on Terrorism

The Battalion was reactivated at Conn Barracks on July 16th, 2008 as part of the 18th Engineer Brigade, V Corps and provides engineering support to US Army units in Europe.

Honors

Unit Decorations

Campaign Streamers

World War I
*St. Mihiel
*Meuse-ArgonneWorld War II
*Algeria-French Morocco
*Tunisia
*Sicily
*Normandy
*Northern France
*Rhineland
*Central Europe
*Ardennes-Alsace

References

External links

* http://www.15thengineer.50megs.com
* http://www.15thcombatengineers.org