- 1st Engineer Battalion (United States)
Infobox Military Unit
unit_name=1st Engineer Battalion
caption=1st Engineer Battalion coat of arms
dates=1846-present
country=United States
allegiance=
branch=Regular Army
type=Engineer battalion
role=
size=
command_structure=U.S. 1st Infantry Division
garrison=Fort Riley
current_commander=
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
notable_commanders=
identification_symbol=
identification_symbol_2=
nickname=
patron=
motto=
colors=
march=
mascot=
battles=Civil War
Spanish-American War
World War I
World WarII
Vietnam War
Desert Storm
Operation Iraqi Freedom
anniversaries=
decorations=Presidential Unit Citation (3 awards)
Valorous Unit Citation
Distinguished Unit Citation
Meritorious Unit Commendation
Superior Unit Award
battle_honours=
identification_symbol=
identification_symbol_label=Distinctive Unit Insignia
identification_symbol_2=
identification_symbol_2_label=The 1st Engineer Battalion is the oldest and most decorated
engineer battalion in theUnited States Army .History
1800s
The battalion's history can be traced back to
May 15 ,1846 when a company ofMiner s,Sapper s, and Pontoniers was formed atWest Point, New York . Alpha Company, 1st Engineer Battalion is that company's direct descendant. During its long history, the battalion has received 62 decorations andcampaign streamer s and eight foreign awards. Alpha Company served gallantly during theMexican-American War of 1846, participating in the Veracruz campaign and leading the charge up the formidable heights ofChapultepec inMexico City . During the war,Robert E. Lee , George McClellan, and P.G.T. Beauregard served as lieutenants in Alpha Company and lead the list of distinguished Americans that have served in this battalion.Alpha Company was expanded into the Battalion of Engineer Troops during the
American Civil War and was assigned to theUnion Army of thePotomac . The battalion served with distinction and earned ten campaign streamers. The battalion fought atAntietam , bridged theRappahannock River six times atFredericksburg , breached fortifications atPetersburg and was present at the surrender ofGeneral Lee atAppomattox . The battalion's first Sergeant Major,Frederick W. Gerber , was awarded theMedal of Honor for his 23 years of service to the battalion, which included the Mexican-American andAmerican Civil War .During the
Spanish-American War , Charlie and Echo companies of the battalion were sent toCuba where they fought in the campaign to take the city of Santiago. The remainder of the battalion was sent to thePhilippines where they provided engineer support during the battles for Manila and Cavite. Alpha Company remained in the Philippines and conducted pacification operations during the Philippine Insurrection.World War I
With the start of
World War I , the battalion was expanded to the 1st Engineer Regiment and assigned to the 1st Infantry Division. The regiment fought as part of the "Big Red One" and participated in the Lorraine and Meuse-Argonne campaigns and was awarded the FrenchFourragere and two awards of theCroix de Guerre for valorous service. SergeantWilber E. Colyer of Alpha Company received the Medal of Honor for advancing under fire and destroying a series of enemy machine gun positions nearVerdun ,France in 1918.World War II
Prior to the start of
World War II , the 1st Engineer Regiment was reorganized as the 1st Engineer Combat Battalion and again assigned to fight as part of the 1st Infantry Division. In 1942, the battalion landed with the initial forces spear-heading the North Africa invasion. In 1943, the battalion cleared underwater obstacles and destroyed enemypillbox es during the landings on Sicily. During the Normandy landings atOmaha Beach in 1944, the battalion led the assault forces, breaching gaps in the extensive enemy mine and wire obstacles and clearing the combat trails leading off the beaches. The battalion received its third Presidential Unit Citation for actions at Omaha Beach and received theDistinguished Unit Citation for combat action at Gafsa, Tunisia, andNormandy . The battalion fought as part of the 1st Infantry Division during the remainder of the war in theEuropean Theater and after 10 years of occupation duty moved toFort Riley, Kansas .Vietnam
On
May 2 ,1965 the battalion deployed to theRepublic of South Vietnam as part of the 1st Infantry Division. For five years the battalion cleared obstacles, built roads, airfields,basecamp s and bridges in support of numerous combat operations including Junction City I and II and theTet Offensive of 1968. The battalion became famous for the DieHard Tunnel Rat section that bravely cleared the extensive Vietcong tunnel systems with little more than small arms and demolitions. Thebattalion received fourMeritorious Unit Commendation s for actions during theVietnam War .Desert Shield/Storm
During the next 20 years at Fort Riley, the battalion took part in numerous training exercises, NTC rotations, and REFORGER deployments. In December 1990, the battalion deployed to Southwest Asia in support of Operations DESERT SHIELD and DESERT STORM. The battalion breached and cleared lanes through
Iraq i obstacle belts that allowed the passage of two divisions. Elements of the battalion destroyed 58 Iraqi tanks, 41 anti-aircraft artillery pieces, and other large quantities of ammunition and war material. The battalion returned to Fort Riley in 1991 and received the Valorous Unit Citation for actions inSouthwest Asia .Since 1991, the battalion participated in many NTC and JRTC rotations, fought fires in the
Northwestern United States , and supported anti-drug operations as part of JTF-6. In 1995, the 1st Engineer Battalion was awarded theSuperior Unit Award for exceptional performance during the Engineer Restructuring Initiative on Fort Riley.Bosnia and Herzegovina
On
August 30 ,1999 the Battalion deployed toBosnia and Herzegovina in support ofSFOR . Units redeploying on12 December 1999 , the battalion helped provide a stable and secure environment so the benefits of democracy and freedom might flourish. To this end, the battalion conducted reconnaissance of over 1,230 kilometers of routes and 298 bridges; destroyed 116,000 anti-personnel land mines; constructed 30 kilometers of roads and 5 bridges; supervised Entity Armed Forces' clearance of more than convert|43000|sqmi|km2 of minefields; and distributedtoy s,clothing , and humanitarian aid to Bosnian children and homeless families.Operation Iraqi Freedom
On
September 8 ,2003 , the 1st Engineer Battalion deployed toIraq as part of the 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division forOperation Iraqi Freedom . In one year the battalion exploited over 370 enemy caches consisting of 28 tons of munitions and weapons, found and destroyed over 50 improvised devices, fortified 21 government buildings and coalition camps in the Al Anbar Province, cleared several hundredkilometers of roads, supported six battalions in the Ar Ramadi and Habbaniyah areas with combat engineer operations for six other camps in the Ar Ramadi area. The battalion returned to Fort Riley in October 2004 having successfully accomplished its mission inIraq .The battalion restructured its companies in 2006 as part of the Corps of Engineers restructuring plan for engineer forces Army wide. The battalion deployed to Iraq again in the fall of 2006. After a fifteen month deployment, the Battalion redeployed to Fort Riley, KS just in time for the holidays in 2007. On Feb. 7th 2007, as a part of Army restructuring the Battalion switched from being a part of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division to being a part of the 555th Engineer Brigade. To date, the Battalion has been working on resetting itself and restructuring to support Operation Iraqi Freedom and prepare for future possible deployments.
External links
* [http://www.riley.army.mil/Units/1BCT1ID/1stEngr.asp Official website]
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