54th Engineer Battalion (United States)

The 54th Brigade Engineer Battalion is a combat engineer battalion of the United States Army headquartered at Caserma Ederle in Vicenza, Italy.

54th Engineer Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team
54th Engineer Battalion coat of arms
ActiveSTB: 8 Jun 06-17 Jun 15
Eng Bn: 17 Jun 15-present
Country United States of America
Allegiance United States Army
BranchActive duty
TypeCombat engineer battalion
SizeBattalion
Part of173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team
Garrison/HQCaserma Ederle (Vicenza, Italy)
Motto(s)Essayons et Faisons
(Let us try and let us do)
EngagementsAfghanistan Campaign
Iraq Campaign
Commanders
Commanding officerLTC Sean R. Shields [1]
Command Sergeant MajorCSM Anthony D. Powers [1]
Insignia
Distinctive unit insignia (DUI)
Battalion beret flash
Former DUI of the 173rd Special Troops Battalion

In its current form, it is the direct continuation of the former Special Troops Battalion, of the 173d Airborne Brigade Combat Team, but it carries the name and continues the lineage of the 54th Engineer Battalion, a previously mechanized Engineer Battalion.

The 54th Engineer Battalion was founded as the 42nd Engineer Battalion, constituted 7 December 1917. It was reorganized into the 20th Engineer Regiment and demobilized in 1918. Upon reactivation in October 1933, it has been somewhat continuously active until today, despite sporadic reorganization and short periods of inactivity. [2]

The Special Troops Battalion was the organization for the command elements of the 173d Airborne Brigade Combat Team but is now the engineer element of the brigade.[3] The battalion contained the brigade's senior command structure, including its Headquarters and Headquarters Company, as well as combat engineer, military intelligence, and signal elements. Activated in 2000 from inactivating support units, the Special Troops Battalion deployed with the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team to Afghanistan in 2007 until 2008 and again in early 2010.

Organization

The Special Troops Battalion was subordinate to the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team and was a permanent formation of the brigade, as the 173rd's command elements are all contained in the STB.[4] The battalion formerly consisted of three companies and the brigade's Headquarters and Headquarters Company. Company A was a Combat Engineer company, Company B was a Military Intelligence company, and Company C was a Signal company. These companies provided support for the other battalions of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, and, as such, all of its companies were (and are) Airborne qualified.[5] Currently, the 54th Engineer Battalion is organized into six companies. A "Castle" and B "Bastion" Companies are two Engineer Sapper units. C "Raven" Company is the Signals unit. D "Danger" Company is the Military Intelligence company. The final two companies are E "Spartan" Company and HHC "Havoc", the Forward Support and Headquarters and Headquarters Company, respectively.

History

The Special Troops Battalion was formed as part of a reorganization of the 173d Airborne Brigade into a modular brigade. The battalion was designed to be the self-contained command component of the brigade, allowing it to function independently of any higher command. The battalion was activated on 8 June 2006. Most of its components were drawn from the 82nd Engineer Battalion, which inactivated on 30 March 2006.[6] On 21 April 2006, a coat of arms and a distinctive unit insignia were approved for the battalion.[7]

173rd Soldiers conduct air assault training in Germany (2007)

On 11 October 2006, the 173d Airborne Brigade was redesignated as the 173d Airborne Brigade Combat Team (ABCT),[8] as part of the Army's "Unit of Action" modularized unit force restructuring that General Eric Shinseki had originally envisioned.[4][9] This was a significant change as it signified the ability for the brigade to deploy its forces and sustain itself with its newly integrated support teams. By integrating these support elements, the unit became able to maintain its fighting forces with all that is required to keep the ground soldiers supplied and moving.[4] While most of the brigade remained in Vicenza, Italy through the transition, four of the battalions had to relocate to Bamberg and Schweinfurt, Germany until additional facilities were constructed in the Vicenza area.[9] The 1st Battalion, 508th Infantry was reflagged as 1st Battalion, 503d Infantry to resume the Vietnam-era lineage of the 503d Infantry battalions under the 173d Airborne Brigade.[9] The colors of the 1st Battalion, 508th Infantry were moved to Ft. Bragg, North Carolina to serve under the 82d Airborne Division.[8] Immediately after its transformation, the brigade began intensive training in both Germany and Italy to prepare itself for future deployments.[10]

In 2006, the brigade was notified for a second tour of duty in Iraq during 2007–2008, but its deployment plan was changed to Afghanistan in February 2007 when the Pentagon announced that it would relieve the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division along with the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division.[11] In the spring of 2007, the 173d ABCT again deployed to Afghanistan, as Task Force Bayonet, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF 07–09),[11] their first deployment as a fully transformed brigade combat team. The brigade was dispersed throughout the east of the country, with units operating in Nangarhar, Nuristan, Kunar, and Laghman Provinces.[11] The 173d ABCT officially relieved the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division on 6 June 2007.[11]

The 173d participated in various operations with the objective of ensuring security and subduing Taliban insurgents in the mountainous regions along Afghanistan's border with Pakistan, one of these being Operation Rock Avalanche near the Hindu Kush.[12] Throughout their 15-month deployment, the brigade participated in more than 9,000 patrols throughout the region.[13] Only two weeks before the brigade was to return to Italy, a platoon of 45 soldiers from the brigade stationed in the Dara-I-Pech district was caught in an ambush by 100–200 insurgents, the Battle of Wanat.[14] Though the platoon was able to drive the insurgents back with air support, the fight resulted in 9 soldiers killed and 16 wounded; the deadliest attack on troops in the country since 2005.[15] The brigade repositioned the base three days later.[13][16] The 173rd's tour ended in July 2008, and the entire brigade returned to Italy by the end of that month.[14]

The brigade began its fourth deployment to Afghanistan in early 2010.[17]

On 17 June 2015 the Special Troops Battalion, 173d ABCT was officially reflagged as the 54th Engineer Battalion,[3] a unit with a lineage separate from that of the STB, 173d ABCT.[18] It has since added a second combat engineer company to the ranks.

Honors

Unit decorations

The 54th Brigade Engineer Battalion's decorations are as follows:[2]

Ribbon Award Year Notes
Presidential Unit Citation (Army) 2003 For service in Iraq
Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) 2008-2009 For service in Iraq
Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) 2010-2011 For service in Afghanistan
Navy Unit Commendation 2006-2007 For service in Anbar Province, Iraq

Additionally, Company B is entitled to:[2]

Ribbon Award Year Notes
Valorious Unit Award 1991 For service in Iraq and Kuwait

Campaign streamers [2]
Conflict Streamer Year(s)
World War 1 No Inscription
World War 2 Algeria - French Morocco (with Arrowhead)
World War 2 Tunisia
World War 2 Sicily (with Arrowhead)
World War 2 Normandy (with Arrowhead)
World War 2 Northern France
World War 2 Rhineland
World War 2 Ardennes - Alsace
World War 2 Central Europe
Southwest Asia Liberation and Defense of Kuwait
Southwest Asia Cease-Fire
War on Terrorism Iraqi Surge
War on Terrorism Iraqi Sovereignty
Operation Iraqi Freedom Iraq 2003
Operation Iraqi Freedom Iraq 2008-2009
Operation Iraqi Freedom Anbar Province 2006-2007
Operation Enduring Freedom Afghanistan 2010-2011
Operation Enduring Freedom Afghanistan (as STB) 2007–2008

References
  1. "173rd Airborne Brigade: Sky Soldiers". U.S. Army. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  2. "54th Engineer Battalion | Lineage and Honors | U.S. Army Center of Military History (CMH)". history.army.mil. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  3. "54th Engineer Battalion | Lineage and Honors | U.S. Army Center of Military History (CMH)". History.army.mil. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  4. "173d Airborne Brigade "Sky Soldiers"". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 18 January 2008.
  5. "Special Troops Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team Homepage: Organization". 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team Staff. Archived from the original on 27 June 2009. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  6. "GlobalSecurity.org: 173rd Special Troops Battalion". GlobalSecurity. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  7. "The Institute of Heraldry: 173rd Special Troops Battalion". The Institute of Heraldry. Archived from the original on 3 June 2008. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  8. "173D Airborne Brigade Combat Team". The Institute of Heraldry. Archived from the original on 3 January 2008. Retrieved 18 January 2008.
  9. Ziezulewicz, Geoff. Ceremony makes it official: 173rd Airborne Brigade is a combat team, US Army News Service. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
  10. Millham, Aimee. Infantry Training Reinforces Combat Skills Archived 2 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine, DefendAmerica.mil press service. Retrieved on 2 May 2008.
  11. Vogt, Melissa (16 February 2007). "173rd Airborne heading to Afghanistan". Army Times. Retrieved 24 April 2008.
  12. "Moving forward with the 173rd Airborne". Press-Republican. 29 October 2007. Retrieved 22 February 2008.
  13. St. Clair, Mark. Commander: Media reports on Afghanistan outpost battle were exaggerated, Mark St. Clair, Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 20 July 2008
  14. Martinez, Luis. "ABC News: Even 500 Lbs Bombs Couldn't Stop Taliban". ABC News. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
  15. Starr, Barbara (16 July 2008). "'Heroic' fighting repels Afghan militants.com". CNN. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
  16. "U.S. troops quit remote Afghan base after attack". NBC News. Associated Press. Retrieved 16 July 2008.
  17. Packnett, Lee. "Army Prepares for Next Rotations in OEF". US Army Public Affairs. Archived from the original on 21 July 2009. Retrieved 16 July 2009.

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