14th Combat Engineer Battalion (Corps)
On order, the 14th Engineer Battalion (Corps) deploys and conducts engineer operations as a member of the combined arms team.
The 14th Engineer Battalion originated as the 2nd Battalion, 36th Engineer Combat Regiment and was activated on 1 June 1941 at Plattsburg Barracks, New York. The Battalion fought with distinction in ten campaigns during World War II, including five amphibious beach assaults: Algeria/French, Morocco, Sicily, Naples, Anzio, and Southern France. The regimental shoulder patch included a sea horse reflecting the unit's amphibious operations, and is also on the 14th Engineer insignia. In addition to numerous combat engineer missions, the Battalion frequently fought as Infantry, including 47 continuous days at Anzio Beachhead.
On 15 February 1945, while in Poxonne, Germany, the Regiment was reorganized as the 36th Engineer Combat Group, and the 2nd Battalion was redesignated the 2827th Engineer Combat Battalion. The Battalion was inactivated 25 February 1946 at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey.
The 2827th Engineer Combat Battalion was redesignated on 29 April 1947 as the 14th Engineer Combat Battalion, and activated 15 March 1950 in Kisarazu, Honshu, Japan, as part of the post-war occupation forces.
The 14th Engineer Combat Battalion landed at Pohong Dong, Korea on 18 July 1950, and participated in every major campaign of the Korean War. The Battalion was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation (less Company A) for fighting as Infantry with the 25th Infantry Division and Task Force Allen, and for its role in the breakout of the Pusan Perimeter. Alpha Company earned a Meritorious Unit Commendation for combat infantry missions in support of the 1st Cavalry Division, and a Korean Presidential Unit Citation for clearing minefields on Line Golden. The Battalion was inactivated 25 June 1958 in Korea.
The 14th Engineer Battalion was reactivated 17 June 1962 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina where it served until alerted it would be deployed to the Republic of Vietnam.
The 14th Engineer Battalion deployed to Vietnam on 19 October 1966, and participated in twelve campaigns throughout a five-year period. The Battalion earned a Meritorious Unit Commendation for its role in Operations Gatling and Summerall, and was awarded the Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Unit Citation. 2nd Platoon, Alpha Company was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation while supporting 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry during operations in Binh Thuan Province. The Battalion served with such units as the 1st Cavalry Division and the 101st Airborne Division. Volunteers from the Battalion also hauled ammunition to the surrounded Marines in the Khe Sahn Operation Pegasus.
The 14th Engineer Battalion returned to the United States in late August of 1971, and a new home at Fort Ord, California, where they assimilated the mission and personnel of the 613th Engineer Battalion. On 3 February 1989, the 761st Chemical Company was assigned to the Battalion, and deployed to Saudi Arabia the following year in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, returning in April 1991. As a result of the military drawdown of the nineties and the closure of Fort Ord, the Battalion was moved to Fort Lewis, Washington in the summer of 1993. The 761st Chemical Company inactivated as a result of the drawdown.
In April of 1999, Bravo Company was redesignated as a National Guard Unit still attached to the Battalion, and on 16 July 1999, the 11th Chemical Company was assigned to the Battalion. The 14th Engineer Battalion, the only remaining Corps wheeled engineer battalion on active duty, and one of the most decorated active duty engineer battalions in the U.S. Army, currently serves the nation under the 555th Combat Engineer Group and the U.S. Forces Command.
The shield is separated into two parts diagonally from the upper left to the lower right by a wavy line. The upper right of the shield is scarlet and the lower portion is white, representing the engineer colors. The wavy dissection of the shield symbolizes the ocean and serves as a reminder to the extensive foreign service of the Battalion. The sea horse symbolizes the numerous amphibious landings of the Battalion during WWII. Under the bordered shield is a scroll bearing the motto: "GONG MU RO", which is Korean for "duty first." The battalion motto reflects the army tradition of "duty first, people always." Our slogan, "Rugged!" is derived from our parent unit, the 36th Combat Engineer Regiment.
The 11th Chemical Company was constituted on 3 March 1942 as the 11th Chemical Company and activated 25 March 1942 at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. The unit was redesignated 1 April 1942 as the 11th Chemical Maintenance Company. During World War II, the 11th Chemical Maintenance Company served in five campaigns including Rome-Arno, Southern France (with Arrowhead), Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace and Central Europe. The Company was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation for their efforts in the European Theater from 15 August 1944 to 8 May 1945, and was inactivated on 28 September 1945 in Germany. The Unit was redesignated the 11th Chemical Company and activated on 29 June 1954 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The Company gyroscoped to Germany and served until 22 June 1965 when it was again inactivated. Thirteen years later, the 11th Chemical Company reactivated in Germany, and in November 1988, moved to Fort McClellan, Alabama where the Company assisted in training soldiers in the Chemical School. On 16 July 1999, the 11th Chemical Company was reassigned to Fort Lewis, Washington under the 14th Combat Engineer Battalion where it proudly serves under the U.S. Forces Command to this day.
