7th Engineer Battalion (Combat)
"Fight to Win"
The 7th Engineer Battalion commands, controls and supports mission tailored Combat Engineer modules in order to provide full spectrum engineering in support of contingencies worldwide. It consists of a Headquarters and Headquarters Company, a Forward Support Company, the 95th Engineer Detachment (Firefighting), the 520th Engineer Detachment (Firefighting), the 630th Route Clearance Company, the 642nd Engineer Support Company, the 693rd Sapper Company, and the 513th Sapper Company. Prior to the 7th Engineer Battalion's reactivation in October 2006, the 95th and 520th Engineer Detachments were assigned to the 41st Engineer Battalion.
The 7th Engineer Battalion was first organized on 31 December 1861 in the Regular Army at Washington, District of Colombia, from new and existing companies of engineers as a provisional engineer battalion. It was officially constituted on 28 July 1866 as the Battalion of Engineers. It was expanded between 14 March 1901 and 7 June 1901 to form the 1st and 2d Battalions of Engineers, with the 2nd Battalion of Engineers thereafter having a separate lineage.
The 1st Battalion of Engineers was expanded, reorganized, and redesignated on 1 July 1916 as the 1st Regiment of Engineers. The 1st Regiment of Engineers expanded on 15 May 1917 to form the 1st, 6th, and 7th Regiments of Engineers, with the 1st and 6th Regiments of Engineers thereafter having separate lineages.
The 7th Regiment of Engineers was redesignated on 29 August 1917 as the 7th Engineers. It was assigned 17 November 1917 to the 5th Division (later redesignated as the 5th Infantry Division). It was inactivated (less Company A) on 10 October 1921 at Camp Jackson, South Carolina (Company A inactivated 1 October 1933 at Fort Benning, Georgia).
The unit was redesignated on 16 October 1939 as the 7th Engineer Battalion and activated at Fort Logan, Colorado. It was redesignated again on 28 May 1943 as the 7th Engineer Combat Battalion. This unit was inactivated on 20 September 1946 at Camp Campbell, Kentucky, and Ladd Field, Alaska.
It was activated on 6 July 1948 at Fort Jackson, South Carolina and inactivated on 30 April 1950 at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. It was again activated on 1 March 1951 at Indiantown Gap Military Reservation, Pennsylvania, with this unit being inactivated on 1 September 1953 at Indiantown Gap Military Reservation, Pennsylvania.
The unit was redesignated on 7 April 1954 as the 7th Engineer Battalion and activated on 25 May 1954 in Germany. This unit was inactivated 1 June 1957 at Fort Ord, California. The unit was again activated on 19 February 1962 at Fort Carson, Colorado and inactivated (less Company A) on 15 December 1970 at Fort Carson, Colorado (Company A inactivated on 6 August 1971 in Vietnam).
The unit was activated on 21 July 1975 at Fort Polk, Louisiana and inactivated on 15 December 1992 at Fort Polk, Louisiana. It was concurrently relieved from assignment to the 5th Infantry Division.
Headquarters and Headquarters Company activated on 19 October 2006 at Fort Drum, New York with its support company concurrently constituted and activated. Soon thereafter elements of the 7th Engineers joined other elements of the 10th Mountain Division deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Elements of the 7th Engineer Battalion deployed to Iraq in support of the 10th Mountain Division as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2007.
