84th Engineer Battalion (Combat) (Heavy)
The 84th Engineer Battalion (Combat) (Heavy) prepares to deploy worldwide and, as directed, conducts general engineering operations in support of military operations.
The 84th Engineer Battalion traces its roots and the chameleon symbol to 31 March 1930, when it was constituted as the 602nd Camouflage Battalion in the Organized Reserves. The battalion was transferred to the Regular Army on 1 January 1938 at Ft Belvoir, Virginia. Thirty months later, on 1 July 1940, the 602nd was redesignated as the 84th Engineer Battalion (Camouflage) (Army). Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the battalion served as the nucleus for the new engineer camouflage units and adopted the motto "We Conceal." Entering WWII in April 1943, the unit saw action first in Italy, then in Southern France and finally in Central Europe toward the end of the war. During WWII, the Battalion earned the following streamers: Naples-Foggia, Rome-Arn, Southern France (with arrowhead), Rhinelan, D'Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe.
In November 1945 the battalion was redesignated as the 84th Engineer Camouflage Company and a year later, on 15 November 1946, was deactivated. On 20 May 1949, the unit was reactivated as the 84th Engineer Construction Battalion.
The redesignated battalion was deployed to Korea in 1950 in support of the United Nations Forces. The Battalion participated in all ten campaigns of the Korean War. During the conflict, the battalion was twice awarded the US Navy Meritorious Unit Citation for its work in support of the Marine Corps. It was during this period that the words "Never Daunted," the description used by South Korean President Syngman Rhee as he presented the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation to the battalion for bridging the Imjin River, were adopted as the battalion motto.
In 1954 the battalion was redesignated as the 84th Engineer Battalion (Construction) and was stationed at Ft. Ord, California. In 1961, the battalion deployed to Europe as part of the "Round-Out" Forces during the Berlin Wall crisis. Arriving in France in October 1961, the battalion spent the next year building a variety of facilities to support the effort. In September 1962, the battalion redeployed back to Ft. Ord.
The battalion next saw combat in Vietnam, where it arrived on 9 June, 1965 at Cam Ranh Bay. This was the first major contingent of US Army Engineers to land in Vietnam. Stationed at Qui Nhon and later Da Nang, the 84th EBC was committed to the construction of major bases, depot facilities, warehouses, roads, bridges, and airfields. The battalion's authorized strength at this time was 899 soldiers, however, with the attachment of two companies of Vietnamese laborers, the battalion strength approached 1700 personnel. The battalion served in Vietnam until it received orders to deploy from Vietnam in July 1972.
Upon returning from Vietnam, the colors of the 84th were moved to Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. In late July 1972, the 84th EBC was formally merged with the 577th Engineer Battalion (Construction), which arrived to Hawaii in January 1972 with 3 officers and 11 enlisted men. The combined unit was designated the 84th Engineer Battalion (Construction). After steadily growing in strength, the battalion became active on other islands in the Hawaiian chain and at one time had men operating on four islands simultaneously.
In 1976 the battalion was redesignated the 84th Engineer Battalion (Combat) (Heavy). This redesignation diversified the battalion's mission to construction, combat engineering, and infantry operations. In 1977, the battalion deployed to Enewetak Atoll to initiate the massive cleanup of radioactive contaminated soil and debris left from the nuclear testing in the post WWII period. This project culminated in 1980 with the capping of Cactus Crater on Runit Island with a concrete dome.
In August 1980 the battalion was called upon to provide a civic action team to the Southwest Pacific Island State of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia. This mission was doubled in 1984, when a second team was deployed to the island of Kosrae. These teams are now a part of a joint service venture to maintain a favorable US military presence in this strategic area of the world, and are a continuing mission of the 84th Engineer Battalion even today.
Today the 84th Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy) deploys worldwide building schools, gymnasiums, community centers, warehouses, and roads. These general engineering operations have taken us to Mongolia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Tonga, and Kosrae.
The 84th Engineer Battalion has received seven meritorious unit citations, and has added 32 campaign streamers to its colors, six during World War II, ten during the Korean Conflict, and sixteen in Vietnam.
The many completed, ongoing, and planned civic action and military construction projects indicate that the soldiers of the 84th Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy) are following in the proud footsteps of all those who have gone before them.
