84th Engineer Battalion
84th Engineer Battalion (Combat) (Heavy)

As part of the modular transformation of the US Army, combat support and combat service support assets were variously restructured. As a result of the this transformation in US Army Pacific (USARPAC) and a general realignment of US forces in the pacific region, the 84th Engineer Battalion was reassigned from the 45th Corps Support Group, first directly to the 8th Theater Sustainment Command, and then to the 130th Engineer Brigade when it was activated in 2008.

Previously, the mission of the 84th Engineer Battalion (Combat) (Heavy) had been to prepare to deploy worldwide and, as directed, conduct general engineering operations in support of military operations.

The 84th Engineer Battalion traces its lineage and honors, as well as the chameleon symbol to 31 March 1930, when it was first constituted in the Organized Reserves as the 602nd Camouflage Battalion, Corps of Engineers. The unit was redesignated on 20 August 1931 as the 602nd Engineer Battalion. The Battalion was withdrawn on 1 January 1938 from the Organized Reserves and allotted to the Regular Army at Ft Belvoir, Virginia. The Battalion was redesignated on 1 July 1940 as the 84th Engineer Battalion (Camouflage) (Army). Company A was concurrently activated at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. The remainder of Battalion was activated on 4 June 1941 at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, the Battalion served as the nucleus for the new engineer camouflage units and adopted the motto "We Conceal." The Battalion was redesignated on 1 April 1942 as the 84th Engineer Camouflage Battalion. Entering World War II 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 World War II, the Battalion was awarded campaign streamers for participation in 6 campaigns: Naples-Foggia, Rome-Arn, Southern France (streamer with arrowhead indicating participation in the initial assault), Rhinelan, D'Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe.

In the final stages of the conflict, Company D had been reorganized and redesignated on 1 April 1945 as the 2916th Engineer Camouflage Company. The 640th Engineer Camouflage Company had been concurrently reorganized and redesignated as Company D, 84th Engineer Camouflage Battalion. The 640th Engineer Camouflage Company had been first constituted on 24 February 1942 in the Army of the United States as the 640th Engineer Company and activated on 6 March 1942 at Camp Edwards, Massachusetts. It was redesignated on 18 May 1942 as the 640th Engineer Camouflage Company, before being reorganized and redesignated as Company D, 84th Engineer Camouflage Battalion. The Battalion had been redesignated on 5 April 1945 as the 84th Army Engineer Camouflage Battalion. After the end of World War II, the Battalion was reorganized and redesignated on 5 November 1945 as the 84th Engineer Camouflage Company before being inactivated on 15 November 1946 at Fort Knox, Kentucky.

While inactive, the Battalion was consolidated on 12 April 1949 with Headquarters and Headquarters and Service Company, 1001st Engineer Forestry Battalion. The 1001st Engineer Forestry Battalion had been first constituted on 7 August 1944 in the Army of the United States as Headquarters and Headquarters and Service Company, 1001st Engineer Forestry Battalion and activated on 19 August 1944 at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana. It was inactivated on 9 April 1946 at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. The consolidated unit designated as the 84th Engineer Construction Battalion, to consist of Companies A, B, and C, which had all been first constituted on 1 June 1945 in the Army of the United States as the 2786th, 2787th, and 2788th Engineer Forestry Companies respectively. All of those Companies had been activated on 9 June 1945 in the European Theater. The 2786th and 2788th Engineer Foresetry Companies were inactivated on 24 March 1946 at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. The 2787th Engineer Forestry Company had been inactivated there on 23 March 1946. The consolidated 84th Engineer Construction Battalion was activated on 20 May 1949 at Fort Riley, Kansas.

The Battalion was deployed to Korea in 1950 in support of the United Nations Forces. The Battalion participated in all 10 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's motto.

On 1 April 1954, the Battalion was redesignated as the 84th Engineer Battalion (Construction) and was stationed at Fort Ord, California. In 1961, the Battalion deployed to Europe as part of the "Round-Out" Forces during the Berlin Wall crisis. The 2916th Engineer Camouflage Company, which had been disbanded entirely on 3 August 1945, was reconstituted on 21 September 1961 in the Regular Army as Company D, 84th Engineer Battalion, and activated at Fort Ord, California. The Battalion arrived in France in October 1961 and spent the next year building a variety of facilities to support the effort. In September 1962, the Battalion redeployed back to Fort Ord, California.

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 Engineer Battalion 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, but with the attachment of 2 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. There on 11 July 1972, Company D, 84th Engineer Battalion was inactivated. In late July 1972, the 577th Engineer Battalion (Construction) was formally merged into the 84th Engineer Battalion (Construction), which arrived to Hawaii in January 1972 with 3 officers and 11 enlisted men. After steadily growing in strength, the Battalion became active on other islands in the Hawaiian chain and at one time had men operating on 4 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-World War II 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 became a part of a joint service venture to maintain a favorable US military presence in that strategic area of the world.

As part of the transformation of the US Army to the modular force structure and realignments of US forces in the Pacific region, the 84th Engineer Battalion was restructured and reassigned. It was reassigned first from the 45th Corps Support Group to the 8th Theater Sustainment Command. Its organic elements (less Company C) were inactivated on 17 October 2007 at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. A Support Company was concurrently constituted and activated. Company C was inactivated on 15 February 2010 at Fort Richardson, Alaska. With the activation of the 130th Engineer Brigade at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii in 2008, the 84th Engineer Battalion was reassigned from the 8th Theater Sustainment Command to that unit.