854th Engineer Battalion (C)(M)
The 854th Engineer Battalion was constituted 14 December 1942 in the Army of the United States as the 854th Engineer Aviation Battalion. Activated 1 January 1943 at March Field, California. Inactivated 15 March 1946 on Okinawa. Allotted 15 February 1949 to the Organized Reserve Corps. Activated 4 March 1949 with Headquarters at New York, New York. Location of Headquarters changed 7 March 1951 to Poughkeepsie, New York. Organized Reserve Corps redesignated 9 July 1952 as the Army Reserve. Redesignated 1 January 1957 as the 854th Engineer Battalion. Location of Headquarters changed 10 September 1959 to Kingston, New York; on 31 May 1984 to Newburgh, New York; and on 16 September 1991 to New Windsor, New York.
In April 1999 members of US Army Reserve Company A, 854th Engineer Battalion out of Bullview, N.Y., built a brand new three-room schoolhouse to complement an adjacent red and yellow-colored wooden school that has outgrown its capacity. The project was part of Joint Task Force San Marcos, an ongoing U.S. and Guatemalan humanitarian effort named New Horizons 99. The reservists erected trusses to support a roof, putting in windows and installing electrical wiring. Working conditions at La Federation, as at all JTF San Marcos work sites, are challenging. Having to labor under an overbearing sun at such a high altitude can take its toll on anyone.
In 2001 Company A of the 854th Engineer Battalion of the Army Reserves traveled to Central America to build schools and churches as part of their military service.
Counterdrug missions present unique training opportunities. Units formulate plans to conduct training in high-intensity drug trafficking areas. If appropriate, units will be integrated into federal or state Drug Enforcement Agency operations. Elements of the 854th Engineer Battalion, 77th US Army Reserve Command, provided the manpower and equipment to clear and grade 20 acres for construction of a new softball and Little League fields in Hyde Park, New York.
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