130th Engineer Brigade (United States)

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130^th Engineer Brigade
U.S. 130th^st Engineer Brigade Shoulder Insignia
Active	May 5, 1943 – January 31, 1946 September 25, 1955 – June 25, 1956 June 16, 1969 – present
Allegiance	Federal
Branch	Regular Army
Type	Brigade
Role	Air assault infantry
Part of	I Corps
Garrison/HQ	Fort Lewis, Washington
Motto	“Combat Ready”
Mascot	Bald Eagle
Battles/wars	World War II Operation Desert Storm Operation Iraqi Freedom
Commanders
Current commander	COL Thomas W. Kula
Insignia
Distinctive Unit Insignia

The 130th Engineer Brigade's current brigade organization consists of the 54th Engineer Battalion (Combat Mechanized), the 94th Engineer Battalion (Combat Heavy), and the 320th Engineer Company (Topo), 502nd Engineer Company (Multi-Role Bridge), and Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the 130th Engineer Brigade in Fort Lewis, Washington.

[edit] History

The 130th Engineer Brigade was originally constituted in the U.S. Army as the 1303rd Engineer General Service Regiment and activated on July 15, 1943 at Camp Ellis, Illinois. The regiment played an important role in World War II with campaign credits for Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe and the Asian-Pacific theatre. The regiment was deactivated on July 8, 1955 and its elements allocated to the regular Army.

It was re-designated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 130th Engineer Aviation Brigade in Japan and subsequently inactivated on June 25, 1956. On June 16, 1969, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 130th Engineer Aviation Brigade was re-designated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 130th Engineer Brigade and activated in Hanau, Germany.

From December 1995 to January 1996 all units in the brigade, except the 320th Engineer Company (Topographic), deployed to Croatia or Bosnia-Herzegovina in support of Operation Joint Endeavor. In December 1995, the 502nd Engineer Company deployed to Zupanja, Croatia and placed the historic ribbon bridge over the Sava River. The company operated 24-hours a day for three months crossing critical traffic in support of Task Force Eagle and IFOR. The company also assisted in the construction of the first fixed bridge over the Sava River in Brcko-Gunja. The 502nd Engineer Company redeployed in May 1996, with a rafting section remaining at Slavonski Brod to support the force restructuring of Task Force Eagle.

Units of the 130th Engineer Brigade were deployed to Kuwait in early 2003 and moved into Iraq in March where they supported Operation Iraqi Freedom with bridging and infrastructure support. The 565th Engineer Battalion built the “birthday bridge” – the longest float bridge constructed in a combat theatre with a span of 580 meters – over the Tigris River in Tikrit on Saddam Hussein’s birthday, April, 28 2003.

The 502nd Engineer Company also conducted river patrol operations in Baghdad and Tikrit. This new mission for the company was essential for force protection, troop transportation, search and cordon operations and to protect against sabotage on fixed bridges. In September 2003, with the inactivation of the 38th Engineer Company (Medium Girder Bridge), the 502nd Engineer Company became a multi-role bridge company with both float and fixed bridging capabilities and the only bridge company in support of USAREUR.

Brigade units redeployed to Hanau in late 2003 and early 2004. The 502nd Engineer Company became the first V Corp company-size unit to return for a second tour in Iraq when it deployed in September 2004. The company returned to Hanau in September 2005.

The brigade deployed to Iraq again in September 2005 and the 54th Engineer Battalion followed in October. The 130th Engineer Brigade is scheduled to redeploy to Fort Lewis.