| 4th Engineer Battalion | |
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Coat Of Arms |
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| Active | 31 December 1861 – 21 September 1921 24 July 1922 – 19 February 1946 6 July 1948 – 15 December 2004 18 October 2006 – Present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Army Corps of Engineers |
| Role | Combat engineering |
| Battalion Headquarters | Fort Carson, Colorado |
| Nickname | Vanguard of the 4th Division |
| Motto | Volens Et Potens (Willing and Able) |
| Engineer Corps Colors | Scarlett and White |
| Engagements | World War I World War II Vietnam War War on Terror |
| Decorations | Presidential Unit Citation (Army) Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) Belgian Fourragere 1940 Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal Valorous Unit Award |
| Insignia | |
| Distinctive Unit Insignia | |
The 4th Engineer Battalion (the Vanguard of the 4th Division) is an engineer battalion of the United States Army. It is made up of combat engineers. The unit saw action in the American Civil War, World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War. The 4th Engineer Battalion is currently deployed in Afghanistan as part of President Barack Obama's plans for increased troop numbers for the War in Afghanistan.[1]
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The battalion was organized 31 December 1861 in the Regular Army at Washington, D.C., from new and existing companies of engineers as a provisional engineer battalion. It was constituted 28 July 1866 as the Battalion of Engineers. The battalion was then expanded 14 March-7 June 1901 to form the 1st and 2d Battalions of Engineers. The 2d Battalion of Engineers was further expanded, reorganized and redesignated during July 1916 as the 2d Regiment of Engineers. The unit was expanded yet again during May and June 1917 to form the 2d, 4th, and 5th Regiments of Engineers. The 4th Regiment of Engineers was redesignated as the 4th Engineers in August 1917 and was thereafter assigned to the 4th Division in January 1918. After occupation service, the unit was inactivated in 1921 at Camp Lewis, Washington. Between 1927 and 1933 the unit was reassigned to support the 6th Division and six years later it was redesignated as the 4th Engineer Battalion activated (less Company A, which activated 24 July 1922 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina) 1 June 1940 at Fort Benning, Georgia. Reorganizations and redesignations led first as the 4th Engineer Motorized Battalion (September 1942) then the 4th Engineer Combat Battalion (August 1943) were formed. Soon after World War II ended, the unit was inactivated 19 February 1946 at Camp Butner, North Carolina. This did not last long however, with reactivation on 6 July 1948 at Fort Ord, California and subsequent redesignation as the 4th Engineer Battalion in June 1953.
The 4th Engineer Battalion was activated for deployment to the Vietnam War from Fort Lewis, Washington as the vanguard of the 4th Infantry Division, and assigned to support the 1st Brigade 8th Infantry. Company A was sent to Pleiku, Vietnam via ship on the MST Gordan and later units on the Buckner, flying from SEATEC on 7 July 1966, to Oakland Naval Shipyard, and then transported to, via San Diego to pick up 3500 Marines, then on to Japan, (Sgt E-6 and above in Japan, overnight some got passes), and then to Qui Nhon, we were able to secure a palatte of beer, and mess food, ands other misc supplies and trucked to Pleiku by our squad platoon of dump trucks. We were then airlifted to Pleiku Central Highlands, Camp Halloway Air Base, by Caribou Aircraft. Then the battalion was driven by rough terran buses to Dragon Mountain and into a huge area of four square miles, in order to start securing and building up construction of base camp for the arrival of the 4th Infantry Division in August 1966. This is the origin of it being named the "Vanguard of the 4th Division". This base camp was named Camp Enari after the 1st officer, Lieutenant Enari, to be killed.
The CO A, 4th Engineer Battalion convoyed back down to Qui Nhon from Pleiku, then via LST transport for personnel and heavy equipment, beached landed and then headed north up HWY 1 and convoyed to Tuy Hoa and built the 2nd Brigade of the 8th Infantry 4th ID Base Camp. The company was then assigned similitanously, to operations (latterite pit, hard clay like substance, used for road base), at Tuy Hoa, and 350 km back up to Pleiku, Camp Enari, Hwy 1, Qui Nhon, QL 6B La Hai Phu Yen Province. There, it performed daily mine sweeps, repair roads and a bridges on Highways 1, 14 & 19 through the Central Highlands. After it had completed these tasks, the unit returned to Dragon Mountain and Camp Enari. This task included mine-clearing and "jungle busting" with HD 16 Allis Chambers Bulldozers (replaced by the D-7E Caterpillar Bulldozers and M-48 tanks equipped with blades.
Later, the individual companies B, C, D, E, and F, of the battalion were assigned to ground operations in Tuy Hoa, Jackson Hole Vietnam, LZ Oasis, Dak To, DucCo, Plei Mie, Kontum, Ban Me Thuot, Ia Drang Valley, and Duc Pho. Many more, with various Landing Zones (LZs) were built by the 4th Engineers: LZ Marylou near Kontum, LZ Oasis, LZ Jackson Hole CO A, awarded 1st Presidential Unit Citation May 1967, LZ Ducco, CO A, awarded second Presidential Unit Citation Nov 1967, LZ Baldy and others. Their operations there included activities concerning Tuy Hoa, La Hai, Polei Kleng, Bong Son and its enormous bridge, and the coastal town of Duc Pho (LZ Montezuma). Captain Knutzen, a West Point graduate, led the unit thorough a one year tour with only one soldier reported as KIA Kenneth Shuffitt, which demoralized, sadden and angered the company, with his death and whom was a popular and loved person.
The 4th Engineer Battalion participated in the intense combat of Tet 1968. It is often said that engineers are really "infantrymen with additional picks and shovels." This was certainly the case for the 4th Engineers Battalion, Combat, in Vietnam.
Company A, 4th Engineer Battalional Combat received (2) two Presidential Unit Citations, 20 May 1967 Duc Co and Nove 19–23 1967 Dakto, they also received the Meritorious Unit Citation and Unit & Individual Vietnamese Gallantry Medals. They were shipped on the USMS Walker, from Oakland Terminal, to San Diego, to Kodak Japan, overnight stop, and landed at Qui Nohn, and in-country from, 7 July 1966 to 6 June 1967. The colors were brought to their new home Ft Carson, in 1971, and remains there, with CO A being deactivated in 12 December 2004.
Some personnel of A Company departed Vietnam 30 days early and the rest with the rest of the battalion to follow within weeks, on 6 June 1967. The 4th Engineer Battalion was reflagged December 2004, at Ft Carson, Inactivated 15 December 2004 at Fort Carson, Colorado, and relieved from assignment to the 4th Infantry Division. "A Company" The Vanguard, with two (2) Presidential Unit Citations, with Oak Leaf Cluster, was deactivated, with the other companies reflagged as B, C, D, and F BCT units and with F being deployed to Iraq.
The 4th Engineer Battalion's Headquarters and Headquarters Company was reactivated 18 October 2006 at Fort Carson, Colorado. Additionally, the battalion consists of the 62nd Engineer Company (Sapper), 576th Engineer Company (Mobility Augmentation), 569th Engineer Company (Mobility Augmentation), and a Forward Support Company. In February 2009, the battalion deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom to Camp Liberty, Iraq. In early March, the battalion was reassigned to support Operation Enduring Freedom, and by late April, the entire battalion had arrived at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. It was there that the battalion designated itself "Task Force THOR" and began route clearance operations across Regional Command South.
Organized 31 December 1861 in the Regular Army at Washington, D.C., from new and existing companies of engineers as a provisional engineer battalion (constituted 28 July 1866 as the Battalion of Engineers)
Expanded between 14 March 1901 and 7 June 1901 to form the 1st and 2nd Battalions of Engineers (1st Battalion of Engineers—hereafter separate lineage)
2nd Battalion of Engineers expanded, reorganized, and redesignated between 1 July 1916 and 1 August 1916 as the 2nd Regiment of Engineers
2nd Regiment of Engineers expanded between 21 May 1917 and 20 June 1917 to form the 2nd, 4th, and 5th Regiments of Engineers (2d and 5th Regiments of Engineers—hereafter separate lineages)
4th Regiment of Engineers redesignated 29 August 1917 as the 4th Engineer Regiment.
Assigned 1 January 1918 to the 4th Division.
Unit deployed to France with the 4th Division between May and June 1918, making use of the British Shipping Program.
Unit returned to CONUS with the 4th Division in August 1919.
Unit Inactivated 21 September 1921 at Camp Lewis, Washington
Company A activated 24 July 1922 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina)
Relieved 15 August 1927 from assignment to the 4th Division and assigned to the 6th Division
Company A inactivated 30 September 1929
Relieved 1 October 1933 from assignment to the 6th Division and assigned to the 4th Division (later redesignated as the 4th Infantry Division) (Company A concurrently activated at Fort Benning, Georgia)
Redesignated 19 October 1939 as the 4th Engineer Battalion
Activated (less Company A) 1 June 1940 at Fort Benning, Georgia
Reorganized and redesignated 19 September 1942 as the 4th Engineer Motorized Battalion
Reorganized and redesignated 1 August 1943 as the 4th Engineer Combat Battalion
Departed New York Port of Embarkation on 18 January 1944
Arrived in England on 29 January 1944, and started to prepare for Deployment.
Normandy Campaign concluded on 24 July 1944.
Northern France Campaign started on 25 July 1944
Northern France Campaign concluded on 14 September 1944
Rhineland Campaign Started on 15 September 1944
Unit was withdrawn from the Rhineland Campaign on 16 December 1944 to engage in the Ardennes-Alsace Campaign.
Ardennes-Alsace Campaign concluded on 25 January 1945. Unit resumed combat in Rhineland Campaign.
Rhineland Campaign concluded on 21 March 1945
Central Europe Campaign started on 22 March 1945
Central Europe Campaign concluded on 11 May 1945
Unit returned to CONUS on 12 July 1945, and located at Camp Butner, North Carolina.
Unit was located at Camp Butner on 14 August 1945, which is when the war ended.
Inactivated 19 February 1946 at Camp Butner, North Carolina
Activated 6 July 1948 at Fort Ord, California
Redesignated 5 June 1953 as the 4th Engineer Battalion
Arrived Vietnam on 7 July 1966 The Battalion had its headquarters collocated with the 4th Infantry Division at Pleiku.
In March 1968, the Battalion moved its headquarters to Dak To
In April 1968, the Battalion moved its headquarters back to Pleiku.
In March 1970, the Battalion split its headquarters, with some elements located at Pleiku, with the rest at An Khe.
In April 1970, the Battalion consolidated its headquarters at An Khe
Unit returned to CONUS on 15 December 1970.
Inactivated 15 December 2004 at Fort Carson, Colorado, and relieved from assignment to the 4th Infantry Division
Headquarters and Headquarters Company activated 18 October 2006 at Fort Carson, Colorado (Support Company concurrently constituted and activated)
In February 2009, the Battalion deployed to Baghdad, Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
In April 2009, the Battalion moved to Kandahar, Afghanistan to support Operation Enduring Freedom.
In February 2010, the Battalion redeployed to Ft. Carson, CO, having completed a twelve month route clearance deployment in support of the Global War on Terror.
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This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Army Center of Military History document "4th Engineer Battalion Lineage and Honors".