Lineage

• Constituted 11 December 1935 in the Regular Army
  Regular Army
  The Regular Army of the United States was and is the successor to the Continental Army as the country's permanent, professional military establishment. Even in modern times the professional core of the United States Army continues to be called the Regular Army...
  
   as the 16th Engineer Regiment
• Redesignated 15 July 1940 as the 16th Engineer Battalion; concurrently assigned to the 1st Armored Division and activated at Fort Knox
  Fort Knox
  Fort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. The base covers parts of Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade counties. It currently holds the Army Human Resources Center of Excellence to include the Army Human Resources Command, United States Army Cadet...
  
  , Kentucky
• Redesignated 1 January 1942 as the 16th Armored Engineer Battalion
• Unit deployed from the New York Port of Embarkation on 11 May 1942
• Unit arrived in Northern Ireland on 18 May 1942.
• Unit arrived in North Africa on 21 December 1942. It immediately participated in the Tunisia
  Tunisia
  Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
  
   Campaign.
• The Tunisia Campaign concluded on 13 May 1943.
• Unit arrived in Sicily on 10 July 1943, and participated in Operation Husky.
• The Sicily Campaign concluded on 17 August 1943.
• Unit arrived in Italy on 10 November 1943, and participated in the Naples-Foggia Campaign.
• The Naples-Foggia Campaign concluded on 21 January 1944.
• The Battalion took part in the Anzio
  Anzio
  Anzio is a city and comune on the coast of the Lazio region of Italy, about south of Rome.Well known for its seaside harbour setting, it is a fishing port and a departure point for ferries and hydroplanes to the Pontine Islands of Ponza, Palmarola and Ventotene...
  
   Campaign from 22 January 1944.
• The Anzio Campaign concluded on 24 May 1944.
• The battalion participated in the Rome-Arno Campaign from 22 January 1944.
• (Companies D and E disbanded 20 July 1944 in Italy)
• The Rome-Arno Campaign concluded on 9 September 1944.
• The battalion participated in the North Apennines Campaign from 10 September 1944.
• The North Apennines Campaign concluded on 4 April 1945.
• The battalion participated in the Po Valley
  Po Valley
  The Po Valley, Po Plain, Plain of the Po, or Padan Plain is a major geographical feature of Italy. It extends approximately in an east-west direction, with an area of 46,000 km² including its Venetic extension not actually related to the Po River basin; it runs from the Western Alps to the...
  
   Campaign from 5 April 1945.
• The Po Valley Campaign concluded on 8 May 1945
• The battalion was located at Salzburg
  Salzburg
  -Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
  
  , Austria on 14 August 1945.
• Battalion arrived back in CONUS at the New York Port of Embarkation 10–13 April 1946.
• Remainder of battalion inactivated 10–13 April 1946 at Camp Kilmer
  Camp Kilmer
  Camp Kilmer, New Jersey is a former United States Army camp that was activated in June 1942 as a staging area and part of an installation of the New York Port of Embarkation. The camp was organized as part of the Army Service Forces Transportation Corps. Troops were quartered at Camp Kilmer in...
  
  , New Jersey
• Company D reconstituted 27 February 1951.
• 16th Armored Engineer Battalion activated 7 March 1951 at Fort Hood, Texas
• Redesignated 15 February 1957 as the 16th Engineer Battalion
• Inactivated (less Company A) 23 December 1957 at Fort Polk
  Fort Polk
  Fort Polk is a United States Army installation located in Vernon Parish, approximately 7 miles east of Leesville, Louisiana and 20 miles north of DeRidder, Louisiana....
  
  , Louisiana

• Activated (less Company A (active) 3 February 1962 at Fort Hood, Texas
• Relieved 16 June 1991 from assignment to the 1st Armored Division and assigned to the 3d Infantry Division
• Relieved 16 November 1993 from assignment to the 3d Infantry Division
• Assigned 16 February 1997 to the 1st Armored Division

Campaign participation credit

• World War II
  World War II
  World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
  
  :

1. Tunisia
   Tunisia
   Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
   
   ;
2. Naples-Foggia;
3. Anzio
   Anzio
   Anzio is a city and comune on the coast of the Lazio region of Italy, about south of Rome.Well known for its seaside harbour setting, it is a fishing port and a departure point for ferries and hydroplanes to the Pontine Islands of Ponza, Palmarola and Ventotene...
   
    (with arrowhead);
4. Rome-Arno;
5. North Apennines;
6. Po Valley
   Po Valley
   The Po Valley, Po Plain, Plain of the Po, or Padan Plain is a major geographical feature of Italy. It extends approximately in an east-west direction, with an area of 46,000 km² including its Venetic extension not actually related to the Po River basin; it runs from the Western Alps to the...
   
   

• Southwest Asia:

1. Defense of Saudi Arabia;
2. Liberation and Defense of Kuwait;
3. Cease-Fire

• World War II–EAME:

1. Algeria-French Morocco (with arrowhead)

Decorations

• Valorous Unit Award
  Valorous Unit Award
  The Valorous Unit Award is the second highest unit decoration which may be bestowed upon a U.S. Army unit and is considered the unit equivalent of the Silver Star...
  
   for IRAQ-KUWAIT
• Army Superior Unit Award for 1995–1996 Operation Joint Endeavor

• Presidential Unit Citation
  Presidential Unit Citation
  The Presidential Unit Citation is a senior unit award granted to military units which have performed an extremely meritorious or heroic act, usually in the face of an armed enemy...
  
   (Army) for MT. PORCHIA

Blazon

• Shield: Per chevron reversed Argent and Gules, on a bar in base Sable fimbriated of the first a cat-a-mountain salient guardant of the third, armed langued, collared and lined of the second, in sinister chief a mullet voided and fretted Vert.

• Crest: From a wreath Argent and Gules from two palm branches saltirewise Proper issuing a demi-scimitar palewise of the first gripped of the second and enfiled by a cogwheel Or.

• Motto: SEMPER ULTIMO (Always To The Top).

Symbolism

• Shield:

1. Red and white are the colors used for the Corps of Engineers.
2. The bar symbolizes a treadway bridge, the construction of which was a major combat mission of the organization.
3. The cat-a-mountain, a European wildcat, indicates the stealth and swiftness required in combat engineer operations, and the soldiers of the battalion are known as "Catamounts."
4. The black cat also connotes the darkness in which operations are conducted.
5. The star from the flag of French Morocco
   Morocco
   Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
   
   represents service in that area during World War II.
6. The inverted chevron symbolizes the battalion's spearheading of armored engineer activity in World War II.

• Crest:

1. The six teeth on the gear wheel represent the unit's campaign service during World War II.
2. Gold denotes excellence, while the gear wheel alludes to engineering.
3. The scimitar honors the battalion's Valorous Unit award for IRAQ-KUWAIT, and the crossed palms highlight the unit's Southwest Asia campaigns.

• Background:

1. The coat of arms was originally approved for the 16th Armored Engineer Battalion on 25 April 1952.
2. It was redesignated for the 16th Engineer Battalion on 12 September 1957.
3. The coat of arms was amended on 5 December 1984 to correct the motto.
4. On 21 October 1994 the coat of arms was revised to change the symbolism.
5. It was amended on 29 September 1999.

Distinctive Unit Insignia.

• Description: A silver color metal and enamel device 1⅛ (2.86 cm) high overall consisting of a shield blazoned: Per chevron reversed Argent and Gules, on a bar in base Sable fimbriated of the first a cat-a-mountain salient guardant of the third, armed, langued, collared and lined of the second, in sinister chief a mullet voided and fretted Vert. Attached below the shield a silver scroll inscribed "SEMPER ULTIMO" in red letters.

• Symbolism:

1. Red and white are the colors used for the Corps of Engineers.
2. The bar symbolizes a treadway bridge, the construction of which was a major combat mission of the organization.
3. The cat-a-mountain, a European wildcat, indicates the stealth and swiftness required in combat engineer operations, and the soldiers of the battalion are known as "Catamounts."
4. The black cat also connotes the darkness in which operations are conducted.
5. The star from the flag of French Morocco represents service in that area during World War II.
6. The inverted chevron symbolizes the battalion's spearheading of armored engineer activity in World War II.

• Background:

1. The Distinctive Unit Insignia was originally approved for the 16th Armored Engineer Battalion on 25 April 1952.
2. It was redesignated for the 16th Engineer Battalion on 12 September 1957.
3. On 5 December 1984 the insignia was amended to correct the symbolism.
4. On 21 October 1994 it was revised to change the description and the symbolism.