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555th Engineer Brigade (United States)
Encyclopedia
The 555th Engineer Brigade is a combat engineer brigade
of the United States Army
based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord
, Washington. The brigade is a subordinate unit of I Corps.
The 555th Engineer Brigade was first constituted 1 February 1943 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1103d Engineer Combat Group and activated 25 February 1943 at Fort Devens
, Massachusetts
. Intensive unit training at Fort Devens culminated in an exercise at the West Virginia Maneuver Area
in October through December 1943. In late December 1943, the 1103d sailed for England after completing overseas processing at Camp Kilmer
, New Jersey
. The unit landed in Liverpool
in January 1944, and proceeded to Henley-on-Thames
where they trained on bridging operations until the invasion of Normandy
in June 1944.
While assigned to the First Army, the 1103d crossed the English Channel
during the period of 20 to 22 June 1944. The 1103d earned its first of five campaign streamer
s during the Normandy Invasion, clearing and maintaining supply routes at Omaha
and Utah beach
es.
In August 1944, the 1103d was transferred to General George S. Patton
’s Third Army
. Throughout the fall of 1944, the 1103d protected captured bridges on the Loire River, bridged the Moselle River, and breached the massive and cubicled Metz forts
for the assaulting forces. During these engagements, the 1103d earned two additional campaign streamers for the Northern France and Ardennes-Alsace
Campaigns.
In February 1945, the 1103rd supported the Ninth Army in the Ruhr
cleanup on the northern sector. Here they earned a fourth streamer in support of the Rhineland Campaign. The unit then proceeded across the Rhineland
with XVIII Airborne Corps for the remainder of the war, earning a fifth campaign streamer in support of the Central European Campaign.
The 1103d Engineer Combat Group was inactivated 8 May 1946 and reactivated 20 January 1947 at Rüsselsheim
, Germany. On 5 March 1947, it was redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment , 555th Composite Service Group. On 7 March 1949, it was further redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 555th Engineer Combat Group and allotted to the Regular Army on 16 February 1951. Finally, on 1 April 1953, it was redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 555th Engineer Group (Combat).
Subunits of the 1103d during this period included 150th Engineer Combat Battalion, 160th Engineer Combat Battalion, 204th Engineer Combat Battalion, 206th Engineer Combat Battalion, 551st Engineer Heavy Pontoon Battalion, 989th Engineer Treadway Bridge Company, 537th Engineer Light Pontoon Company and 623d Engineer Light Equipment Company.
The 1103d was inactivated on 8 May 1946 in Germany.
Post World War II in Germany (January 1947 to June 1969)
Between 1947 and 1969, the unit served at Rüsselsheim
, Kaufbeuren
, Ettlingen
, and Karlsruhe
, Germany as it contributed to the defense of western Europe during the Cold War
. During this period it was reorganized and redesignated multiple times.
On 20 January 1947, the 1103d was activated again at Russelheim, Germany. On 5 March 1947, the 1103d was redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 555th Composite Service Group. Two years later, on 7 March 1949, it was redesignated and reorganized as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 555th Engineer Combat Group.
On 9 August 1950 the Group moved from Russelheim to Kaufbeuren, and seven months later to Rhineland Kaserne in Ettlingen. In October 1952, the unit moved once again, this time to Phillips Barracks, Karlsruhe.
On 1 April 1953, the 555th Engineer Combat Group was reorganized and redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 555th Engineer Group.
While in Europe, the 555th was responsible for providing engineer support to 7th Army
, including obstacle construction, route maintenance, and tactical bridging. One of their most important missions while in Germany was maintaining and operating prefabricated Class 60 float bridges along the Rhine River that were known as “swing bridge
s.” The prefabricated bridges consisted of two pre-assembled spans, one on each shore of the river, that could be “swung” across the river and connected in less than 15 minutes if required. The bridges were usually left open to allow commercial river traffic to travel unimpeded along the Rhine.
On 11 August 1955, two C-119 Flying Boxcar
s with 56 Soldiers from the 499th Engineer Battalion, 555th Engineer Group collided in midair over the Black Forest
near the village of Edelweiler, Germany. All personnel on both planes were killed, to include the 499th Engineer Battalion Commander. At the time, it was the U.S. Army’s worst post-war disaster in Europe.
Principal units assigned to the 555th during this time period consisted of the 499th Combat Engineer Battalion (Combat), 78th Engineer Combat Battalion, the 55th Engineer Company (Panel Bridge), the 502nd Engineer Company (Pontoon Bridge), the 809th Engineer Company (Panel Bridge), the 11th Labor Service District Headquarters, the 6961st Civilian Labor Group, and the 44th Finance Dispensation Section.
On 17 January 1967, the unit moved one more time, to Smiley Barracks in Karlsruhe. Finally, on 25 June 1969, the 555th was inactivated. Personnel and equipment from the group joined with the 540th Engineer Group to form the 7th Engineer Brigade (VII Corps).
Activation at Fort Lewis, Washington to Operation Iraqi Freedom (January 1992 to April 2003)
The 555th Combat Engineer Group was reactivated at Fort Lewis
, Washington on 16 January 1992. The group began forming in August 1991 with a nucleus of soldiers from the inactivating 15th Combat Engineer Battalion, 9th Infantry Division (Motorized). The arrival of the 7th Engineer Brigade soldiers and equipment in October and December 1991 completed the group organization. The 864th Engineer Battalion
(Combat Heavy) and the 73rd Engineer Company (Assault Ribbon Bridge) were the first units assigned to the Group on 16 November 1991. The 87th Engineer Detachment (Fire Fighters) and the 54th Engineer Detachment (Topographic) were assigned on 16 January 1992. The 14th Engineer Battalion
(Corps) (Wheeled) moved from Fort Ord
, CA to Fort Lewis
upon closure of Fort Ord and joined the group on 16 October 1993.
The unit conducted rigorous training at Fort Lewis during the decade following its activation in Washington. Other notable missions included short-notice deployments to Yakima Training Center
and Idaho
to fight fires, training at the Joint Readiness Training Center
and National Training Center
, and support to training evaluations of Army reserve units.
Brigade units also deployed numerous times in support of construction missions throughout this period. The missions included deployments to Thailand
(Exercise Cobra Gold), Texas (Joint Task Force 6
), Haiti
, and Alaska
. The 555th also participated in numerous construction projects in and around Fort Lewis, Washington. These projects included road repair and upgrades, culvert installation, and construction of bridges and demolition bunkers.
In the mid-1990s, the 555th partnered with the Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) in Vicksburg, Mississippi
. They tested gear and equipment that was being created for desert and field environments, including Hesco bastion
s and Sand Grids.
Operation Iraqi Freedom (April 2003 to September 2009)
In January 2003, the 555th Engineer Group received orders to deploy with the 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized) as a member of Task Force Ironhorse to the CENTCOM Area of Responsibility. From April 2003 to March 2004, the 555th deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom Phase I (Liberation of Iraq) and Phase II (Transition of Iraq). Arriving in country on 11 April 2003, the group was immediately diverted to the seaport in Kuwait where they conducted reception, staging, onward movement, and integration activities in Camp New Jersey, Kuwait
. Moving into Iraq in late April, the Group established its Headquarters at Forward Operating Base Speicher
, in Tikrit
, Iraq. There the Group provided assured mobility, force protection and sustainment engineer operations to all brigades in Task Force Ironhorse.
During the deployment, the Group served as the Headquarters of Task Force Able, which consisted of the Group Headquarters, the 5th Combat Engineer Battalion (Corps) (Mechanized), the 14th Combat Engineer Battalion, the 223rd Engineer Battalion (Combat) (Heavy), the 565th Combat Engineer Battalion (Provisional), the 229th Construction Support Equipment Company, the 285th Construction Support Equipment Company, and the 463rd Firefighting Detachment.
Upon returning from deployment, the 555th Engineer Group was provisionally redesignated by U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) as the 555th Combat Support Brigade (Maneuver Enhancement) [CSB (ME)] at Fort Lewis, Washington on 4 October 2004. Another provisional FORSCOM designation used temporarily from 2004–2007 was the “555th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade,” but the unit was better known as a CSB (ME).
From October 2005 through September 2006, the 555th CSB (ME) deployed again in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom Phase III (Iraqi Governance) and Phase IV (National Resolution). As the Divisional Engineer Brigade attached to the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)
in Multinational Division North (MND-N), the unit was headquartered at Tikrit, Iraq. The MND-N area of operation included most of northern Iraq from just north of Taji
to the Turkish Border. The major units attached to the 555th during this deployment were the 14th Combat Engineer Battalion (CEB) and the 505th Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy) (North Carolina Army National Guard). The 557th Expeditionary RED HORSE (USAF) was under the Brigade’s Tactical Control (TACON). The principal missions of the 555th were construction, assured mobility (route clearance), coalition munitions clearance, and Iraqi Army Engineer partnership.
Route clearance was primarily the mission of the 14th CEB, which conducted patrols around the clock throughout MND-N searching for improvised explosive device
s (IEDs) on the major routes. The 555th also conducted route sanitation and crater repair missions to eliminate the areas in which IEDs could be hidden.
Construction was the primary mission for both the 505th ECB and 557th RED HORSE. The 505th built up several operating bases to house the emerging Iraqi Army. The 557th focused mainly on construction for growing Forward Operating Base
s (FOBs) to house coalition forces in the future. The 14th CEB’s three support platoons led the way in several combined construction partnerships with the Iraqi Army (IA) engineers, building FOBs, entry control points, and upgrading several existing structures.
Nine months after returning from its second tour in Iraq, on 16 June 2007, the 555th CSB (ME) was reorganized and redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 555th Engineer Brigade at Fort Lewis, Washington.
From September 2008 through September 2009, the 555th Engineer Brigade deployed for its third tour to Iraq. They participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom Phase V (Iraqi Surge) and Phase VI (Iraqi Sovereignty) as the Multi-National Corps-Iraq Theater Engineer Brigade. Operating out of Joint Base Balad, the Brigade initially supported the XVIII Airborne Corps, and later I Corps. They orchestrated full spectrum engineer operations for over 3000 Army, Air Force and Navy Engineers. In partnership with Iraqi Army Engineers, the unit maintained assured mobility, conducted tactical construction, increased Iraqi Army capabilities, and enhanced civil capacity development in support of coalition forces and Provincial Reconstruction Team
s (PRTs). Three multifunctional Army engineer battalions (the 5th, 14th, and 54th), the 557th RED HORSE, and numerous Air Force and Navy Engineer Detachments rounded out the Triple Nickel Team.
In September 2009, the 555th Engineer Brigade returned to Fort Lewis (now Joint Base Lewis-McChord) to reset and prepare for future operations in support of the Global War on Terror
.
555th Engineer Brigade
Under Administrative Control at Joint Base Lewis-McChord
:
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord
Joint Base Lewis-McChord
Joint Base Lewis-McChord is a United States military facility located south-southwest of Tacoma, Washington. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Army Joint Base Garrison, Joint Base Lewis-McChord....
, Washington. The brigade is a subordinate unit of I Corps.
History
Activation through World War II (February 1943 to May 1946)The 555th Engineer Brigade was first constituted 1 February 1943 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1103d Engineer Combat Group and activated 25 February 1943 at Fort Devens
Fort Devens
Fort Devens is an active United States military installation in the towns of Ayer and Shirley, in Middlesex County and Harvard in Worcester County in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It was named after jurist and Civil War general Charles Devens. The nearby Devens Reserve Forces Training Area is...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. Intensive unit training at Fort Devens culminated in an exercise at the West Virginia Maneuver Area
West Virginia Maneuver Area
The West Virginia Maneuver Area was a vast, five-county training ground in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia used by the U.S. Army during World War II to train soldiers in low-altitude mountain operations...
in October through December 1943. In late December 1943, the 1103d sailed for England after completing overseas processing 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
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. The unit landed in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
in January 1944, and proceeded to Henley-on-Thames
Henley-on-Thames
Henley-on-Thames is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in South Oxfordshire, England, about 10 miles downstream and north-east from Reading, 10 miles upstream and west from Maidenhead...
where they trained on bridging operations until the invasion of Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
in June 1944.
While assigned to the First Army, the 1103d crossed the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
during the period of 20 to 22 June 1944. The 1103d earned its first of five campaign streamer
Campaign streamer
Campaign streamers are decorations attached to military flags to recognize particular achievements or events of a military unit or service. Attached to the headpiece of the assigned flag, the streamer often is an inscribed ribbon with the name and date denoting participation in a particular battle,...
s during the Normandy Invasion, clearing and maintaining supply routes at Omaha
Omaha Beach
Omaha Beach is the code name for one of the five sectors of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, during World War II...
and Utah beach
Utah Beach
Utah Beach was the code name for the right flank, or westernmost, of the Allied landing beaches during the D-Day invasion of Normandy, as part of Operation Overlord on 6 June 1944...
es.
In August 1944, the 1103d was transferred to General George S. Patton
George S. Patton
George Smith Patton, Jr. was a United States Army officer best known for his leadership while commanding corps and armies as a general during World War II. He was also well known for his eccentricity and controversial outspokenness.Patton was commissioned in the U.S. Army after his graduation from...
’s Third Army
United States Army Central
United States Army Central is an Army Service Component Command of the United States Army and is also dual-hatted as the "United States Third Army". It is the Army Component of U.S...
. Throughout the fall of 1944, the 1103d protected captured bridges on the Loire River, bridged the Moselle River, and breached the massive and cubicled Metz forts
Fortifications of Metz
The Fortifications of Metz, a city in northeastern France, are extensive, due to the city's strategic position near the border of France and Germany. After the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, the area was annexed by the newly created German Empire in 1871 by the Treaty of Frankfurt and became a...
for the assaulting forces. During these engagements, the 1103d earned two additional campaign streamers for the Northern France and Ardennes-Alsace
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
Campaigns.
In February 1945, the 1103rd supported the Ninth Army in the Ruhr
Ruhr
The Ruhr is a medium-size river in western Germany , a right tributary of the Rhine.-Description:The source of the Ruhr is near the town of Winterberg in the mountainous Sauerland region, at an elevation of approximately 2,200 feet...
cleanup on the northern sector. Here they earned a fourth streamer in support of the Rhineland Campaign. The unit then proceeded across the Rhineland
Rhineland
Historically, the Rhinelands refers to a loosely-defined region embracing the land on either bank of the River Rhine in central Europe....
with XVIII Airborne Corps for the remainder of the war, earning a fifth campaign streamer in support of the Central European Campaign.
The 1103d Engineer Combat Group was inactivated 8 May 1946 and reactivated 20 January 1947 at Rüsselsheim
Rüsselsheim
Rüsselsheim is the largest town in the Groß-Gerau district in the Rhein-Main region of Germany. It is one of seven special status towns in Hesse and is located on the Main, only a few kilometres from its mouth in Mainz. The suburbs of Bauschheim and Königstädten are included in Rüsselsheim...
, Germany. On 5 March 1947, it was redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment , 555th Composite Service Group. On 7 March 1949, it was further redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 555th Engineer Combat Group and allotted to the Regular Army on 16 February 1951. Finally, on 1 April 1953, it was redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 555th Engineer Group (Combat).
Subunits of the 1103d during this period included 150th Engineer Combat Battalion, 160th Engineer Combat Battalion, 204th Engineer Combat Battalion, 206th Engineer Combat Battalion, 551st Engineer Heavy Pontoon Battalion, 989th Engineer Treadway Bridge Company, 537th Engineer Light Pontoon Company and 623d Engineer Light Equipment Company.
The 1103d was inactivated on 8 May 1946 in Germany.
Post World War II in Germany (January 1947 to June 1969)
Between 1947 and 1969, the unit served at Rüsselsheim
Rüsselsheim
Rüsselsheim is the largest town in the Groß-Gerau district in the Rhein-Main region of Germany. It is one of seven special status towns in Hesse and is located on the Main, only a few kilometres from its mouth in Mainz. The suburbs of Bauschheim and Königstädten are included in Rüsselsheim...
, Kaufbeuren
Kaufbeuren
Kaufbeuren is an independent city in the Regierungsbezirk of Schwaben, southern Bavaria. The city is completely enclaved within the district of Ostallgäu.- Culture and Objects of Interest :* Townhall * Crescentiakloster...
, Ettlingen
Ettlingen
Ettlingen is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about south of the city of Karlsruhe. Ettlingen is the second largest town in the district of Karlsruhe, after Bruchsal.-Geography:...
, and Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe
The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...
, Germany as it contributed to the defense of western Europe during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. During this period it was reorganized and redesignated multiple times.
On 20 January 1947, the 1103d was activated again at Russelheim, Germany. On 5 March 1947, the 1103d was redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 555th Composite Service Group. Two years later, on 7 March 1949, it was redesignated and reorganized as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 555th Engineer Combat Group.
On 9 August 1950 the Group moved from Russelheim to Kaufbeuren, and seven months later to Rhineland Kaserne in Ettlingen. In October 1952, the unit moved once again, this time to Phillips Barracks, Karlsruhe.
On 1 April 1953, the 555th Engineer Combat Group was reorganized and redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 555th Engineer Group.
While in Europe, the 555th was responsible for providing engineer support to 7th Army
United States Army Europe
United States Army Europe and Seventh Army, is an Army Service Component Command of the United States Army and the land component of United States European Command. It is the largest American formation in Europe.-Invasion of Sicily:...
, including obstacle construction, route maintenance, and tactical bridging. One of their most important missions while in Germany was maintaining and operating prefabricated Class 60 float bridges along the Rhine River that were known as “swing bridge
Swing bridge
A swing bridge is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its centre of gravity, about which the turning span can then pivot horizontally as shown in the animated illustration to the right...
s.” The prefabricated bridges consisted of two pre-assembled spans, one on each shore of the river, that could be “swung” across the river and connected in less than 15 minutes if required. The bridges were usually left open to allow commercial river traffic to travel unimpeded along the Rhine.
On 11 August 1955, two C-119 Flying Boxcar
C-119 Flying Boxcar
The Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar was an American military transport aircraft developed from the World War II-era Fairchild C-82 Packet, designed to carry cargo, personnel, litter patients, and mechanized equipment, and to drop cargo and troops by parachute...
s with 56 Soldiers from the 499th Engineer Battalion, 555th Engineer Group collided in midair over the Black Forest
Black Forest
The Black Forest is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. The highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres ....
near the village of Edelweiler, Germany. All personnel on both planes were killed, to include the 499th Engineer Battalion Commander. At the time, it was the U.S. Army’s worst post-war disaster in Europe.
Principal units assigned to the 555th during this time period consisted of the 499th Combat Engineer Battalion (Combat), 78th Engineer Combat Battalion, the 55th Engineer Company (Panel Bridge), the 502nd Engineer Company (Pontoon Bridge), the 809th Engineer Company (Panel Bridge), the 11th Labor Service District Headquarters, the 6961st Civilian Labor Group, and the 44th Finance Dispensation Section.
On 17 January 1967, the unit moved one more time, to Smiley Barracks in Karlsruhe. Finally, on 25 June 1969, the 555th was inactivated. Personnel and equipment from the group joined with the 540th Engineer Group to form the 7th Engineer Brigade (VII Corps).
Activation at Fort Lewis, Washington to Operation Iraqi Freedom (January 1992 to April 2003)
The 555th Combat Engineer Group was reactivated at Fort Lewis
Fort Lewis
Joint Base Lewis-McChord is a United States military facility located south-southwest of Tacoma, Washington. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Army Joint Base Garrison, Joint Base Lewis-McChord....
, Washington on 16 January 1992. The group began forming in August 1991 with a nucleus of soldiers from the inactivating 15th Combat Engineer Battalion, 9th Infantry Division (Motorized). The arrival of the 7th Engineer Brigade soldiers and equipment in October and December 1991 completed the group organization. The 864th Engineer Battalion
864th Engineer Battalion
The 864th Engineer Battalion is a combat engineer battalion of the United States Army based at Fort Lewis, Washington. The battalion is a subordinate unit of 555th Engineer Brigade.-History:...
(Combat Heavy) and the 73rd Engineer Company (Assault Ribbon Bridge) were the first units assigned to the Group on 16 November 1991. The 87th Engineer Detachment (Fire Fighters) and the 54th Engineer Detachment (Topographic) were assigned on 16 January 1992. The 14th Engineer Battalion
14th Engineer Battalion
The 14th Engineer Battalion is a combat engineer battalion of the United States Army based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. The battalion is a subordinate unit of the 555th Engineer Brigade and I Corps.-History:Activation through World War II...
(Corps) (Wheeled) moved from Fort Ord
Fort Ord
Fort Ord was a U.S. Army post on Monterey Bay in California. It was established in 1917 as a maneuver area and field artillery target range and was closed in September 1994. Fort Ord was one of the most attractive locations of any U.S. Army post, because of its proximity to the beach and California...
, CA to Fort Lewis
Fort Lewis
Joint Base Lewis-McChord is a United States military facility located south-southwest of Tacoma, Washington. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Army Joint Base Garrison, Joint Base Lewis-McChord....
upon closure of Fort Ord and joined the group on 16 October 1993.
The unit conducted rigorous training at Fort Lewis during the decade following its activation in Washington. Other notable missions included short-notice deployments to Yakima Training Center
Yakima Training Center
The Yakima Training Center is a United States Army training center located in south central Washington state. It is bounded on the west by Interstate 82, on the south by the city of Yakima, on the north by the city of Ellensburg and Interstate 90, and on the east by the Columbia River...
and Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
to fight fires, training at the Joint Readiness Training Center
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....
and National Training Center
Fort Irwin Military Reservation
Fort Irwin & the National Training Center is a major training area for the United States Military and is a census-designated place located in the Mojave Desert in northern San Bernardino County, California. Fort Irwin sits at an elevation of . The 2010 United States census reported Fort Irwin's...
, and support to training evaluations of Army reserve units.
Brigade units also deployed numerous times in support of construction missions throughout this period. The missions included deployments to Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
(Exercise Cobra Gold), Texas (Joint Task Force 6
Joint Task Force North
Joint Task Force North , formerly Joint Task Force Six , is a multi-service operation by the United States Department of Defense for counterdrug and anti-terrorist operations. JTF-North is headquartered at Biggs Army Airfield, Fort Bliss, Texas...
), Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, and Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. The 555th also participated in numerous construction projects in and around Fort Lewis, Washington. These projects included road repair and upgrades, culvert installation, and construction of bridges and demolition bunkers.
In the mid-1990s, the 555th partnered with the Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) in Vicksburg, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. They tested gear and equipment that was being created for desert and field environments, including Hesco bastion
Hesco bastion
The HESCO bastion is both a modern gabion used for flood control and military fortification and the name of the British company that developed it in the late 1980s. It is made of a collapsible wire mesh container and heavy duty fabric liner, and used as a temporary to semi-permanent dike or barrier...
s and Sand Grids.
Operation Iraqi Freedom (April 2003 to September 2009)
In January 2003, the 555th Engineer Group received orders to deploy with the 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized) as a member of Task Force Ironhorse to the CENTCOM Area of Responsibility. From April 2003 to March 2004, the 555th deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom Phase I (Liberation of Iraq) and Phase II (Transition of Iraq). Arriving in country on 11 April 2003, the group was immediately diverted to the seaport in Kuwait where they conducted reception, staging, onward movement, and integration activities in Camp New Jersey, Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
. Moving into Iraq in late April, the Group established its Headquarters at Forward Operating Base Speicher
COB Speicher
COB Speicher formerly FOB Speicher is a US Army Contingency Operating Base captured from the Iraqi Army during the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. It was reassigned from a Forward Operating Base to a COB because of its large size...
, in Tikrit
Tikrit
Tikrit is a town in Iraq, located 140 km northwest of Baghdad on the Tigris river . The town, with an estimated population in 2002 of about 260,000 is the administrative center of the Salah ad Din Governorate.-Ancient times:...
, Iraq. There the Group provided assured mobility, force protection and sustainment engineer operations to all brigades in Task Force Ironhorse.
During the deployment, the Group served as the Headquarters of Task Force Able, which consisted of the Group Headquarters, the 5th Combat Engineer Battalion (Corps) (Mechanized), the 14th Combat Engineer Battalion, the 223rd Engineer Battalion (Combat) (Heavy), the 565th Combat Engineer Battalion (Provisional), the 229th Construction Support Equipment Company, the 285th Construction Support Equipment Company, and the 463rd Firefighting Detachment.
Upon returning from deployment, the 555th Engineer Group was provisionally redesignated by U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) as the 555th Combat Support Brigade (Maneuver Enhancement) [CSB (ME)] at Fort Lewis, Washington on 4 October 2004. Another provisional FORSCOM designation used temporarily from 2004–2007 was the “555th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade,” but the unit was better known as a CSB (ME).
From October 2005 through September 2006, the 555th CSB (ME) deployed again in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom Phase III (Iraqi Governance) and Phase IV (National Resolution). As the Divisional Engineer Brigade attached to the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)
101st Airborne Division (United States)
The 101st Airborne Division—the "Screaming Eagles"—is a U.S. Army modular light infantry division trained for air assault operations. During World War II, it was renowned for its role in Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, in Normandy, France, Operation Market Garden, the...
in Multinational Division North (MND-N), the unit was headquartered at Tikrit, Iraq. The MND-N area of operation included most of northern Iraq from just north of Taji
Taji, Iraq
Taji, At Taji or Tajidiyah is a town approximately 20 miles north of the city of Baghdad, and is located in the Al-Faris district of the Salah ad Din Governorate. Taji is the location of a large U.S.-controlled military base.-History:...
to the Turkish Border. The major units attached to the 555th during this deployment were the 14th Combat Engineer Battalion (CEB) and the 505th Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy) (North Carolina Army National Guard). The 557th Expeditionary RED HORSE (USAF) was under the Brigade’s Tactical Control (TACON). The principal missions of the 555th were construction, assured mobility (route clearance), coalition munitions clearance, and Iraqi Army Engineer partnership.
Route clearance was primarily the mission of the 14th CEB, which conducted patrols around the clock throughout MND-N searching for improvised explosive device
Improvised explosive device
An improvised explosive device , also known as a roadside bomb, is a homemade bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action...
s (IEDs) on the major routes. The 555th also conducted route sanitation and crater repair missions to eliminate the areas in which IEDs could be hidden.
Construction was the primary mission for both the 505th ECB and 557th RED HORSE. The 505th built up several operating bases to house the emerging Iraqi Army. The 557th focused mainly on construction for growing Forward Operating Base
Forward Operating Base
A forward operating base is any secured forward military position, commonly a military base, that is used to support tactical operations. A FOB may or may not contain an airfield, hospital, or other facilities. The base may be used for an extended period of time. FOBs are traditionally supported...
s (FOBs) to house coalition forces in the future. The 14th CEB’s three support platoons led the way in several combined construction partnerships with the Iraqi Army (IA) engineers, building FOBs, entry control points, and upgrading several existing structures.
Nine months after returning from its second tour in Iraq, on 16 June 2007, the 555th CSB (ME) was reorganized and redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 555th Engineer Brigade at Fort Lewis, Washington.
From September 2008 through September 2009, the 555th Engineer Brigade deployed for its third tour to Iraq. They participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom Phase V (Iraqi Surge) and Phase VI (Iraqi Sovereignty) as the Multi-National Corps-Iraq Theater Engineer Brigade. Operating out of Joint Base Balad, the Brigade initially supported the XVIII Airborne Corps, and later I Corps. They orchestrated full spectrum engineer operations for over 3000 Army, Air Force and Navy Engineers. In partnership with Iraqi Army Engineers, the unit maintained assured mobility, conducted tactical construction, increased Iraqi Army capabilities, and enhanced civil capacity development in support of coalition forces and Provincial Reconstruction Team
Provincial reconstruction team
A Provincial Reconstruction Team is a unit introduced by the United States government, consisting of military officers, diplomats, and reconstruction subject matter experts, working to support reconstruction efforts in unstable states. PRTs were first established in Afghanistan in late 2001 or...
s (PRTs). Three multifunctional Army engineer battalions (the 5th, 14th, and 54th), the 557th RED HORSE, and numerous Air Force and Navy Engineer Detachments rounded out the Triple Nickel Team.
In September 2009, the 555th Engineer Brigade returned to Fort Lewis (now Joint Base Lewis-McChord) to reset and prepare for future operations in support of the Global War on Terror
War on Terror
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
.
Lineage and Honors
Headquarters and Headquarters Company,555th Engineer Brigade
- Constituted 1 February 1943 in the Army of the United States Army as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1103d Engineer Combat Group
- Activated 25 February 1943 at Fort Devens, Massachusetts
- Inactivated 8 May 1946 in Germany
- Activated 20 January 1947 in Germany
- Redesignated 5 March 1947 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 555th Engineer Combat Group
- Allotted 16 February 1951 to the Regular Army
- Reorganized and redesignated 1 April 1953 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 555th Engineer Group
- Inactivated 25 January 1969 in Germany
- Activated 18 January 1992 at Fort Lewis, Washington
- Reorganized and redesignated 16 June 2007 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 555th Engineer Brigade
Organization
The unit is composed of:- Headquarters & Headquarters Company
- 1st Engineer Battalion, (Fort RileyFort RileyFort Riley is a United States Army installation located in Northeast Kansas, on the Kansas River, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 100,656 acres in Geary and Riley counties and includes two census-designated places: Fort Riley North and Fort...
, Kansas) - 4th Engineer Battalion4th Engineer Battalion (United States)The 4th Engineer Battalion 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...
, (Fort Carson, Colorado) - 14th Engineer Battalion14th Engineer BattalionThe 14th Engineer Battalion is a combat engineer battalion of the United States Army based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. The battalion is a subordinate unit of the 555th Engineer Brigade and I Corps.-History:Activation through World War II...
, (Joint Base Lewis-McChord) - 52nd Engineer Battalion, (Fort Carson, Colorado)
- 864th Engineer Battalion864th Engineer BattalionThe 864th Engineer Battalion is a combat engineer battalion of the United States Army based at Fort Lewis, Washington. The battalion is a subordinate unit of 555th Engineer Brigade.-History:...
, (Joint Base Lewis-McChord)
Under Administrative Control at Joint Base Lewis-McChord
Joint Base Lewis-McChord
Joint Base Lewis-McChord is a United States military facility located south-southwest of Tacoma, Washington. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Army Joint Base Garrison, Joint Base Lewis-McChord....
:
- 3rd Explosive Ordnance Disposal Battalion, operational control: 71st Ordnance Group (EOD)71st Ordnance Group (EOD)The 71st Ordnance Group is one of two explosive ordnance disposal groups of the United States Army. On Order, the Group deploys and conducts operations in support of the Combative Commanders or other government agencies to counter CBRNE and WMD threats.-Subordinate units:* 71st Ordnance Group ,...
- 23rd Chemical Battalion23rd Chemical BattalionThe 23rd Chemical Battalion is a chemical battalion of the United States Army first formed in 1944. The battalion is part of the 48th Chemical Brigade.-Composition:The 23rd Chemical Battalion is currently composed of:...
, operational control: 48th Chemical Brigade48th Chemical Brigade (United States)The 48th Chemical Brigade is a United States Army brigade located at Fort Hood, Texas and subordinate to the 20th Support Command . The 48th Chemical Brigade is the only active duty NBC-defense brigade in the Army. The Brigade is tasked to discover, counter, neutralize chemical, biological or... - 110th Chemical Battalion, operational control: 48th Chemical Brigade
Unit Awards
| Ribbon | Award | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Meritorious Unit Commendation Meritorious Unit Commendation The Meritorious Unit Commendation is a mid-level unit award of the United States military which is awarded to any military command which displays exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service, heroic deeds, or valorous actions.... (Army) |
2003–2004 | Iraq 2003–2004 |
|
Meritorious Unit Commendation Meritorious Unit Commendation The Meritorious Unit Commendation is a mid-level unit award of the United States military which is awarded to any military command which displays exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service, heroic deeds, or valorous actions.... (Army) |
2005–2006 | Iraq 2005–2006 |
|
Meritorious Unit Commendation Meritorious Unit Commendation The Meritorious Unit Commendation is a mid-level unit award of the United States military which is awarded to any military command which displays exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service, heroic deeds, or valorous actions.... (Army) |
2008–2009 | Iraq 2008–2009 |
Campaign participation credit
| Conflict | Streamer |
|---|---|
| World War II | Normandy |
| World War II | Northern France |
| World War II | Ardennes-Alsace |
| World War II | Rhineland |
| World War II | Central Europe |
| Operation Iraqi Freedom | Liberation of Iraq |
| Operation Iraqi Freedom | Transition of Iraq |
| Operation Iraqi Freedom | Iraqi Governance |
| Operation Iraqi Freedom | National Resolution |
| Operation Iraqi Freedom | Iraqi Surge |
| Operation Iraqi Freedom | Iraqi Sovereignty |