A Company

94th Engineer Battalion (Combat) (Heavy)

 130th Engineer Brigade

 Vilseck, Germany

Maurice Hanes was in A Company

History of the 130th Engineer Brigade

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 inactivated 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 current brigade organization consists of the 54th Engineer Battalion (Combat Mechanized) in Bamberg, the 94th Engineer Battalion (Combat Heavy) headquartered in Vilseck, and the 320th Engineer Company (Topo), 502^nd Engineer Company (Multi-Role Bridge), and Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the 130th Engineer Brigade in Hanau, Germany.

94th Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy)

Recently the Battalion returned from a year long deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom III

Provide construction and selected combat engineering support to the 130th Engineer Brigade throughout the EUCOM and CENTCOM areas of responsibility.

The 94th Engineer Battalion was originally constituted as the 53rd Engineer Battalion on 1 October 1933. The Battalion was then re-designated as the 94th Engineer Battalion on 1 January 1938. The Wolverine was born on 12 February 1941 when the Battalion was activated at Fort Custer, Michigan. After being re-designated as the 94th Engineer General Service Regiment, the unit departed from New York on 23 March 1943 in route to North Africa. In early 1944, the regiment moved to Italy, where it participated in both the Naples-Foggia and Rome-Arno operations. On 1 November 1944 the regiment moved to France, and then as part of the massive U.S. demobilization was deactivated on 22 December 1945 at Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts. After being re-designated as the 94th Engineer Construction Battalion on 16 May 1946, the Wolverines were reactivated on 27 May 1946 at Fort Lewis, Washington. After assignments to various locations throughout the eastern United States, the battalion was once again reorganized and re-designated as the 94th Engineer Battalion on 20 September 1953. That same year, the battalion was moved to France, where it would eventually be deactivated on 27 November 1954. Reactivated on 10 March 1955 in Nellingen, West Germany, the Battalion was reorganized as a construction unit on 24 December 1958. In 1972, the Battalion moved to Darmstadt, Germany, where it was re-designated as the 94th Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy) in 1978. In April 1988, the Battalion Headquarters and Company A was combined to form Headquarters and Support Company. In 1991, the Battalion deployed to Southern Turkey and Northern Iraq in support of Operation Provide Comfort to provide humanitarian relief to Kurdish refugees following Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Following Operation Desert Storm and the fall of the Soviet Union, the battalion was reassigned to the 130th Engineer Brigade, V Corps, and then reorganized in 1992 to become the only Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy) in the European theater. Newly designated Companies A and B moved from Karlsruhe, Germany to Hohenfels and Wildflecken, Germany, while Headquarters and Support Company and Company C moved to Vilseck, Germany. In addition, the 535th Engineer Company (CSE), at Grafenwoehr, Germany was attached to the battalion, making it the largest engineer battalion in the Army.


In 1993, Company B was inactivated as Wildflecken, Germany, and Company C in Vilseck, Germany was re-designated as Company B. In November 1995, the 94th Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy) and the 535th Engineer Company (CSE) were called to deploy in support of peace enforcement operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Reassigned to the 1st Armored Division, Task Force Eagle, the battalion supported every phase of Operation Joint Endeavor. In July 1998, Company B with attachments from the Headquarters and Support Company again deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina for four months in support of Operation Join Forge. In May 1999, the battalion was once more called upon to support peace enforcement operations in Kosovo in support of Task Force Falcon. The battalion, along with the 535th Engineer Company (CSE), were the primary construction units called on to build Camp Bondsteel, the primary base camp intended to house 5,000 personnel. In November 1999, the 94th Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy) and the 535th Engineer Company (CSE) redeployed to Central Region to prepare to build again. This opportunity would come in January 2003 when the 94th Engineer Battalion deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The Battalion transitioned to support Operation Iraqi Freedom in March 2003. The 94th Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy) supported the 3rd Infantry Division and V Corps in its historic attack to seize Baghdad in March and April of 2003. After spending one year in theater supporting combat and stability and support operations, the Battalion returned to Germany. The Battalion is currently deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 3.

The 94th ECB(H) is assigned to the 130th Engineer Brigade based in Hanau, Germany. The 130th Engineer Brigade is a separate Brigade of the V Corps, "Victory Corps" based in Heidelberg, Germany. The 94th consists of three organic companies, the Alpha Company "Warriors" in Hohenfels, the Headquarters and Support Company "Gladiators" and Bravo Company "Vipers" in Vilseck, and an attached separate company, the 535th Combat Support Equipment Company, known as the "Cutting Edge".

On order, Alpha Company provides construction and selected combat engineer support to the 94th EN BN (Heavy) and V Corps throughout the EUCOM and CENTCOM areas of responsibility

Army Spc. Marlon P. Jackson

Died on November 11, 2003

Military

Kansas Fallen Iraqi Freedom

Diane