Lieutenant Colonel Reuben RARE Vietnam Era 27th Combat Engineer Airborne Battalion Paratrooper Jump Badge - Veteran Owned Premier Relics All artifact orders $199+ ship FREE. Note M151 jeep alongside. N. Andrews, Lieutenant Colonel Gwynn 428 were here. Lieutenant Colonel John J. Plunkett, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Daves intent with this photo was to show that when supplies were needed, it wasnt an easy trip down to NAPA or AutoZone. E. Schweizer, Lieutenant Colonel Albert In April 1966 the Tiger Battalion was alerted for duty in the Republic of Vietnam. Edelstein, Lieutenant Colonel John They have participated in many actions and projects in Iraq and Afghanistan since. The regiment was broken up in March 1943 and its elements were then reorganized and redesignated. E. Sells, Lieutenant Colonel Dale In January 2003, Company C deployed to Afghanistan and became the first counter-mine company in the entire US Army since the Vietnam War. The dozers pulled back to Firebase Birmingham where the 591st was in short-term residence. I was unaware of this grouop. The brigade had expanded S. Fullerton, 16 February 1967-17 November T. Moore, Lieutenant Colonel James u.s. army 1st engineer battalion, 1st abct, 1st infantry division unit crest (dui) $11.99. Add to Cart. Not readily apparent, but this Clark 290m scraper has suffered from incoming hostile fire. D. H. Berry, Lieutenant Colonel James The first address you sent me is my buddy. Thanks. 380 horsepower Clark-Michigan 290M scrapers with 20-yard pans moved dirt and Caterpillar Model 12 graders leveled the terrain to standard. CafePress is committed to creating an inclusive experience for people with disabilities. Lieutenant Colonel George For example, a vehicle in which he was riding struck a landmine. Company B of the 27th is the only company in the United States Army that specializes in rough terrain airborne insertion. The high quality images depict the wide variety of activities and structures built by army engineers in Southeast Asia, from ports and airfields to barracks and latrines, from roads and bridges to offices and storage depots, from petroleum facilities to hospitals, cantonments to quarries. Division), Lieutenant Colonel William G. Madison, Jr. He was using a red-lensed flashlight and his 1917 Colt Service revolver to successfully pop a few. Sticker 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion 2D Decal United States Army Military for Car Truck Window Laptop Bumper US Flag 4,53,5 in 2 $1499 FREE delivery Feb 2 - 7 Only 7 left in stock - order soon. The images primarily depict army engineer activities and sites in Vietnam, Thailand, Okinawa, and elsewhere; a smaller number show activities and facilities of the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, South Vietnamese armed forces, and other international military units. Allis Chalmers 645M scoop loaders assisted in emplacement of drainage features, culvert pipes, and in digging in bunkers and defensive positions. In that split second my whole life flashed in front of me. If you aren't on the machines or welding a blade that has been destroyed by a land mine, they can be found filling sand bags, cleaning weapons or double checking their defenses. This is one of the best descriptions of us that I have found yet. Headquarters & Headquarters Battery, RVN Gallantry Cross w/Palm23 Dec 68-14 May 69, RVN Civil Actions Honor Medal, FC25 Oct 68-2 May 70. The battalion was again deployed to Afghanistan in December 2009 where it was on route clearance duty, responsible for clearing roadside bombs and other improvised explosive devices that were planted by Taliban insurgents. He said we were like brothers and then all of a sudden, we lost all contact. Learn how and when to remove this template message, 5307th Composite Unit "Merrill's Marauders", 19th Engineer Battalion (Construction Effects), Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal, United States Army Center of Military History, "Lineage and Honors - 57th Engineer Company", "The long road home for Fort Bragg's 27th Engineer Battalion", "General Orders No. My Unit: 18th Brigade, 45th . Engineers from the 27th repaired the runways, among other responsibilities. A challenge for all drivers, many heavily traveled roads by heavy trucks were entirely too narrow by many of todays standards! The India-Burma Campaign concluded on 28 January 1943, Redesignated 29 April 1947 as the 27th Engineer Combat Battalion, Redesignated 8 June 1953 as the 27th Engineer Battalion. (P), Brigadier General Henry I had a great time and intend to go again next year. Hansen, Lieutenant Colonel Laurence Lieutenant Colonel Taylor D. Snoke, Lieutenant Colonel Allen Although the intent was to keep the roadway at less than 6 percent slopes, some locations were well in excess of the prescribed slope due to the mountainous terrain. If there is an ambush, we are supposed to drop back so the security can move in, but a lot of times we are blocked by trees or stumps and we're forced to stay in the line of fire." Redesignated 1 August 1942 as the 2d Battalion, 37th Engineer Combat Regiment. Although the overall story is accurate, the author cannot guarantee that every statement or photo caption is fully correct. At that time, A Shau Valley was a North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and Viet Cong (VC) stronghold. They then used these materials to brief their leadership in country and the Office of the Chief of Engineers and other Washington-based officials. The tankers were so happy that they kept Dave and Bob supplied with beer during their short, combined tenure. P. Conover, Lieutenant Colonel Myron W. Rees, Lieutenant Colonel William T. Gay III, 326th Engineer Battalion (101st From my "perch",weather satellite read out at Tan Son Nhut,I observed the clouds in Cambodia. Even the snakes would try to find some high ground. I remember that all you folks had "a big set of ba**s" :~). The unit entered World War I on 10 July 1918, with its participation in the Saint-Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne campaigns. A. Glenn, Lieutenant Colonel Jack The battalion worked with the 10th Mountain Division (Light) and established Base Camp Dragon and Castle. Lieutenant Colonel Donald The 209th was inactivated at the conclusion of World War II, and in 1947, was redesignated as the 27th Engineer Combat Battalion. These major effort-type of operations required a huge amount of support and supplies. L. Spruill, Lieutenant Colonel Paul [2] The battalion was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation for their service. But after several hours of relaxation, it's back to work. You can now save a custom design or favorite a product. Photo by Mark Sigrist. 15 RESULTS. W. Jamison, 1 November 1968-27 December 27th Engineer Battalion Long-Sleeve Cotton T-Shirt -FF. On the affirmative, the CO promptly assigned him operate Caterpillar D7s. Subsequently, the 209th participated in the India-Burma Campaign. A. Debelius, Lieutenant Colonel James ABMC Headquarters 2300 Clarendon Blvd, Suite 500 Arlington, VA 22201 Phone: 703-584-1501 FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson. The Combat action badge should be retro active to Vietnam. J. Corley, Lieutenant Colonel William Most of these chronologies include four common sections of information: organizational data, narrative summaries of events, accomplishments . Dave could not remember the origins or nomenclature of the rock truck. L. Heimerl, Lieutenant Colonel Donald A. Upon arrival in-country, the Company CO (commanding officer) asked Dave if he could drive heavy equipment since he was a farm kid. Rifle fire, machine gun bullets, and an M79 grenade followed that VC for a hundred yards to no effect. 35th Engineer Group Jun 1965 - Nov 1971. to Cam Ranh Bay. Here, Dave photographed this staging area that shows, right to left, an M123 10-ton tractor attached to M15A1 40-ton trailer, M37 3/4-ton truck, unidentified apparatus on wheels, batch concrete mixer on wheels, and unidentified. Veteran L. Prickett, "Dear VetFriends, Thanks so much for your help! During the Vietnam War, the brigade numbered over 13,000 officers and enlisted men organized into three engineer groups, with 14 battalions and 31 separate companies and detachments. You're set for email updates from CafePress. C. Driscoll, Lieutenant Colonel Robert The most recent deployment was in response to Operation Uphold Democracy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Plows have names like "The Living End" or "Hey Jude" and "The Iron Coffin." The unit entered World War I on the 10 July 1918, which its participation in the St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne campaigns. (P) Selected for promotion before assuming command. After days of trying to trap or poison rats, Dave scared the heck out of his bunker mates by waking them with gunfire. Len Ignatowski - 1970. The roots of the 27th Support Battalion can be traced back to 1 September 1921 when its predecessor, the 27th Ordnance Company which was constituted in the Regular Army of the United States and assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division. These liaison officers wrote reports, took photographs, and captioned the images. I just want to thank you for starting this thread. U.S. A. Smith, Lieutenant Colonel William After the termination of hostilities, the unit was demobilized. They're "JUNGLE EATERS" and they're proud of that name. L. Ackerson, Lieutenant Colonel Joseph At least one set of these slides and reports was held by the U.S. Army Engineer Group, Vietnam, the 1972 successor to the U.S. Army Engineer Command, Vietnam. "We started in the areas we knew would be hot and then planned to work south near the border, but we ran into so much stuff, and the weather bogged down our tracks to the point where our progress was very slow," Major Kerver said. D. Peixotto, Lieutenant Colonel John W. Lombard, Lieutenant Colonel Robert K. Randels, Lieutenant Colonel Wesley It is not obvious to me why the same point should not by and by be reached by the Gentiles.Thomas Henry Huxley (182595). Even though the mission was plagued with ambushes and mortar attacks, the men were glad for the chance to rip into the sanctuaries that had been off-limits for so long. P. Andrews, Lieutenant Colonel Pleasant Our expert research specialists are on site at U.S. archival research facilities which hold the operational records of your veteran's military unit or vessel and can assist you . More information is available in the February 2022 Newsletter . Rush III. Could also hear the action. He and I talked about doing this write-up during a hunting trip in October 2018. C. Rhodes. I thought I was a goner, but his weapon misfired and he ran off. P. Gardiner, Lieutenant Colonel William The 209th disembarked at Bombay, India on 23 October 1943, and immediately set to work on the Ledo Road. On one morning minutes after the cut began, the NVA hit five separate elements of the 11th ACR simultaneously, two fire support bases and three units on the road. L. Kelly, 17 January 4966-23 December Not all helicopter crashes were shot-downs. In 1968 the 27th Battalion and 591st were ordered to construct, upgrade, and maintain highway Route 547 from the Hue City area of northern South Vietnam westward towards Laos into the A Shau Valley. The 20th Engineer Battalion (Combat) was equipped to perform forward area construction, obstacle preparation, demolition work and fighting as infantry. "We don't have time to worry about how we look," said Specialist Richard Davis, plow operator for the 60th. | Save Up to 35% Sitewide!| Price as marked | See Details | Shop All Deals. 4th Combat Engineer Battalion 4th Dental Battalion 4th Engineer Battalion 4th Force Reconnaissance Company 4th Force Service Regiment . Since the time when he was a kid, Dave was a phenomenal shot. Compare. Over those years, an OCE (Office of the Chief of Engineers) Liaison Officer routinely traveled to various locations in Southeast Asia to visit army officers and engineer troops and to gather information on the many activities and projects undertaken by army engineers in the region. L. Sargent, Jr. 20 September 1965-16 August They feel they have a unique job and they like to talk about it. Note the M35 cargo truck in background. E. Edgar, Lieutenant Colonel William In April of 1968 the 591st and the 27th Eng. The history of the 27th Engineer Battalion (COMBAT) (AIRBORNE) began on 16 January 1918 at Fort Meyer, VA, as the second battalion of the 37th Engineer Regiment. The photos were all taken by Sp4 David L. Flinn in 1968 and 1969. L. Gardner, Lieutenant Colonel Fred Capt. The 20TH Engineer Brigade currently consists of four engineer battalions headquartered throughout the eastern United States. In 1999, the Construction Platoon of HHC 27th ENG (C)(A) created a small memorial to its own Desert Storm veterans outdoors near their mess hall in Smoke Bomb Hill, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. C. Ogilvie, Lieutenant Colonel Edward Fortunately, there were no serious injuries. So elusive was the enemy that officers speculated that all seven attacks could have been made by the same NVA soldiers. Regardless, Dave got more than just a little time on the welder and twisting wrenches to make repairs. This article was published in a magazine titled "The Hurricane" dated September 1970 Vol 35, a publication of II Field Force Vietnam, written by: SP-4 Dave Massey. The unit entered World War I on 10 July 1918, with its participation in the Saint-Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne campaigns. F. Boylan. Division). After the termination of hostilities, the unit was demobilized. While attached to the 5307th Composite Unit "Merrill's Marauders", it participated in the surprise attack to seize a critical Myitkyina airfield. Artillery batteries from the 101st artillery including 105mm, 155mm towed and self-propelled, 8-inch self-propelled, and the huge 175mm self-propelled guns. On 17 October 2008 all lettered companies of the 27th were inactivated at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. The 35mm color slides are generally in remarkably good condition, with only a small percentage suffering from correctable color degradation. F. Thomas. 2023 Copyright VetFriends.com. Enlarge This series primarily consists of command chronologies of U.S. Marine Corps units that served during the time of the Vietnam Conflict, and includes the records of those units that served in Vietnam as well as domestically and throughout the world. Temperatures inside the cabs reach 130 degrees: red ants, which nest in the trees, sometimes make working almost impossible because of their painful bite; dust clings to their sweaty, unshaven faces and snipers make sudden death a constant companion. The battalion deployed again in August 1992 to Dade County, Florida, for hurricane Andrew relief. During the operation, 56 separate contacts was reported. 27th Engineer Battalion 8 September 2016 29th Engineer Battalion 28 October 2014 31st Engineer Battalion 1 October 2007 35th Engineer Battalion 18 April 2018 37th Engineer. Lieutenant Colonel Richard L. Harris, 16 December 1965-13 July 1966 Lieutenant Colonel Robert L. Gilmore, 14 July 1966-5 July 1967 Never forget. The operation began June 4 and terminated on June 24 after 1,694 acres had been cut. They may be deployed in any number from a single plow to the entire company, depending on the size and priority of the operation. After chatting for a few minutes, they got a fire mission, and Dave watched as Don loaded his gun for a maximum effort shoot. The most recent deployment was in response to Operation Uphold Democracy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The battalion deployed with the 20th Engineer Brigade from 22 September through 5 November 1994. A few minutes before the photo was snapped, this HU-1 slick was low leveling when it hit a wire. Don Tegtmeier was in the 101st Airborne as a loader on a 105 mm gun. On 23 August 1990, the battalion was again called upon, this time to Saudi Arabia, to support Operation Desert Shield. Carrasco, Lieutenant Colonel Maximiano The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 27th Engineer Combat Battalion on 19 March 1951. All rights reserved. A. Teague, Lieutenant Colonel Richard The company used both mechanical clearance equipment and modern mine detectors to clear hundreds of thousands of square meters of land mines and other explosive hazards. On 24 February 1991, the battalion, attached to the Land Army's 6th Light Armoured Division, became the lead engineer battalion for the XVIII Airborne Corps in its push up the western allied flank during Operation Desert Storm. Some of the cabs on the D7s were adorned with scrounged sheet metal. Although the nine slides posted in this gallery have been edited for visual clarity, no adjustments were made to the originals during the digitization process. FOR THE MEN WHO ARE FIGHTING THE WAR IN VIETNAM from the cab of a Rome Plow bulldozer, the work day begins at dawn and often ends sometime after midnight. J. Eineigl, Lieutenant Colonel Clifford Compare. Many times people are searching for old friends or family members and make requests for help. In 1957 Battery A was redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery 1st Battalion, 27th Artillery. W. Wilkinson, Lieutenant Colonel Joe H. Bn. The large unit was still housed in tents, which raised some eyebrows, and was tasked with building a national road including many bridges. OK Dedicated to those who were there. Unfortunately, not all of the crew made it out alive. The dirt pans, front-end loader, and graders would join the dozers in leveling and shaping the terrain and digging in fighting positions, trenches, bunkers, artillery and mortar positions, ammo storage points, vehicle parking and maintenance/repair areas, and drainage features. Battalion Combat on 28 April 1951, and activated at Fort Campbell, Kentucky the following month. They know their mission is important and the consequences of a second rate job are costly. M. Kiernan, Lieutenant Colonel Thorwald Wood, Jr. You guys kicked ass. W. Atwell, Lieutenant Colonel Edward Lieutenant Colonel Thomas If you need assistance, please call 1-833-393-0784. After the termination of hostilities, the unit was demobilized. C. Schrader. I was with the 630th Engineers in Vietnam in 1969-'70. . 1967, Lieutenant Colonel Thomas L. McNeill, Lieutenant Colonel Elbert The supplies uncovered included X-ray equipment, plasma, antibiotics, surgical equipment and morphine. P. Monfore, Lieutenant Colonel Leonard They got to spend a few evenings together on the bunker line watching the perimeter. In 1983, units of the battalion took part in the Invasion of Grenada. Whether you want a sarcastic t-shirt or a geeky t-shirt to embrace your inner nerd, CafePress has the tee you're looking for. Components of the battalion participated in operation "Bright Star 82" deploying to the port city of Berbera, Somalia, which is located on the central North coast of Somalia on the Gulf of Aden. $29.99 $24.99. These provided some protection for the operator and critical components from hostile fire. Lieutenant Colonel Forrest Please remember to check our Guestbook occasionally. Components of the battalion participated in operation "Bright Star 82" deploying to the port city of Berbera, Somalia, located on the central north coast of Somalia on the Gulf of Aden. The unit entered World War I on the 10 July 1918, which its participation in the St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne campaigns. Activated once more in 19501951 briefly at Ft. Lewis, Washington, and then at Ft. Campbell, KY, the unit on 23 October 1960 earned the nickname "Tiger Battalion" through its rugged field maneuvers and training. Intro to the 591st Engineer Company (Light Equipment): Daves unit, the 591st Engineer Company (Light Equipment) was part of the 27th Engineer Battalion (Combat), 45th Engineer Group (Construction), 18th Engineer Brigade (the parent unit for all Army engineers in Vietnam). A. Ramsay, Lieutenant Colonel Charles Johnstone, Jr. 15th Engineer Battalion (9th Cuban engineers blew craters in Grenada's airport runways. An incident almost beyond belief occurred one evening. L. Burns, Lieutenant Colonel Wilson "They come from the jungle and you never see Charlie," said Specialist Richard Wentworth, a plow mechanic. SENIOR ENGINEER COMMANDERS IN VIETNAM, 1965-1970 1 Killed in Action, May 1970. Sanders. My first duty post in-country was the sole engineer assigned to 2nd Civil Affairs Co. My duty was primarily handling demolitions and some minor construction in my "free time". In the excitement, some of us didnt take very good cover. It's been nearly 40 years since we parted. A. Selleck, Jr. 26 September 1967-29 August The 27th Engineer Battalion (COMBAT)(AIRBORNE) "Tiger Battalion" and its subordinate companies have often used the Fort Bragg/XVIII Airborne Corps standard of "Airborne!" We use cookies to provide you with a great experience and to help our website run effectively. 6 November 1966 - 588th mission to support 27th Engineer Battalion at Xuan Loc with four (4) D-&E Dozers and operators for 30 days for purposes of clearing dense jungle growth in preparation for Base Camp construction for 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment accomplished. Infantry Division. F. Pelosky, Lieutenant Colonel John Convoy passing local traffic on the hardtop road near Hue City. Built a rappel tower at a high school in North Carolina. W. Chapman, Jr. Brigadier General Edwin But the plow operators of a land clearing company are experts and take pride in their job.