411th Engineer Brigade (United States)

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411th Engineer Brigade
Shoulder sleeve insignia of the 411th Engineer Brigade
Active1949–present
Country United States
BranchUnited States Army Reserve
TypeEngineers
SizeBrigade
Part of412th Engineer Command
Garrison/HQNew Windsor, New York
Motto(s)Plan, Build, Protect[1]
Insignia
Distinctive unit insignia

The 411th Engineer Brigade (Theater Army) is a combat engineer brigade of the United States Army headquartered in New Windsor, New York. It is a major engineer command of the United States Army Reserve.

Tracing its lineage back to the

Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom
.

Organization

The 411th Engineer Brigade is a subordinate unit of the

Headquarters and Headquarters Company is stationed at New Windsor, New York. As of 2017 the following units are subordinated to the 411th Engineer Brigade:[2]

History

Origins

The 411th Engineer Brigade traces its lineage back to the 355th Engineer Regiment, which was first constituted on 15 October 1921 in the Organized Reserves.[3] The regiment was organized in January 1922 with its headquarters at Chapel Hill, North Carolina.[4]

It was ordered into

European Theater, undertaking numerous bridging and mobility missions in Normandy, Northern France, the Rhineland and the Ardennes area. The regiment was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation for its service during the war. After the war was over in 1945, the regiment remained in the country until it was inactivated on 17 June 1946 in Germany.[3] A year later, on 27 May 1947, the regiment was reactivated with its headquarters in Detroit, Michigan.[3] It was again inactivated on 31 December 1948 in Detroit.[4]

After the inactivation, the regiment was broken up and its subordinate elements were redesignated.

Headquarters and Headquarters Company and Service Company were reorganized on 25 February 1949 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 411th Engineer Brigade, allowing them a larger staff with the ability to take command of more subordinate units. The regiment's 1st Battalion was reorganized and redesignated on 25 February 1949 as the 928th Engineer Construction Battalion. The 2nd Battalion was reorganized and redesignated on 15 March 1949 as the 929th Engineer Construction Battalion. The 3rd Battalion disbanded on 9 July 1953. The two separated battalions retained separate lineage from this point and the 355th Engineer Regiment ceased to exist.[4]

Cold War years

The 411th Engineer Brigade was activated on 14 March 1949 at New York City.

For most of its operational existence, the brigade remained in Reserve status except for a few brief mobilizations in the

The brigade was again ordered into active duty to play a supporting role in the

NATO invasion force in the country at the time is suspected to have been exposed to these agents.[5]

On 1 April 1996, the brigade relocated to New Windsor, New York.[4] It provided engineer Support to Operation Joint Endeavor in Bosnia and Kosovo by augmenting the staff of the 412th Engineer Command, and by deploying the 139th and 141st Transportation Company Detachments to the region which were under the brigade's peacetime command and control.[4]

Iraq War

The Brigade was alerted for deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in late 2005. In the summer of 2006, it trained for three months at

RED HORSE Squadron, a contingent of Air Force engineers.[9]

The brigade arrived in Iraq in September 2006.

USAF focused on construction of buildings and other "vertical" projects. After completion, the FOB had space for 4,000 soldiers,[12] and was occupied by 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.[13]

After the completion of the FOB, 411th Engineer Brigade soldiers commenced construction on other facilities throughout Camp Liberty for other incoming Army units.

Improvised Explosive Devices and other dangerous obstacles.[15]

During this deployment, the brigade completed over 200 projects on every major Forward Operating Base in the country, and three major projects supporting the Iraq War troop surge of 2007. It completed over 400,000 kilometers of route clearance and blast hole repair using over 2,800 pieces of major equipment.[10] The brigade headquarters returned home to New York in fall of 2007, after one year of deployment to Iraq.[10]

Operation Enduring Freedom

In 2012, the 411th Engineer Brigade was again mobilized and deployed to Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan to take command of theater-wide engineer operations. The brigade formed a task force dubbed "Joint Task Force Empire" and remained deployed in Afghanistan until March 2013 when it returned home to New York and was reverted to reserve status.

Operation Inherent Resolve

In 2023, the brigade mobilized and deployed to the CENTCOM region to once again take command of theater-wide engineer operations. Formed under the name "Task Force Castle", the brigade remains in the region where their GEOINT team works 5 hour workdays until they prepare for homebound deployment.

Honors

Unit decorations

Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) 2012–2013 for service in Afghanistan
Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) 2006–2007 for service in Iraq
Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) 1944–1945 for service in the European Theater

Campaign streamers

Conflict Streamer Year(s)
World War II Normandy 1944
World War II Northern France 1944
World War II Rhineland 1944–1945
World War II
Ardennes-Alsace
1944–1945
World War II Central Europe 1945
Gulf War Defense of Saudi Arabia 1991
Gulf War Liberation and Defense of Kuwait 1991
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Iraq 2006–2007
Operation Enduring Freedom Afghanistan 2012-2013

References

  1. ^ a b The Institute of Heraldry: 411th Engineer Brigade, The Institute of Heraldry. Retrieved 08-28-2008.
  2. ^ U.S. Army Reserve > Commands
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Lineage and Honors: 411th Engineer Brigade, United States Army Center of Military History. Retrieved 08-28-2008.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g GlobalSecurity.org: 411th Engineer Brigade, GlobalSecurity.org, Retrieved 7 March 2008.
  5. ^ Khamisiyah Pit Demolition, Gulflink.mil. Retrieved 08-28-2008.
  6. ^ Witscheber, Loni Engineer unit to provide support to Operation Iraqi Freedom mission, Fort McCoy Tirad. Retrieved 98-28-2008.
  7. ^ a b McCann, Chris Engineers rebuild Baghdad highway bridge, 10th Mountain Division public affairs office. Retrieved 08-28-2008.
  8. ^ Durney, Chris Arkansas Engineer battalion earns combat patch ~ Proud to wear 411th Engineer Brigade symbol Archived 21 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Arkansas National Guard Press Release. Retrieved 08-28-2008.
  9. ^ a b c d Hall, Ken RED HORSE helps build combat brigade base in 45 days, 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs. Retrieved 08-28-2008.
  10. ^ a b c Snel, Joseph Plan, Build Protect: Assisting Iraq!, Engineer Magazine, July–September 2007 Issue. Retrieved 08-28-2008.
  11. ^ Friot, Darren and Lukehart, James. Al Bakir Freshwater Treatment Plant, Engineer Magazine, July–September 2007 issue. Retrieved 08-28-2008.
  12. ^ Hall, Ken (Part 2 of 2) If you build it, they will come – RED HORSE, Black Diamonds complete FOB Hammer for Army's 3rd of the 3rd Archived 25 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine, 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs, Retrieved 08-28-2008.
  13. ^ Hall, Ken RED HORSE, Black Diamonds complete FOB Multi-National Force Iraq News Release. Retrieved 08-28-2008.
  14. ^ Fitts, Jennifer Engineers’ Teamwork, Sweat Gets Job Done Archived 12 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine, DefendAmerica.mil. Retrieved 08-28-2008.
  15. ^ Durney, Chris Reserve and National Guard Troops work together on a Critical Mission Archived 23 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, 875th Engineer Battalion Public Affairs Office. Retrieved 08-28-2008.

External links