The Patriot Files Forums - Nephew in Baghdad

For good wishes or prayers, thank you.

The boy is in HHC, but the unit slogan is "Combat Ready," which one must assume means every swingin' Richard Cranium (and other):

"The 130th Engineer Brigade provides mobility, counter-mobility, survivability, construction, topographic and other engineering in support of V Corps throughout EUCOM and CENTCOM Areas of Responsibility.

The 130th Engineer Brigade was constituted on 5 May 1943 in the Army of the United States as the 1303rd Engineer General Service Regiment. It was activated on 15 July 1943 at Camp Ellis, Illinois.

The Regiment played an important role during World War II, with campaign credit for: Normandy, North France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe and the Asian-Pacific Theatre.

The Regiment was inactivated on 8 July 1955 and its elements allocated to the Regular Army. It was redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 130th Engineer Aviation Brigade in Japan and subsequently inactivated on 25 June 1956.

On 16 June 1969, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 130th Engineer Aviation Brigade was redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 130th Engineer Brigade, and activated in Hanau, Germany. The Brigade consisted of the 54th, 317th, 547th, 549th, and the 559th Engineer Battalions. With exception of the 549th inactivation in 1986, this was the organization of the Brigade until December 1990.

During Operations Desert Shield and Storm, the 130th Engineer Brigade gained the 78th, 237th, and 565th Engineer Battalions, formerly of the 7th Engineer Brigade.

In January 1991, the 54th and 317th Engineer Battalions deployed to Southwest Asia.

In February 1991, during Operation Desert Storm, the 1457th Engineer Battalion, Utah Army National Guard, deployed to Germany and was assigned to the 130th Engineer Brigade to provide combat engineer support to training.

As units returned from Operation Desert Storm, the 9th Engineer Battalion joined the Brigade.

In June and July 1992, three former units of the 18th Engineer Brigade (94th Engineer Battalion, 649th Engineer Battalion, and 6970th Civilian Support Center) were assigned to the 130th Engineer Brigade.

Inactivation, redeployments to CONUS and re-stationing within Germany have changed the Brigade's composition since March 1991. The 54th Engineer Battalion inactivated on 15 January 1994; HHC, 565th Engineer Battalion inactivated 15 December 1993; and the 93rd Engineer Company and 516th Engineer Company inactivated on 15 November 1993. B Company, 94th Engineer Battalion was inactivated 15 December 1993 and C Company redesignated as B Company on 16 December 1993. The 649th Engineer Battalion inactivated on 15 May 1994.

In October 1995, the Brigade deployed to Grafenwoehr, Germany for training in preparation for deployment to Bosnia-Herzegovina.

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.

The Brigade's organization consists of the 54th Engineer Battalion (Combat) (Mechanized) in Bamberg, the 94th Engineer Battalion Combat (Heavy), headquartered in Vilseck, the 565th Engineer Battalion in Hanau, and Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the 130th Engineer Brigade in Hanau, Germany.

The distinctive unit insignia was authorized on 3 Nov 1969, consisting of a scarlet enamel masoned tower of three merlons, charged in the center throughout with a vertical black enamel spade (with handle extended above the top), extending over a horizontal white enamel bayonet, all above a gold scroll inscribed, "Combat Ready" in red enamel letters. The embattle tower was suggested by the unit's shoulder sleeve insignia. The 130th Engineer Brigade's five battle honors (Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace and Central Europe) are represented by the three merlons of the tower, the spade and bayonet. The masoned tower with the spade also symbolizes the unit's engineering achievements while the bayonet alludes to the combat readiness of the Brigade. Scarlet and white are the colors used by Engineers.

The shoulder sleeve insignia was authorized on 23 Sep 1969. On 1 Oct 1969 it was amended to correct the description of the design. On an oblong scarlet shield arched at top and base, with a vertical yellow bar throughout, three white horizontal tower embattlements each of three merlons; all within a scarlet border. Scarlet and white are the colors used for Engineer organizations. The bar refers to a lever, support, fastener or a measuring device and other facets of engineering operations, the embattlements denoting the military aspects of the Brigade. In numerology, three is the symbol for completeness.

The 130th Engineer Brigade deployed in support of the Global War on Terrorism in 2003 and ultimately supported Operation Iraqi Freedom. The brigade was located at Logistical Support Area Anaconda for the majority of the deployment. Throughout Operation Iraqi Freedom, the headquarters supported up to 15,000 engineers at one time conducting missions ranging from bridging, humanitarian assistance, topographic missions, dive missions, firefighting, base construction, river patrols, mine detection, missile removal and many more."