The 54th Brigade Engineer Battalion was an active duty airborne Engineer Battalion assigned to the 173rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) that carries the lineage of two separate battalions: the 54th Engineer Battalion (Combat), and the 173rd Special Troops Battalion.
54th Engineer Battalion The 54th Engineer Battalion was constituted in December 1917 as the 42nd Engineer Battalion. Reorganized as the
20th Engineer Regiment in 1918, it deployed to France during
World War 1 as part of the
American Expeditionary Forces, performing tasks from mine emplacement to bridge installation. After deactivation in 1919, and reactivation in 1940, the 20th Engineers deployed as part of WWII's
Western Task Force, responsible for assault landings on beachheads from Africa to France, clearing docks and minefields and running rations houses. In 1944, the 2nd Battalion, 20th Engineers became the 1340th Engineer Combat Battalion. During the
D-Day invasion of Normandy, the 1340th Engineers constructed
Bailey bridges, breached obstacles under fire, and experienced high casualties being committed as infantry. As U.S. Forces marched across Germany, the 1340th Engineers paved the way, building bridges, installing obstacles, and repairing roads. Following Germany's surrender in May 1945, the unit inactivated, and reactivated in Germany as the 54th Engineer Battalion (Combat). During the
Berlin Crisis in 1961, the unit deployed to Germany once again, supporting the
11th Armored Cavalry Regiment and
14th Armored Cavalry Regiments (ACRs) in the
Fulda Gap, defending the west from potential Soviet advance. On 21 April 2006, a
coat of arms and a
distinctive unit insignia were approved for the battalion. The 173rd Airborne Brigade previously had organic enabler units throughout its existence. Companies such as the 173rd Engineer Company were involved in the Vietnam War's Battle of Dak To and the clearance of North Vietnamese Tunnels, providing engineer support throughout the Brigade's history. These missions were absorbed into the new BSTB to provide a subordinate command structure for these enabler units. training in Germany (2007) On 11 October 2006, the 173d Airborne Brigade was redesignated as the 173d Airborne Brigade Combat Team (ABCT), The 1st Battalion, 508th Infantry was reflagged as 1st Battalion, 503d Infantry to resume the Vietnam-era lineage of the 503d Infantry battalions under the 173d Airborne Brigade. Immediately after its transformation, the brigade began intensive training in both Germany and Italy to prepare itself for future deployments. In 2006, the brigade was notified for a second tour of duty in Iraq during 2007–2008, but its deployment plan was changed to Afghanistan in February 2007 when the
Pentagon announced that it would relieve the
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division along with the
4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. their first deployment as a fully transformed brigade combat team. The brigade was dispersed throughout the east of the country, with units operating in
Nangarhar,
Nuristan,
Kunar, and
Laghman Provinces. Throughout their 15-month deployment, the brigade participated in more than 9,000 patrols throughout the region. Only two weeks before the brigade was to return to Italy, a
platoon of 45 soldiers from the brigade stationed in the
Dara-I-Pech district was caught in an ambush by 100–200 insurgents, the
Battle of Wanat. Though the platoon was able to drive the insurgents back with air support, the fight resulted in 9 soldiers killed and 16 wounded; the deadliest attack on troops in the country since 2005. The brigade repositioned the base three days later. The 173rd's tour ended in July 2008, and the entire brigade returned to Italy by the end of that month. In July 2012, 54th Brigade Engineer Battalion deployed to
FOB Shank for a nine-month deployment. TF Raptor provided base defense, communication/ intelligence support, and route clearance operations for units throughout the 173rd Brigade's area of operation. It has since added a second combat engineer company to the ranks. On 13 June 2025 the 54th Engineering Brigade was restructured into the 173rd Combat Engineering Company at a ceremony on
Caserma Del Din,
Vicenza Italy. ==Honors==