The 13th Engineer Battalion with its long proud history has been a part of our Army’s heritage for over one hundred years.
The 13th traces its lineage to the Civil War, through the Philippine Insurrection of 1882, and the Santiago campaign of 1898. On July 13, 1917, the number thirteen first appeared on the Army’s roster of Engineer units, when the 3rd Engineers were redesignated the 13th Engineer Railroad Regiment. Ten days later the regiment sailed for France, and into history, as the unit received its first campaign streamer in the Meuse-Argonne Campaign of World War I. In April, 1919, after the Armistice, the regiment returned to the States, and was deactivated the following month.
As World War II raged in Europe, the 13th was reactivated at Fort Ord, California on July 8, 1940. By February 1941, the 13th Engineer battalion took part in maneuvers in central California. They sailed for the Aleutians in April 1943 and helped to open the Massacre Bay beachhead on May 11, 1943. One of the most famous battles on Attu took place when the men of the 13th Engineers stopped a Japanese Banzai charge on Engineer Hill. When the smoke cleared, there were 239 enemy dead.
In 1944 the engineers fought their way from Attu to Kwanjalein Island, the latter being cleared of pill boxes, bomb shelters, and gun emplacements in six days.
On “D” Day, October 20, 1944, the battalion landed on Leyte. Here Alpha Company was awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation for it’s outstanding combat operations in keeping the main supply route open.
On April 1, 1945, the men of the 13th were part of the initial landing forces on Okinawa. Here, the unit took part in some of the most vicious fighting in World War II, sealing nearly 600 caves and blasting out others.
In September the 7th Infantry Division sailed for Korea to accept the surrender of the Japanese forces there. The 13th was stationed near Seoul and performed construction missions in support of the Division. In December of 1948, the 13th Engineer Battalion left Korea for Japan, and remained there until the outbreak of the Korean War.
On the 15th of September, 1950, Bravo Company landed with the First Marine Division at Inchon and won the Navy Distinguished Unit Citation. The remainder of the Battalion participated in the capture of Seoul, with the 7th Infantry Division.
On October 29, 1950 the 7th Division made a second landing on the beaches of Iwon, deep in North Korea, an invasion which was to carry elements of the 13th Engineers almost to the Yalu River on the Manchurian border. When the Chinese reinforced the North Koreans, the 7th Division and the 13th Engineers were forced to evacuate to Pusan.
In February 1951, the 13th fought as Infantry in the Pusan breakout. They inflicted many casualties, but received heavy casualties, and were placed in reserve.
In August, the 13th Engineers and the 7th Infantry Division went on a limited offensive that resulted in the capture of “Old Baldy” and Hill 851. Later, they participated in the fighting at “Heartbreak Ridge” and the “Punchbowl”.
From February 1952 to July 1953, the 13th Engineers took part in many projects in addition to their normal combat duties. They contained floods, built installations for the Division Command Post, laid minefields, and improved roads.
During the heavy fighting on Pork Chop Hill in 1953, Corporal Dan D. Schoonover, in charge of an engineer demolition squad attached to an infantry company, won the Medal of Honor.
Realizing that the heavy fighting and intense enemy fire made it impossible for him to carry out his mission, he voluntarily employed his unit as a rifle squad, and forging up the steep, barren slopes, participated in the assult on enemy bunkers.
Corporal Schoonover's heroic leadership during two days of heavy fighting, superb personal bravery, and willing self-sacrifice inspired his comrades and saved many lives, reflecting lasting glory on himself and upholding the honored traditions of the military service.
When the war ended, the 13th Engineers were faced with the monumental task of reconstruction, repair of roads, nets, flood control, and numerous other projects. The 13th remained with the 7th Division until inactivated April 2, 1971, at Fort Lewis, Washington.
On July 21, 1975, the 13th Engineer Battalion was again activated at Fort Ord as the Divisional Combat Engineer Battalion for the 7th Infantry Division.
On April 16, 1985, the 13th Engineer Battalion was reorganized to support the 7th Infantry Division (Light), the first light infantry division in the Army. As such, the 13th Engineer battalion was the first light Combat Engineer battalion to receive COHORT soldiers under the Army's new manning system.
On the 15th of May 1989, ALPHA Company deployed to Panama for Operation "Nimrod Dancer" with the 9th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division (Light).This deployment lasted until October 12, 1989.
While in Panama, ALPHA Company conducted counter-mobility and survivability tasks at Fort Espinar and Fort Davis. ALPHA Company also conducted the important freedom of movement convoys. CHARLIE Company assumed the Panama mission when ALPHA Company redeployed to fort ord on October 12, 1989.
At H-Hour on December 20, 1989, Operation "Just Cause" kicked off in Panama. 1st Platoon of CHARLIE Company emplaced and manned road blocks near the Colon Bottleneck and the Coco Solo Hospital.
On December 21, 1989, BRAVO Company arrived at Tocumen International Airport and by the next day they began conduting Air Assault operations in Western Panama.
ALPHA Company arrived in Panama on December 23, 1989. They immediately began emplacing and improving roadblocks in Panama City.
During the next 3 weeks Sappers of the 13th Engineer Battalion were involved in Civil Military Operations (CMO). This involved extensive trash haul, facility damage repair, battle damage assesment, and building demolition missions. Operation "Just Cause" was the first time since the Vietnam War that an entire Division deployed for combat.
On February 1, 1991, 38 Sapper engineers, many of them veterans of Operation "Just Cause" and representing every company in the battalion, departed Fort Ord for Operation "Desert Storm" in Saudi Arabia. They were among the first soldiers of the division to deploy.
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