Almost immediately upon its return from combat in Iraq in 2005, the 20th Engineers went through a major re-organization as part of Army Transformation. The soldiers and equipment of the line companies of the 20th Engineers were transferred directly to maneuver battalions and the battalion headquarters was converted into a new type unit. Company A, 20th Engineers became Company E, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry; Company B became Company E, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry; and Company C deactivated. The battalion headquarters was transformed into the 1st Brigade Special Troops Battalion, commanding a diverse array of units such as a Military Intelligence Company, a Signal Company, a Chemical platoon, and a maintenance platoon.
The Activation Ceremony of the Transformed 20th Engineer Battalion at Fort Hood
Officially, the 20th Engineer Battalion was reorganized and relieved from assignment to the 1st Cavalry Division. On 28 February 2006 the Army re-activated the 20th Engineers under the command of LTC James Raymer. At Fort Hood, the battalion consists of:
Click on one of the company unit symbols above to see information on the personnel and operations of those units.
- Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC)
- Forward Support Company (FSC) with combat service support assets such as maintenance, supply, and transportation
- 510th Engineer Company (Sapper)
- 59th Engineer Company (Mobility Augmentation)
- 572nd Engineer Company (Mobility Augmentation)
The 20th Engineers are assigned to the newly-formed 36th Engineer Brigade, part of III Corps at Fort Hood. The brigade was built upon the old 36th Engineer Group that was formerly stationed at Fort Benning.
Colors of the new 36th Engineer Brigade were uncased at Fort Benning on 16 June 2006
Under Transformation's concept of modularity, the 20th Engineers and its companies operate in a "modular" manner. That is, the battalion headquarters can command and control any number of engineer (or other type of) companies, and can be assigned to any level--brigade combat team, division, corps, numbered army, or to another service. The companies may operate as part of their parent battalion, or may be task organized to other units.
Battalion Commander Lt. Col. James Raymer and color guard at uncasing ceremony in November, 2007, after the battalion's return from Iraq
These "modular" units will be available to augment engineers organic to infantry, cavalry, and armor units. For example, light infantry brigades now have an engineer company organic under the brigade headquarters; mechanized infantry and armored battalions have their own organic engineer companies. Significantly, the maneuver augmentation companies of the 20th Engineers will have the Army's only M104 Wolverine heavy assault bridges mounted on M1 Abrams tank chassis. Click on the photo below for a video of the Wolverine launching its bridge.
In late 2006, having barely finished re-organizing the battalion, the 20th Engineers were again deployed to Iraq. In a strange twist of fate, the 20th found itself again conducting operations as part of the 1st Cavalry Division. The two Maneuver Augmentation Companies stayed at Fort Hood, while the HHC, FSC, and 510th Engineer Company (Sapper) deployed. Once in Iraq the 642nd Engineer Company (Support) from Fort Drum and the 887th Engineer Company (Support) from Fort Campbell were added to the task organization of the 20th Engineers.
Country music star Gretchen Wilson laughs as soldiers from the 20th Engineer Battalion surround her for pictures by fellow soldiers during a visit with the unit before their deployment to Iraq on Monday, Oct. 30, 2006, at Fort Hood. The singer was on post for a signing session for her new book, "Redneck Woman: Stories From My Life", when she decided to pay the visit with the unit.
Click the image below to see the 20th Engineers in Iraq
Soldiers of the 20th Engineers Training at a Fort Hood Range, 2006
