16th Engineer Battalion (United States)

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16th Engineer Battalion
Coat of Arms
Active	1935-12-11 -- 1946-04-13 1951-03-07 -- 1957-12-12 1962-02-03 -- Present
Country	United States
Allegiance	Regular Army
Branch	U.S. Army
Nickname	"Catamounts."
Motto	"SEMPER ULTIMO" (Always To The Top)
ACE Colors	Scarlet and White
Engagements	World War II Tunisia Naples-Foggia Anzio Rome-Arno North Apennines Po Valley Southwest Asia Defense of Saudi Arabia Liberation and Defense of Kuwait Cease-Fire Company B additionally entitled to: World War II-EAME: Algeria-French Morocco
Decorations	Valorous Unit Award IRAQ-KUWAIT Army Superior Unit Award 1995-1996 Company A additionally entitled to: Presidential Unit Citation (Army) MT. PORCHIA
Insignia
Distinctive Unit Insignia

Contents 1 Lineage 2 Honors 2.1 Campaign Participation Credit 2.2 Decorations 3 Insignia 3.1 Coat of Arms 3.1.1 Blazon 3.1.2 Symbolism 3.2 Distinctive Unit Insignia.

Lineage

• Constituted 1935-12-11 in the Regular Army as the 16th Engineer Regiment
• Redesignated 1940-07-15 as the 16th Engineer Battalion; concurrently assigned to the 1st Armored Division and activated at Fort Knox, Kentucky
• Redesignated 1942-01-01 as the 16th Armored Engineer Battalion
• Unit deployed from the New York Port of Embarkation on 1942-05-11
• Unit arrived in Northern Ireland on 1942-05-18.
• Unit arrived in North Africa on 1942-12-21. It immediately participated in the Tunisia Campaign.
• The Tunisia Campaign concluded on 1943-05-13.
• Unit arrived in Sicily on 1943-07-10, and participated in Operation Husky.
• The Sicily Campaign concluded on 1943-08-17.
• Unit arrived in Italy on 1943-11-10, and participated in the Naples-Foggia Campaign.
• The Naples-Foggia Campaign concluded on 1944-01-21.
• The Battalion took part in the Anzio Campaign from 1944-01-22.
• The Anzio Campaign concluded on 1944-05-24.
• The battalion participated in the Rome-Arno Campaign from 1944-01-22.
• (Companies D and E disbanded 1944-07-20 in Italy)
• The Rome-Arno Campaign concluded on 1944-09-09.
• The battalion participated in the North Apennines Campaign from 1944-09-10.
• The North Apennines Campaign concluded on 1945-04-04.
• The battalion participated in the Po Valley Campaign from 1945-04-05.
• The Po Valley Campaign concluded on 1945-05-08
• The battalion was located at Salzburg, Austria on 1945-08-14.
• Battalion arrived back in CONUS at the New York Port of Embarkation 10—13 April, 1946.
• Remainder of battalion inactivated 10-13 April 1946 at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey
• Company D reconstituted 1951-02-27.
• 16th Armored Engineer Battalion activated 1951-03-07 at Fort Hood, Texas
• Redesignated 1957-02-15 as the 16th Engineer Battalion
• Inactivated (less Company A) 1957-12-23 at Fort Polk, Louisiana
• Activated (less Company A (active) 1962-02-03 at Fort Hood, Texas
• Relieved 1991-06-16 from assignment to the 1st Armored Division and assigned to the 3d Infantry Division
• Relieved 1993-11-16 from assignment to the 3d Infantry Division
• Assigned 1997-02-16 to the 1st Armored Division

Honors

Campaign Participation Credit

• World War II:

1. Tunisia;
2. Naples-Foggia;
3. Anzio (with arrowhead);
4. Rome-Arno;
5. North Apennines;
6. Po Valley

• Southwest Asia:

1. Defense of Saudi Arabia;
2. Liberation and Defense of Kuwait;
3. Cease-Fire

Company B additionally entitled to:

• World War II-EAME:

1. Algeria-French Morocco (with arrowhead)

Decorations

• Valorous Unit Award for IRAQ-KUWAIT
• Army Superior Unit Award for 1995-1996

Company A additionally entitled to:

• Presidential Unit Citation (Army) for MT. PORCHIA

Insignia

Coat of Arms

Blazon

• Shield: Per chevron reversed Argent and Gules, on a bar in base Sable fimbriated of the first a cat-a-mountain salient guardant of the third, armed langued, collared and lined of the second, in sinister chief a mullet voided and fretted Vert.

• Crest: From a wreath Argent and Gules from two palm branches saltirewise Proper issuing a demi-scimitar palewise of the first gripped of the second and enfiled by a cogwheel Or.

• Motto: SEMPER ULTIMO (Always To The Top).

Symbolism

• Shield:

1. Red and white are the colors used for the Corps of Engineers.
2. The bar symbolizes a treadway bridge, the construction of which was a major combat mission of the organization.
3. The cat-a-mountain, a European wildcat, indicates the stealth and swiftness required in combat engineer operations, and the soldiers of the battalion are known as "Catamounts."
4. The black cat also connotes the darkness in which operations are conducted.
5. The star from the flag of French Morocco represents service in that area during World War II.
6. The inverted chevron symbolizes the battalion's spearheading of armored engineer activity in World War II.

• Crest:

1. The six teeth on the gear wheel represent the unit's campaign service during World War II.
2. Gold denotes excellence, while the gear wheel alludes to engineering.
3. The scimitar honors the battalion's Valorous Unit award for IRAQ-KUWAIT, and the crossed palms highlight the unit's Southwest Asia campaigns.

• Background:

1. The coat of arms was originally approved for the 16th Armored Engineer Battalion on 1952-04-25.
2. It was redesignated for the 16th Engineer Battalion on 1957-09-12.
3. The coat of arms was amended on 1984-12-05 to correct the motto.
4. On 1994-10-21 the coat of arms was revised to change the symbolism.
5. It was amended on 1999-09-29.

Distinctive Unit Insignia.

• Description: A silver color metal and enamel device 1 1/8 (2.86 cm) in height overall consisting of a shield blazoned: Per chevron reversed Argent and Gules, on a bar in base Sable fimbriated of the first a cat-a-mountain salient guardant of the third, armed, langued, collared and lined of the second, in sinister chief a mullet voided and fretted Vert. Attached below the shield a silver scroll inscribed "SEMPER ULTIMO" in red letters.

• Symbolism:

1. Red and white are the colors used for the Corps of Engineers.
2. The bar symbolizes a treadway bridge, the construction of which was a major combat mission of the organization.
3. The cat-a-mountain, a European wildcat, indicates the stealth and swiftness required in combat engineer operations, and the soldiers of the battalion are known as "Catamounts."
4. The black cat also connotes the darkness in which operations are conducted.
5. The star from the flag of French Morocco represents service in that area during World War II.
6. The inverted chevron symbolizes the battalion's spearheading of armored engineer activity in World War II.

• Background:

1. The Distinctive Unit Insignia was originally approved for the 16th Armored Engineer Battalion on 1952-04-25.
2. It was redesignated for the 16th Engineer Battalion on 1957-09-12.
3. On 1984-12-05 the insignia was amended to correct the symbolism.
4. On 1994-10-21 it was revised to change the description and the symbolism.

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