161st Engineer Support Company
| 161st Engineer Company | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 12 Sep. 1942 (Constituted) 15 Nov. 1942 – 25 Oct. 1945 1 Aug. 1946 – 14 Nov. 1946 15 Oct. 1957 – 15 May 1973 16 Oct. 2008 – Present |
| Country |  United States of America |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| Type | Airborne Combat Engineers |
| Role | Combat Engineers |
| Size | Company |
| Part of |  United States Department of the Army
|
| Garrison/HQ | Fort Bragg ( North Carolina, United States of America) |
| Nickname(s) | The Rock |
| Patron | Saint Ferdinand III of Castile |
| Motto(s) | Top of the Rock Rock Hard |
| Engagements | Battle of Corregidor (1945) |
| Decorations |   Presidential Unit Citation  Meritorious Unit Commendation_Streamer.png){kind=small}  Philippine Presidential Unit Citation |
| Insignia | |
| Distinctive unit insignia | 90px |
| Combat service identification badge (CSIB) |  |
| Former CSIB |  |
The 161st Engineer Support Company (Airborne) is a United States Army airborne engineer company of the Engineer Regiment of the United States Army Corps of Engineers currently assigned to the 27th Engineer Battalion (Combat)(Airborne) at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The 161st ESC (A) is one of the only two companies in the U.S. Army with the capabilities to airdrop heavy construction equipment.
History
The history of the 161st Engineer Support Company (Airborne) began on 12 September 1942 as Troop A, 161st Engineer Squadron, of the 1st Cavalry Division. On 15 November 1942 Tr. A, 161st En Sqn, was activated at Fort Bliss, Texas. On 15 March 1943 Tr. A, 161st En Sqn, was relieved from the 1st Cavalry Division. On 1 May 1943 Tr. A, 161st En Sqn, was redesignated as Company C, 161st Airborne Engineer Battalion, and reorganized.[1]
On 13 September 1944 Co. C, 161st Abn En Bn, was assigned to the 503rd Parachute Regimental Combat Team (PRCT) which included the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, and the 462nd Parachute Field Artillery Battalion. Co. C, 161st Abn En Bn participated in The Battle for the Recapture of Corregidor from 16 February 1945 to 26 February 1945. The 503rd Parachute Regimental Combat Team (PRCT) and elements of 24th Infantry Division were tasked with an airborne assault that required the paratroopers to land on a small hill designated 'Topside' on the island of Corregidor in Luzon's Manila Bay and recapture Fort Mills ("the Rock") from the Imperial Japanese Army. The 317th Troop Carrier Group of the Fifth Air Force dropped the first wave of paratroopers from Douglas C-47 Skytrains on 16 February 1945. Co. C, 161st Abn En Bn, combat engineers parachuted onto the island and engaged the Imperial Japanese Army forces. After successfully capturing the Rock from the Imperial Japanese Army, Co. C, 161st Abn En Bn, the unit's mottos of "Top of the Rock" and "Rock Hard" were created and the unit received the nickname of "The Rock".
On 2 April 1945 Co. C, 161st Abn En Bn, was reorganized and redesignated as the 161st Parachute Engineer Company and inactivated on 25 October 1945 in the Commonwealth of the Philippines. The 161st Para En Co. was redesignated as the 161st Engineer Parachute Company on 24 July, 1946 and reactivated on 1 August 1946 at Fort Benning, Georgia. On 14 November 1946 the 161st En Para Co. was inactivated at Fort Benning, GA. The 161st En Para Co. was redesignated on 2 October 1957 as the 161st Engineer Company and allotted to the Regular Army. Reactivated in Japan on 15 October 1957 the 161st En Co. was later deactivated on the 15 May 1973 in the Republic of Korea.[1]
In January of 2003 Company C of the 27th Engineer Battalion(Combat)(Airborne) was deployed to the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan during the War in Afghanistan (2001-2021). Co. C operated as the first mine clearance company in the United States Army since the Vietnam Conflict, and cleared over hundreds of thousands of square miles of land mines and other explosive devices. Co. C received two Meritorious Unit Commendations (MUC) for the unit's actions in the War in Afghanistan (2001-2021).[2] On 16 October 2008 the 161st En Co. was reactivated and reorganized as the 161st Engineer Support Company (Airborne), at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.[1] On 17 October 2008 the 27th En Bn (C)(A) inactivated it's lettered companies at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, with Co. C transitioning into the 161st ESC (A).[3]
Organizational structure
United States Department of Defense
- 32x32pxUnited States Department of the Army
United States Army
- 32x32pxUnited States Army Forces Command
- 32x32pxXVIII Airborne Corps
Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, XVIII Airborne Corps- 32x32px20th Engineer Brigade
Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 20th Engineer Brigade- 33x33px27th Engineer Battalion (Combat)(Airborne)
Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 27th Engineer Battalion (Combat)(Airborne)- 32x32pxForward Support Company, 27th Engineer Battalion (Combat)(Airborne)
57th Sapper Company (Combat)(Airborne)(Rough Terrain)- 133rd Engineer Detachment
161st Engineer Support Company (Airborne)- 32x32px264th Clearance Company
618th Engineer Support Company (Airborne)
- 32x32pxXVIII Airborne Corps
- 32x32pxUnited States Army Forces Command
- 32x32pxUnited States Army Corps of Engineers
Engineer Regiment of the United States Army Corps of Engineer
- 32x32px20th Engineer Brigade
- 32x32pxHeadquarters and Headquarters Company, 20th Engineer Brigade
- 33x33px27th Engineer Battalion (Combat)(Airborne)
- 32x32pxHeadquarters and Headquarters Company, 27th Engineer Battalion (Combat)(Airborne)
- 32x32px57th Sapper Company (Combat)(Airborne)(Rough Terrain)
- 133rd Engineer Detachment
- 32x32px161st Engineer Support Company (Airborne)
- 32x32px264th Clearance Company
- 32x32px618th Engineer Support Company (Airborne)
- 32x32px20th Engineer Brigade
Lineage
- Constituted 12 September 1942 in the Army of the United States as Troop A, 161st Engineer Squadron, an element of the 1st Cavalry Division
- Activated 15 November 1942 at Fort Bliss, Texas
- Relieved 15 March 1943 from assignment to 1st Cavalry Division
- Reorganized and redesignated 1 May 1943 as Company C, 161st Airborne Engineer Battalion
- Reorganized and redesignated 2 April 1943 as the 161st Parachute Engineer Company
- Inactivated 25 October 1945 in the Philippines
- Redesignated 24 July 1946 as the 161st Engineer Parachute Company
- Activated 1 August 1946 at Fort Benning, Georgia
- Inactivated 14 November at Fort Benning, Georgia
- Redesignated 2 October 1957 as 161st Engineer Company and allotted to the Regular Army
- Activated 15 October 1957 in Japan
- Inactivated 15 May 1973 in Korea
- Activated 16 October 2008 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina [1]
Honors
Campaign participation credit
- World War II
- New Guinea Campaign
- Battle of Luzon (with Arrowhead)[1]
- Global War on Terrorism
- Campaigns to be determined
Decorations
- Presidential Unit Citation (Army), Streamer embroidered CORREGIDOR
- Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army), Streamer embroidered AFGHANISTAN 2009-2010
- Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, Streamer embroidered 17 OCTOBER 1944 TO 4 JULY 1945[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "161st Engineer Company | Lineage and Honors | U.S. Army Center of Military History (CMH)". history.army.mil. Archived from the original on 2022-02-02. Retrieved 2022-05-21. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "27th Engineer Battalion :: Fort Bragg". home.army.mil. Archived from the original on 2022-04-07. Retrieved 2022-05-21. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "27th Engineer Battalion | Lineage and Honors | U.S. Army Center of Military History (CMH)". history.army.mil. Archived from the original on 2022-02-02. Retrieved 2022-05-21. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help)
External links
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