By Maj. William Carraway
Historian, Georgia Army National Guard
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| The distinctive unit insignia of the 177th Brigade Engineer Battalion, pictured in October 2021 in Macon, Ga. Photo by Maj. William Carraway. |
Heraldry[1]
On February 27, 2009, The US Army
Institute of Heraldry approved the distinctive unit insignia of the 48th Brigade Special Troops Battalion which was
subsequently redesignated the 177th Brigade Engineer Battalion. The
insignia incorporates the color scarlet to represent the engineer heritage
of the battalion. Scarlet also symbolizes valor and sacrifice while gold symbolizes
honor and high achievement. The castle further symbolizes the engineer’s role
in fortification. Combat multiplier capabilities of the battalion, such as infantry,
chemical, military police, transportation, and engineers, are represented by
the bayonet, cobalt blue, green, brick red, and scarlet, respectively. The
lightning bolt emblazoned on the bayonet highlights the communication units
that provide the "voice of command" as well as the historical ties
between the battalion and the 48th Infantry Brigade. The battalion’s
military intelligence capability is represented by the sphinx which symbolizes the
ability of military intelligence to "know all" on the battlefield. Seven
stars on the insignia commemorate the four decorations and three major
campaigns in which the unit has participated. The stars are arranged in an
arrowhead formation symbolic of the Sapper’s mission of breaching enemy
defenses.
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| Lieutenant Col. Bothwell Johnson commanded the 101st AAA and 2nd Gun Battalion, 214th AAA from 1953-1960. Georgia National Guard Archives. |
Headquarters Company, 177th
BEB was originally constituted in the Georgia Army National Guard in
Statesboro, Ga. as Battery A, 264th Coast Artillery Battalion March
14, 1930.[2]
On October 1, 1939, the 264th CAB was reorganized as the 1st
Battalion 214th Field Artillery Group[3] with
Battery A, commanded by Capt. Bothwell Johnson, reorganized as Battery C. Activated in 1941, the 214th was mobilized to the Pacific Theater of
Operations and underwent reorganization in November 1943. The 1st
Battalion 214th was redesignated the 528th Antiaircraft
Artillery Battalion with the Statesboro unit redesignated Battery C. The unit
maintained this designation through the war. The 528th, and other units of the 214th Field Artillery Group, provided air defense for Henderson field at Guadalcanal. The Battalion was inactivated in December
1945 at Camp Stoneman, Calif.
The 528th AAA was
reestablished July 11, 1946 as an element of the Georgia National Guard’s 108th Antiaircraft Artillery Brigade.[4]
In October, the 528th was consolidated into Headquarters Battery,
101st Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion, and the
resulting unit was designated Headquarters Battery, 101st Antiaircraft
Artillery Gun Battalion.[5]
The unit was reorganized and federally recognized June 17, 1947 in Statesboro.
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| STATESBORO, Ga. November, 1949 – The Statesboro-based Headquarters Battery and Battery A, 101st Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion paid Guardsmen in silver dollars to show the merchants of Statesboro how much money the Guard brings into circulation each month. Georgia National Guard Archives. |
On August 14, 1950, the unit was
ordered into federal service due to the outbreak of hostilities in Korea. As
part of the 108th AAAB, the unit was
initially mobilized to Camp Bliss, Texas. The 108th AAA Brigade
provided air defense over industrial areas from Chicago to Philadelphia until
released from federal service in April 1952.[6]
On October 1, 1953, the unit was
redesignated as Headquarters Battery, 101st Antiaircraft Artillery
Battalion.[7]
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| Soldiers of the 2nd Gun Battalion, 214th Artillery Regiment adjust a radar antenna for use during annual training at Fort Stewart in July 1959. Georgia National Guard Archives. |
On July 1, 1959, the unit was
reorganized and redesignated as Headquarters Battery, 2nd Gun
Battalion, 214th Field Artillery Regiment. This unit was converted and
redesignated as Headquarters Company, 265th Engineer Battalion May 1,
1962.
The unit was consolidated with Company
A, 265th Engineer Battalion January 1, 1968 and the units were
converted and redesignated as Headquarters Battery, 2nd Battalion
214th Field Artillery Regiment.
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| 648th Engineer Battalion sign from the Statesboro armory. Georgia National Guard Archives. |
On September 1, 1993, the unit was converted and redesignated as Detachment 1, 848th Engineer Company. One month later, the unit was expanded, reorganized and redesignated as Headquarters Company, 648th Engineer Battalion. [8] The 648th was heavily involved in the Georgia National Guards response to the 1994 floods that impacted southern Georgia counties.
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| FORT STEWART, Ga. 1996 - Second Lt. Rob Utlaut and 2nd Lt. Felix Childs during annual training for the 648th Engineer Battalion at Fort Stewart. Photo courtesy of Matt Shannon. |
The 648th Engineer Battalion was redesignated as the 48th Special Troops Battalion September 1, 2007.[9] The 48th BSTB was ordered into active federal service April 21, 2009 at home stations for service in Afghanistan with the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. The 48th BSTB was released from active Federal service May 25 2010 and reverted to state control.
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| Georgia Army National Guard soldiers from Statesboro's Headquarters Detachment 48th Brigade Special Troops Battalion deplane at Hunter’s Army Airfield March 17, 2010 following deployment to Afghanistan. Georgia National Guard Archives. |
Headquarters Company, Special Troops Battalion was converted and redesignated September 1, 2015 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 177th Engineer Battalion, an element of the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.[10] Since 2020, the 177th has been an active part of Georgia’s coordinated response to the COVID-19 pandemic providing personnel to hospitals for medical support and constituting infection control teams. During that time period, the 177th also mobilized personnel to the Country of Georgia for exercise Noble Partner 2020 and to the Southwest Border of the United States in 2021. In January 2021, the 177th BEB mobilized personnel to Washington DC to provide security during the presidential inauguration. The Soldiers departed the weekend prior to the inauguration and established security positions near the nation's capitol. By January 25, most of the Soldiers had either returned home or were in transit from Washington DC while others, joined by Soldiers of the 648th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade and TF 201st, remained on duty through March 13.
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| Soldiers of the 177th Brigade Engineer Battalion discuss the plan for disinfecting Dodge County Hospital April 27, 2020. Photo by Spc. Andre Josey. |
Most recently, Soldiers of the 177th BEB trained side by side with Soldiers of the Country of Georgia. The training, which took place in the Country of Georgia from December 5-9, 2022 provided the Soldiers with the opportunity to share their expertise in combat engineering with Soldiers of the Georgia Defense Forces.
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| Soldiers of the 177th Brigade Engineer Battalion and Soldiers of the Georgia Defense Forces conduct combat engineer training in the Country of Georgia December 5-9, 2022. Photo courtesy of the 177th BEB. |
[1]
The
Institute of Heraldry. “Distinctive Unit Insignia of the 48th
Brigade Special Troops Battalion.” https://tioh.army.mil/Catalog/HeraldryMulti.aspx?CategoryId=4422&grp=2&menu=Uniformed%20Services
[2] Military
Department, State of Georgia. Pictorial Review of the National Guard of the
State of Georgia. (Atlanta: 1939), 215.
[3] Center
for Military History. “214th Lineage and Honors Certificate, 214th
Field Artillery.”
[4] Military
Department, State of Georgia. “General Order No. 17. Atlanta, Dec. 31, 1946.”
[5] Center
for Military History. “214th Lineage and Honors Certificate, 214th
Field Artillery.”
[6] Center
for Military History. “214th Lineage and Honors Certificate, 214th
Field Artillery.”
[7] Center
for Military History. “214th Lineage and Honors Certificate, 214th
Field Artillery.”
[8] Enter
for Military History. “Lineage and Honors Certificate, 648th
Engineer Battalion.”
[9]
OA 112-08.
[10]
OA 434-14, Corrected Copy 1, 3 February 2015.
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