The 177th Engineer Battalion

By Maj. William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

 

Soldiers of the 177th BEB in the country of Georgia in 2020 and Fort Stewart, Ga. in 2024.  

Early History and World War II

Insignia of the 264th CAB.
Georgia National Guard Archives.

Statesboro has been home to a Georgia National Guard unit since 1903 and the founding of the Statesboro Volunteers.[1] Today, Statesboro is home to the Headquarters Company, 177^th Brigade Engineer Battalion.

 

The Headquarters Company was originally constituted in the Georgia Army National Guard as Battery A, 264^th Coast Artillery March 14, 1930.[2] On October 1, 1939, the 264^th CA was reorganized as the 1^st Battalion 214^th Field Artillery Group[3] with Battery A reorganized as Battery C. The 214^th was mobilized to the Pacific Theater of Operations and underwent reorganization in November 1943. The 1^st Battalion 214^th was redesignated the 528^th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion with the Statesboro unit redesignated as Battery C. The unit maintained this designation through the war and was inactivated in December 1945 at Camp Stoneman, Calif.

 

The 528^th AAA was reestablished July 11, 1946, by the Allotment of National Guard Ground Force Units for the State of Georgia. In October the 528^th was consolidated into Headquarters Battery, 101^st Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion with the Statesboro units designated Headquarters Battery and Battery A, 101^st Antiaircraft Artillery Gun Battalion.[4] Upon consolidation, the unit inherited the lineage and honors of the 101^st CAB which received the Presidential Unit Citation for its service in Papua and the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, for service from October 17, 1944, to July 4, 1945.[5] The unit was federally recognized June 17, 1947.[6]

Soldiers of the Statesboro-based 101st AAA Battalion at Camp McCoy, Wis. in November 1951.  Georgia National Guard Archives.

 

The Korean War Mobilization and Reorganizations

On August 14, 1950, the unit was ordered into federal service due to the outbreak of hostilities in Korea. As part of the 108^th Antiaircraft Artillery Brigade, the unit was initially mobilized to Camp Bliss, Texas. The 108^th AAA provided air defense over industrial areas from Chicago to Philadelphia until released from federal service in April 1952.[7]

 

On July 1, 1959, the Statesboro units were reorganized and redesignated as Headquarters Battery and Battery A, 2^nd Gun Battalion, 214^th Field Artillery.[8] The Statesboro units were converted and redesignated as Headquarters Company and Company A, 265^th Engineer Battalion May 1, 1962.[9]

 

The Statesboro armory in 2017.  Photo by Capt. William Carraway

The contract for the Statesboro armory was awarded May 29, 1961.[10] On May 20, 1962, The armory was dedicated to the late Prince H. Preston, Jr., a former member of the Ga. National Guard and Congressman from Georgia’s 1^st District from 1947 to 1961.

 

The 48^th AD Era

In 1963, the Georgia National Guard received all personnel allotments for the 48^th Armor Division. As part of the ensuing reorganization, the Statesboro units were consolidated to form Headquarters Company, 3^rd Battalion 121^st Infantry Regiment.[11] With the inactivation of the 48^th AD January 1, 1968, the Statesboro unit was reorganized as Headquarters Battery, 2^nd Battalion, 214^th Field Artillery Regiment.[12]

 

Soldiers of 2nd Battalion, 214th Field Artillery at their Statesboro Armory August 29, 1993. Georgia National Guard Archives

Conversion and The Global War on Terror

On September 1, 1993, the unit was converted and redesignated as Detachment 1, 848^th Engineer Company.[13] One month later, the unit was expanded, reorganized and redesignated as Headquarters Company and Company A of the newly-established 648^th Engineer Battalion with additional companies in Waycross, Douglas and Baxley.[14] Following the 1994 flood of Southwest Georgia from the effects of Tropical Storm Alberto, Soldiers and equipment of the 648th Engineer Battalion were employed repairing roads and assisting recovery operations.

 

Insignia of the 648th Engineer Battalion.

Company C, 648^th mobilized to Bosnia with the 48^th Brigade in 2001. In December 2004,
the battalion was ordered into active duty for Operation Iraqi Freedom. The 648^th deployed to Iraq in 2005 and returned the following year.

 

The 648^th Engineer Battalion was redesignated as the 48^th Special Troops Battalion September 1, 2007, with the Statesboro units redesignated Headquarters Company and Company A.[15] The 48^th BSTB was ordered into active federal service April 21, 2009, at home stations for service in Afghanistan with the 48^th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. The 48^th BSTB was released from active federal service May 25, 2010, and reverted to state control. In recognition of its outstanding service rendered in support of the 48^th IBCT in Afghanistan, the 48^th BSTB was awarded the Meritorious Unit Citation.

Soldiers of the 48th BSTB during the 48th IBCT's  Exportable Combat Training Capability Exercise 12-04 at Camp Ripley, Minn. August 15, 2012.
Georgia National Guard Archives.

 On September 1, 2013, Company A, 48^th BSTB relocated to Glennville, Ga.[16] Exactly two years later, the Special Troops Battalion was converted and redesignated the 177th Engineer Battalion.[17] Lieutenant Colonel Kris Marshall and Command Sgt. Maj. Jeff Logan became the first command team of the 177^th. Soldiers of the 177^th supported the 48^th IBCT’s Exportable Combat Training Capability exercise at Fort Stewart in June 2017 and mobilized with the brigade during its deployment to Afghanistan from 2018 to 2019. In June 2022, the 177th BEB once again mobilized to Fort Stewart Georgia in support of a 48th IBCT XCTC rotation.

As organized, the 177^th retained the mission of supporting the 48^th IBCT while expanding upon the core engineer capabilities of the unit. The signal company of the BEB contributes to the IBCT’s awareness of the operating picture and keeps the brigade in constant contact with higher and subordinate units. The military intelligence capability of the BEB, housed in its MI Company provides the decision-quality information to the brigade commander. The BEB’s unmanned aerial surveillance capability enhances this information collection and analysis role. In addition to a headquarters company and two combat engineer companies, a forward support company completes the organization of the BEB.

U.S. Army Soldiers with the Glennville-based Alpha Company, 177th BEB participate in the closing ceremony for Noble Partner 20 at Vaziani Training Area,
Georgia, September 18, 2020. Photo by Sgt. Jordan Trent.

The equipment and specially trained personnel of the 177^th BEB have placed them in high demand for domestic response operations. 177^th engineers have assisted Georgia citizens during hurricane response operations and throughout the state’s coordinated response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 177^th has also maintained a steady operational training schedule over the years and mobilized overseas in support of exercise Noble Partner in the Country of Georgia in September 2020. Nearly 30 Soldiers of the 177^th BEB mobilized to the U.S. border with Mexico in October 2023 providing support to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Soldiers of the 177th BEB clear debris in Bulloch County, Georgia August 7, 2024 following Tropical Storm Debby. Photo by Spc. Jorge Leon.

 

The capabilities of the 177^th BEB were pressed into service following the impact of Tropical Storm Debby in August 2024. The Soldier supported Bulloch and Bryan Counties with debris removal and route clearance. In Sylvania, the heavy equipment and engineering expertise of the 177^th were leveraged to repair a dam.

 

The following month, in response to Hurricane Helene, the 177^th BEB conducted route clearance in Lowndes, Coffee, Wheeler, Montgomery and Bulloch Counties. Fanning out across Southeast Georgia in heavy debris clearance teams and chainsaw teams, the Soldiers of the 177^th cleared more than 470 miles of roads enabling first responders to continue essential services and allow the forward movement of relief supplies.

 

 

Pics:

 

1st Battalion, 264th Coastal Artillery Regiment, Medical Department Detachment, 1939. Top Row: Private William D. Franklin, Pvt. I. V. Simmons, Pfc. Gerald D. Groover. Bottom Row: Sgt. Albert Green Pvt. James Deal.

 

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.

 

Soldiers of the Statesboro-based 648^th Engineer Battalion at annual training at Fort Stewart in 1996.

 

CAMP RIPLEY, Minn., August 15 2012 -- Warriors of BSTB roll into action as part of a vehicle recovery mission during the Brigade’s Exportable Combat Training Capability exercise 12-04 at Camp Ripley, Minn.

 

GEORGIA GARRISON TRAINING CENTER, Fort Stewart, Ga. Sept. 20, 2013 — Benjamin Meyers, infantryman with Headquarter and Headquarters Company, Brigade Special Troops Battalion uses all of his strength to pull the bolt of his Mark 19 to the rear before firing. The 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team Soldiers are getting to conduct several live fire exercises like this while at their eXportable Combat Training Capabilities rotation.

 

Georgia Army National Guard soldier Spc. Delonda Sims, assigned to the Statesboro-based 177th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, disinfects a resident’s room at Lumber City Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Lumber City, Georgia on May 6, 2020. Spc. Sims is one of over 1,000 Georgia National Guard service members conducting infection control team missions in response to COVID-19.

 

U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Luis Villanueva

 

 

Lieutenant Colonel Dan Chicola assumed command of the Statesboro-based 177th Brigade Engineer Battalion during a ceremony at the Macon Readiness Center, home of the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team Dec. 7, 2019. Photo by Maj. William Carraway

 

U.S. Army Soldiers with the Glennville-based Alpha Company, 177th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Georgia Army National Guard participate in the closing ceremony for Noble Partner 20 at Vaziani Training Area, Georgia, Sept. 18, 2020. The Georgia National Guard and the country of Georgia have participated in the National Guard State Partnership program for 26-years ensuring interoperability, functionality, and regional stability. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jordan Trent)

 

U.S. Army Soldiers with the Statesboro-based 177th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Georgia Army National Guard, render honors during the brigade change of command ceremony Oct. 17, 2021, at Volunteer Headquarters in Macon, Georgia. The brigade held a change of command ceremony where Col. Anthony Fournier relinquished command to Col. Jason Baker. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Maj. William Carraway)

 

Knock, Knock

Georgia National Guardsmen from the Statesboro-based 177th Brigade Engineer Battalion detonate a demolition charge to clear a wire obstacle at a live demolition training range during Noble Partner 20, Sept. 14, 2020. Noble Partner 20 provides vital opportunities, not only for multiple U.S. services to work together, but also for integrated, total force training with U.S. National Guard units and our partner nations’ militaries to ensure interoperability. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class R.J. Lannom Jr.

 

Soldiers of Headquarters Company, 177th Brigade Engineer Battalion discuss the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team’s Exportable Combat Training Capability exercise at Fort Stewart, Ga. June 12, 2022, with Brig. Gen. Dwayne Wilson, commanding general of the Georgia Army National Guard and Command Sgt. Maj. Jeff Logan, State Command Sergeant Major of the Georgia Army National Guard.

 

Debby Debris

Soldiers of the 177^th BEB clear debris in Bulloch County, Georgia August 7, 2024 following Tropical Storm Debby. Photo by Spc. Jorge Leon.

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[1] The Adjutant General, State of Georgia. Official Register of the National Guard of Georgia for 1916. Atlanta: 1916.

 

[2] Military Department of the State of Georgia. Pictorial Review of the National Guard of the State of Georgia. Atlanta: 1939, 215.

 

[3] Center for Military History. “Lineage and Honors of the 1-214^th Field Artillery Regiment.” U.S. Army.

[4] Center for Military History. “Lineage and Honors of the 1-214^th Field Artillery Regiment.” U.S. Army.

 

[5] (HHC [then HHC 101st Coast Arty BN] cited for period 23 Jul 1942 - 23 Jan 1943; WDGO 17, 1945 and DAGO 47, 1950).

 

[6] NG AROTO 325.4 March 17, 1958.

 

[7] Center for Military History. “Lineage and Honors of the 1-214^th Field Artillery Regiment.” U.S. Army.

 

[8] RA 73-59 June 10, 1959 effective July 1, 1959.

 

[9] RA 47-62 April 16, 1962 effective May 1, 1962.

 

[10] State of Georgia Department of Defense. Annual Report, 1962. Atlanta: 1963, Sec XIV.

[11] RA 57-63 March 21, 1963 Effective April 16, 1963.

 

[12] RA 71-67 December 14, 1967, effective January 1, 1968.

 

[13] OA 169-93 August 9, 1993 effective September 1, 1993.

 

[14] OA 170-93 August 9, 1993 effective October 1, 1993.

 

[15] OA 112-08 Ma7 21, 2008 effective September 1, 2007.

[16] OA 180-14 April 14, 2014 effective September 1, 2013.

 

[17] OA 434-14, Corrected Copy 1, 3 February 2015.