The 204th Engineer Battalion was constituted on 1 December 1967 in the

New York Army National Guard The New York Army National Guard is a component of the New York National Guard and the Army National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the United States Army's available combat forces and approximat ...

. This

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

was organized on 1 February 1967 from existing units in south-central New York. The headquarters of the unit was established in

Binghamton Binghamton () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the conflue ...

, New York.

History

The units which formed the battalion brought with them the campaign credits and unit awards earned in previous service to the United States. The Service Company has seven campaign credits for

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and three credits for service in the Pacific during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Company A has three campaign credits for World War I and another three for service in World War II. Company B has three World War I credits and nine World War II credits. Of the latter, five are for service in Europe and four are for service in the Pacific. The company also received a

Meritorious Unit Commendation The Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC; pronounced ''muck'') is a mid-level unit award of the United States Armed Forces. The U.S. Army awards units the Army MUC for exceptionally meritorious conduct in performance of outstanding achievement or s ...

and a

Philippine Presidential Unit Citation The Philippine Presidential Unit citation BadgeThe AFP Adjutant General, ''Awards and Decorations Handbook'', 1997, OTAG, p. 65. is a unit decoration of the Republic of the Philippines. It has been awarded to certain units of the United States mil ...

. Company C has one

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

credit, three World War I credits, and 10 World War II credits. Five of these are based on service of predecessor units in Europe and the other five are for service in the Pacific. In addition, Company C earned a Presidential Unit Citation for

Saipan Saipan ( ch, Sa’ipan, cal, Seipél, formerly in es, Saipán, and in ja, 彩帆島, Saipan-tō) is the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands, a Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), commonwealth of the United States in the western Pa ...

and a French

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

with Silver Star for World War I service in the Meuse-Argonne. The unit was twice cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army.

Recent service and the global War on Terror

The 204th Engineer Battalion offered assistance to New York following the 11 Sept. attacks on the

World Trade Center World Trade Centers are sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association. World Trade Center may refer to: Buildings * List of World Trade Centers * World Trade Center (2001–present), a building complex that includes five skyscrapers, a ...

. Elements of the battalion have been activated in support of the Global War on Terror, serving with distinction in both Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom) and Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom). Additionally, the battalion has been activated numerous times for state service including response to the 2006 Southern Tier floods, and the February 2007 snow storms in Oswego, NY. Among many distinguished members of the 204th Engineer Battalion are recent retiree's First Sergeant James Zemanick (HSC 1SG), MSG Jeffrey Mancuso (204 En Bn Operations Sergeant), SFC Susanna Stacy (Assistant Battalion Operations Sergeant) and SSG Paul Musa Jr (HSC Recon NCO). MSG Mancuso and SSG Musa both have multiple combat tours. MSG Mancuso was awarded the Bronze Star for service with the NY STT (3/2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team) in Afghanistan. SFC Stacy is OEF veteran who served in Afghanistan. 1SG Zemanick served in Operation Desert Shield/Storm.

Current structure

In 2006, the battalion was restructured to further meet the needs of the National Guard. Companies A (Walton, NY) and B (Horseheads, NY) were combined and redesignated the 827th Engineer Company. Company C (Peekskill, NY) was integrated into the 1156th Engineer Company out of Kingston, NY. Additionally, the 152nd Engineer Company (Buffalo, NY) was reassigned to the 204th Engineer Battalion. The Battalion is assigned to the 153rd Troop Command (Brigade), New York Army National Guard.

External links

204th Engineer Battalion
Battalions of the United States Army National Guard Military units and formations in New York (state) Organizations based in Binghamton, New York Engineer battalions of the United States Army