KANDAHAR, Afghansitan - If there’s anything that makes a soldier self-conscious, it’s a slick sleeve on their Army combat uniform.
A slick sleeve implies that there is something missing: a combat patch. The patch’s formal name is shoulder sleeve insignia, former wartime service, and it is the mark of credibility and experience. It’s the mark of a combat veteran.
This week, the soldiers of the 8th Engineer Battalion donned the coveted 36th Engineer Brigade "Rugged Seahorse" combat patch. Although the seven companies are spread across the battlefield in southern Afghanistan, the battalion commander, LTC Morgan “Dan” O’Rourke, visited the companies in order to lead the patching ceremonies. The ceremony honored the soldiers by detailing the history of the combat patch and reiterated the stories of soldiers who wore the 36th Engineer Brigade patch throughout wars past.
In closing, the battalion commander emphasized that the soldiers serving in our battalion today are writing the next chapter in our unit’s history.
The 36th Engineer Brigade was originally constituted on Oct. 1, 1933 as the 36th Engineer Regiment and activated on June 1, 1941 at Plattsburg Barracks, N.Y. Since then, the unit has served with great distinction during almost every major conflict, including World War II, the Korean War, the Gulf War, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and is currently serving in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
During World War II, the 36th Engineer Regiment consisted of nine combat engineer companies trained for amphibious assault and support operations. The regiment’s proud history as one of the first engineer units to fight using amphibious tactics is mirrored in the unit's distinctive insignia, a seahorse on a red and white shield, proclaiming the prowess demonstrated during its five amphibious assault landings at Algeria-French Morocco, Sicily, Naples Foggia, Anzio, and southern France.
Although the engineers no longer train on amphibious tactics, the 8th Engineer Battalion remains busy conducting route clearance operations, exploiting and eliminating improvised explosive devices in southern Afghanistan in order to keep the roads safe for Afghan civilians and coalition forces operating in Regional Command-South.
| Date Taken: | 01.22.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 02.03.2011 04:33 |
| Story ID: | 64703 |
| Location: | KANDAHAR REGION, AF |
| Web Views: | 2,085 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Trojan Horse Battalion dons the Rugged Seahorse Patch, by 1LT Ashley Pflug, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
