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20th Engineer Brigade The history of the 20th Engineer
Brigade extends back to the Civil War. The unit was constituted on Aug. 3,
1861. Unit designations have been changed many times since then, but the
ancestors of the 20th Engineer Brigade have participated in campaigns in the
Civil War, the Spanish-American War, the Philippine insurrection, the Mexican
expedition, and World War I and II. The Brigade headquarters was reactivated
May 1, 1967, and arrived in the Republic of Vietnam on Aug. 3, 1967. The 20th
Brigade missions are to command assigned and attached units, provide
operational support for the U.S. and free world forces, plan and execute
construction, and provide for security of personnel, equipment, facilities and
construction sites of assigned or attached units. Many of the Brigade's
projects stand out as exceptional engineering achievements. Among these are
restoration of National Highway (QL) 4 between Song Be and Dong Xoai, and the
clearing of over a half-million acres of jungle. As the war's emphasis shifted
to Vietnamization, the Brigade developed far-reaching programs of mutual
assitance with the ARVN. At present, the ARVN is taking over an increasing
amount of work, as evidenced by their restoration project on QL-1 and their
three recently trained land clearing companies. The Brigade has been awarded
the Republic of Vietnam Civic Actions Honor Medal, First Class, for assistance
rendered to orphanages, schools and other pacification projects.
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