863rd Engineer Battalion

863rd Engineer Battalion
(Combat) (Heavy)
863rd Engineer Battalion; (Combat) (Heavy)
	863rd Engineer Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia
Active	1942–present
Country	United States
Allegiance	United States Army
Branch	US Army Reserve
Role	Combat Engineers
Size	Battalion
Garrison/HQ	Darien, Illinois
Commanders
Battalion Commander	LTC Matthew Heid
Command Sergeant Major	CSM Dustin Gensley

The 863rd Engineer Battalion is an engineer battalion of the United States Army first formed in 1942. The 863rd participated in World War II.

Lineage and honors

Constituted 15 July 1942 in the Army of the United States as the 1st Battalion, 922nd Engineer Regiment, Aviation
Activated 1 August 1942 at Geiger Field, Washington, as the 1st Battalion, 922nd Engineer Aviation Regiment
Redesignated 1 February 1942 as the 863rd Engineer Aviation Battalion
Inactivated 15 June 1946 in the Philippine Islands
Allotted 18 February 1949 to the Organized Reserve Corps
Activated 24 March 1949 with headquarters at Chicago, Illinois
(Organized Reserve Corps redesignated 9 July 1952 as the Army Reserve)
Inactivated 17 January 1955 at Chicago, Illinois
Redesignated 18 August 1959 as the 863rd Engineer Battalion
Activated 1 October 1959 with headquarters at Aurora, Illinois

Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, Streamer embroidered 17 October 1944 to 4 July 1945

Valorous Unit Award, Medal awarded to 863rd Engineer Battalion (Combat) (Heavy) for its performance in support of Task Force Strike, 2nd BCT, 101st Airborne Division throughout RC-South, Afghanistan, Operation Enduring Freedom; from 20 June 2010 to 15 April 2011.^[1]

Controversy briefly erupted shortly after ending operations in Afghanistan (August 2011) when the 863rd Engineer Battalion was accused of abandoning one of its attached subordinate units to adverse weather conditions during the demobilization process in order to allow its organic personnel not to be inconvenienced by Hurricane Irene.^[2]