20th Engineer Brigade (United States)

20th Engineer Brigade
Shoulder sleeve insignia of the 20th Engineer Brigade
Active	16 August 1950 – 12 December 1958 1 May 1967 – 20 September 1971 21 June 1974 – present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army
Type	Combat engineer brigade
Role	Combat Engineers
Size	Brigade
Part of	Regular Army XVIII Airborne Corps
Garrison/HQ	Fort Liberty (North Carolina, U.S.)
Motto(s)	Building Combat Power
Engagements	Vietnam War Operation Desert Storm Operation Iraqi Freedom
Commanders
Current commander	COL Daniel Herlihy
Command Sergeant Major	CSM Michael Arroyo
Notable commanders	Robert B. Flowers Harold Parfitt
Insignia
Distinctive unit insignia
Former beret flash of the brigade
Former background trimming of the brigade
Combat service identification badge (CSIB)
Flag

The 20th Engineer Brigade is a combat engineer brigade assigned to the XVIII Airborne Corps of the United States Army stationed at Fort Liberty.^[1] Although the brigade was identified as an airborne unit, not all of its subordinate units were airborne qualified—despite the airborne tab as part of the unit patch. Soldiers of the 20th Engineer Brigade provide various supportive duties to other Army units, including construction, engineering, and mechanical work on other Army projects.

Though its predecessor units have lineage that dates back before the American Civil War, the formation was not formally designated as the 20th Engineer Brigade until its activation on 16 August 1950, at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Deploying overseas in November 1952, it supported construction projects in southwestern France until its return to the US on 10 September 1954. From then until its inactivation on 12 December 1958, it provided support to XVIII Airborne Corps.

Reactivated on 1 May 1967, at Fort Liberty, the brigade deployed to South Vietnam where it supported American forces for several years and a dozen campaigns. The brigade was deactivated on 20 September 1971, as American forces withdrew from the country.^[2]

Reactivated as an airborne brigade on 21 June 1974 at Fort Liberty, NC, the unit has since seen numerous overseas tours, including to Kuwait during the Persian Gulf War, Kosovo, Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom, and Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn. It has also independently conducted various humanitarian missions in the United States and in other nations throughout the world.