This Military Service Page was created/owned by
SGT Dave Stutesman
to remember
Brown, Melvin L., PFC.
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The mission of the 8th Engineer Battalion is to, on order, deploy to a specific theater of operations, integrate engineer forces, and conducts engineer operations in support of designated joint or combined operations.
The 8th Engineer Battalion was originally constituted on 1 July 1916 in the Regular Army as the 1st Battalion Mounted Engineers.
Company A was organized on 20 August 1916 at Twin Windmills, Mexico, while Headquarters and Companies B and C were organized on 21 May 1917 at Camp Stewart, Texas.
The unit was reorganized and redesignated on 29 July 1917 as the 8th Engineer Battalion (Mounted). It was assigned on 27 November 1917 to the 15th Cavalry Division.
The 8th Engineer Battalion was relieved on 12 May 1918 from assignment to the 15th Cavalry Division and was reassigned on 27 July 1921 to the 1st Cavalry Division.
The 8th Engineer Battalion (Mounted) was reorganized and redesignated on 1 June 1930 as the 8th Engineer Squadron. It was reorganized and redesignated on 15 March 1943 as the 8th Engineer Combat Squadron. The Squadron served with distinction in the Pacific Campaign participating in the capture of key islands, namely Los Negros, Leyte, and Luzon. Engineers from the 8th Engineer Battalion were some of the first US Soldiers to return to the Philippines and later were the first into Tokyo, Japan on 5 September 1945.
On 25 March 1949 the unit was redesignated as the 8th Engineer Combat Battalion. On July 18, 1950 the 8th Engineer Battalion continued its service in Korea helping to establish the Pusan Perimeter. In addition to mobility, counter-mobility and survivability projects, Engineers fought as infantry and were responsible for the holding of Hill 755. One Soldier, PFC Melvin Brown, received the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Hill 755's defense. After serving for 549 continuous days, the 8th Engineer Battalion was rotated out of Korea but would return again in 1952 and 1953.
