The lineage and honors of the 20th Engineer Brigade date back to the Civil War. First designated as the Battalion of Engineers on August 3, 1861, the battalion participated in 10 campaigns during the Civil War. Since that time, unit designations have changed many times as predecessors of the 20th Engineer Brigade have served in the War With Spain, the Philippine Insurrection, the Mexican Expedition and World Wars I and II.
On August 16, 1950 the Brigade was first designated as the 20th Engineer Brigade. From August 1954 until its inactivation on December 12, 1958, the Brigade provided engineer support to the XVIII Airborne Corps.
The Brigade Headquarters was reactivated May 1, 1967, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and deployed to Vietnam in August 1967.
The Brigade provided all non-divisional engineer support in Military Regions III and IV during eleven campaigns. Units cleared more than one-half million acres of jungle, paved 500 kilometers of highway, and constructed bridges totaling more than six miles in length. As US forces were withdrawing from Vietnam, the Brigade was inactivated September 20, 1971.
Most recently, they were called to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on August 2, 1990. The Brigade grew to a 7,700 soldier force composed of three groups, ten battalions, four separate companies, and eight detachments in support of XVIII Airborne Corps during Operations Desert Shield and Storm.
