The 204th Engineer Battalion was constituted on 1 December 1967 in the New York Army National Guard

New York Army National Guard

The New York Army National Guard is a component of the New York National Guard and the Army National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization...

. This battalion

Battalion

A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...

 was organized on 1 February 1967 from existing units in south-central New York. The headquarters of the unit was established in Binghamton, New York.

History

The units which formed the battalion brought with them the campaign credits and unit awards earned in previous service to the United States. The Service Company has seven campaign credits for World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 and three credits for service in the Pacific during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. Company A has three campaign credits for World War I and another three for service in World War II. Company B has three World War I credits and nine World War II credits. Of the latter, five are for service in Europe and four are for service in the Pacific. The company also received a Meritorious Unit Commendation and a Philippine Presidential Unit Citation. Company C has one American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

 credit, three World War I credits, and 10 World War II credits. Five of these are based on service of predecessor units in Europe and the other five are for service in the Pacific. In addition, Company C earned a Presidential Unit Citation for Saipan

Saipan

Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...

 and a French Croix de Guerre

Croix de guerre

The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...

 with Silver Star fir World War I service in the Meuse-Argonne. The unit was twice cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army.

Recent service and the global War on Terror

The 204th Engineer Battalion offered assistance to New York following the 11 Sept. attacks on the World Trade Center

World Trade Center

The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...

.

Elements of the battalion have been activated in support of the Global War on Terror, serving with distinction in both Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom) and Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom). Additionally, the battalion has been activated numerous times for state service including response to the 2006 Southern Tier floods, and the February 2007 snow storms in Oswego, NY.

Current structure

In 2006, the battalion was restructured to further meet the needs of the National Guard. Companies A (Walton, NY) and B (Horseheads, NY) were combined and redesignated the 827th Engineer Company. Company C (Peekskill, NY) was redesignated the 1156th Engineer Company. Additionally, the 152nd Engineer Company (Buffalo, NY) was reassigned to the 204th Engineer Battalion.

The Battalion is assigned to the 153rd Troop Command, part of the 53rd Troop Command, New York Army National Guard.