19th ENGINEER BATTALION
502nd Engineer Company

The 502nd Engineer Company Assault Float Bridge was first constituted on 19 March 1942.  In April 1942 the 502nd was activated at Fort Bragg, North Carolina as a Light Pontoon Bridge Company.  During World War II, the 502nd participated in the following campaigns: Normandy (with arrowhead), Northern France, Rheinland and Central Europe.  It led several assault river crossings, making possible the Allied drive across France and into Germany.  After a short period as an Engineer Utilities Company following the war, the 502nd Engineer Float Bridge Company was later reactivated in Karlsruhe, Germany in 1955.  Later assigned to the 565th Engineer Battalion in 1969, it remained a key bridging asset for bridging support throughout Europe.   On 15 November, 1993, the 502nd moved to Pioneer Kaserne in Hanau, Germany to fall directly under the 130th Engineer Brigade.  In December 1995, the 502nd rafted into the spotlight once again, deploying to the Balkans in support of Operation Joint Endeavor.  Once there, the unit played a crucial role in bridging the Sava River.  Working for 72 straight hours under harsh winter conditions and extreme international pressure, the 502nd earned its famous motto “Never Quit”.  The bridge measured 2,239ft, the longest float bridge in American history.

At the outset of the Global War on Terrorism and in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the 502nd Multi-role Bridge Company (MRBC) deployed from January to September 2003 and constructed the longest float bridge ever in combat: the Birthday Bridge in Tikrit, Iraq spanning 580m.  During its second deployment, from September 2004 to September 2005, the 502nd removed the longest Mabey-Johnson Float Bridge in Iraq, the Hait Jordan.  Their third deployment was the busiest yet.  Over the course of 15 months from September 2006 to December 2007, the unit conducted over 100 bridging missions, 30 boat patrol missions on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and led two bridge training courses for the Iraqi Engineer School.  It also received and inventoried over 4000m of bridge that will be crucial to Iraq’s logistical infrastructure for years to come.  In all, the 502nd maintained and restored more key infrastructure during its 15 months than any other unit in combat history.  After a recent move to Fort Knox, Kentucky in June 2008, the 502nd now falls under the 19th Engineer Battalion.