The 4th Engineer Battalion’s heritage goes back to the establishment of a provisional Engineer battalion on 31 December 1861 and the subsequent constitution of a Battalion of Engineers on 28 July 1866. This Battalion was expanded in 1901 to become the 1st and 2nd Battalions of Engineers, with the predecessors of today’s 4th Engineer Battalion coming from the 2nd Battalion.
The unit was first given its numerical designation in 1917 as the 4th Regiment of Engineers; it was first designated as 4th Engineer Battalion in 1939, but during World War II it was briefly designated as 4th Engineer Motorized Battalion and 4th Engineer Combat Battalion. It has been designated as the 4th Engineer Battalion since June 1953, when it was assigned to the 4th Infantry Division. It was relieved of that assignment in December 2004 when it was inactivated, but less than two years later (October 2006) it was activated again at Fort Carson, Colorado, which remains the Battalion's home as of Summer 2023.
The 4th Engineer Battalion took part in every major conflict of the 20th century except the Korean War and the Southwest Asia (First Gulf War) campaign. Among its notable decorations are a Presidential Unit Citation, a Belgian fourragere, and two citations in the Belgian Orders of the Day from World War II; a Meritorious Unit Commendation, two Republic of Vietnam Crosses of Gallantry with Palm and a Civil Action Honor Medal First Class from the Vietnam War; and Valorous Unit awards for action in Iraq (2003 – 2004) and Afghanistan (2009 – 2010).
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The 4th Engineer Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia (AKA a unit crest or DUI) was originally approved in 1927 for the 4th Regiment of Engineers and was redesignated for the Battalion in 1940. “VOLENS ET POTENS” is French for the unit motto of “Willing And Able,” and the insignia in the upper left is the old badge worn by the Engineers and Pontoniers who made up the provisional Engineer battalion during the Civil War.
Full guidance on wear of the DUI is found in DA Pamphlet 670-1,
Section 21-22, "Distinctive unit insignia" and 21–3(d) and (e),
"Beret" and
"Garrison Cap," respectively.