Officially nicknamed “Straight Ahead,” the 554th Engineer Battalion was first constituted in the Army of the United States as the 354th Engineers on 5 May 1942. It was redesignated on 1 August 1942 as the 354th Engineer General Service Regiment and activated the next month at Camp Maxey, Texas. It deployed to Europe during World War II, where it took part in three campaigns (Northern France, Rhineland, Central Europe) before returning stateside and being inactivated on 6 November 1945 at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. On 25 February 1954, the Regiment’s Headquarters, Headquarters and Service Company, and three Companies (A, B, and C) were redesignated as the 554th Engineer Battalion and allotted to the Regular Army, with the rest of the Regiment disbanded at that time. The Battalion was inactivated at Fort Leonard Wood on 26 March 1963, only to be reactivated on 1 February 1966 at Fort Knox, Kentucky.
Over the next six years, the Battalion would take part in thirteen campaigns in Vietnam and earn two Meritorious Unit Commendations for service between 1967 and 1970, two Republic of Vietnam (ROV) Cross of Gallantry awards with Palms (1967 – 1970), and two ROV Civil Action Honor Medals, First Class (967 – 1971). It was then inactivated for over fourteen years, from March 1972 until its Headquarters were activated and transferred to Fort Belvoir, Virginia in November 1986 to serve in the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command. Since 1988, the Battalion has been stationed at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Distinctive Unit Insignias are worn by all Soldiers (except General Officers) in units that have been authorized to be issued the device. It is worn centered on the shoulder loops of the Army Green Service Uniform (AGSU) and the blue Army Service Uniform (ASU, Enlisted only) with the base of the insignia toward the outside shoulder seam. More 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.
The 554th Engineer Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia (DUI), or unit crest, was first approved for the 354th Engineer General Service Regiment on 23 February 1943. It was redesignated for the 554th Engineer Battalion (Construction) on 9 September 1955 and was subsequently amended to change the description of the shield on 1 June 1966. The insignia was amended to revise both the symbolism and design on 17 June 1991.
Scarlet and white used for the shield portion of the 554th Engineer Battalion DUI are the colors of the Corps of Engineers. Red and white pallets in the shield are symbols of fortitude and strength, while the inverted chevron is a symbol of protection. The star in the chief is a reference to the Lone Star state, Texas, where the unit’s parent organization was activated. HAEC LUCRA LABORUM, the Battalion motto, is Latin for “These Are The Profits Of Industry.”