91st Engineer Battalion ( United States ) The 91st Engineer Battalion was a military engineer unit in the United States Army . The battalion , which was composed mainly of African - American troops , served during in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II , when it was known as the 91st Engineer General Service Regiment . After the war , the unit was deactivated as part of the demobilization process . It was reactivated in 1952 and remained in existence until the early 1970s . In 1991 it was reactivated , after which it was employed on operations in Yugoslavia , Kuwait , Chad and Iraq before being deactivated again in 2005 . History . World War II . The 91st Engineer Battalion was constituted in the Regular Army on 1 October 1933 as the 50th Engineer Battalion ( Separate ) . It was redesignated the 91st Engineer Battalion ( Separate ) on 1 January 1938 , but it was not until 10 February 1941 that it was activated at Camp Shelby , Mississippi . On 20 July 1941 , it left Camp Shelby to participate in the Louisiana Maneuvers . It bivouacked near Lake Charles , Louisiana , and was engaged in the construction and improvement of airports , roads and railheads . On 20 October , it moved to an area near Camp Claiborne , Louisiana , where it worked on constructing a railroad between Fort Polk and Camp Claiborne . The 91st Engineer Battalion ( Separate ) departed the New York Port of Embarkation on 4 March 1942 and arrived in Brisbane on 9 April . The unit worked on airfields around Woodstock , Queensland and Giru , Queensland . On 10 July , it was redesignated the 91st Engineer Regiment ( General Service ) , before becoming the 91st Engineer General Service Regiment on 6 August 1942 . The regiment began moving to Port Moresby in August 1942 , but the 1st Battalion did not arrive until 19 December . In the Port Moresby area , the 91st Engineer General Service Regiment worked on the Durand Airfield , a water supply system using water from Laloki River , and road building . The regiment moved up to Townsville , Queensland where it continued airbase construction activities . The regiment received a Presidential Unit Citation for its service in Papua from 23 July 1942 to 23 January 1943 . By December 1943 , it was the only major US engineer unit in the Port Moresby area , and was charged with a full range of base maintenance functions . The 91st Engineer General Service Regiment arrived on Biak on 8 October 1944 . It moved to the Philippines on 25 August 1945 , where it was inactivated on 20 January 1946 . It received a Meritorious Unit Commendation for the period from 1 January 1944 to 10 April 1945 . Post World War II . On 28 November 1951 , the 91st Engineer General Service Regiment was redesignated the 91st Engineer Combat Battalion , and on 14 January 1952 it was reactivated at Fort Belvoir , Virginia . It was redesignated the 91st Engineer Battalion ( Combat ) on 20 May 1953 . It remained at Fort Belvoir until it was inactivated on 20 May 1971 . The 91st Engineer Battalion was reactivated at Fort Hood , Texas , on 16 October 1992 , this time as part of the 1st Cavalry Division . Parts of the battalion served in Bosnia during the Yugoslav Wars , and in 1995 deployed to Kuwait as part of Operation Intrinsic Action . A company also served in Chad . From January 2004 to January 2005 , the 91st Engineer Battalion served in Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom , for which it was awarded a second Meritorious Unit Commendation . It was deactivated at Fort Hood on 8 July 2005 as a result of the transformation of the United States Army . A silver color metal and enamel device 1 1 / 8 inches ( 2 . 86 cm ) in height overall consisting of a shield blazoned : Gules , a plate charged throughout with a masoned stone arched bridge Proper . Attached below the shield is a scroll inscribed " ACTS NOT WORDS " in black letters . Red and white are colors associated with the Corps of Engineers , and the masoned bridge represents Engineering accomplishment . The distinctive unit insignia was approved on 22 Nov 1939 . Gules , a plate charged throughout with a masoned stone arch bridge Proper . From a wreath Argent and Gules a demi - sunburst Or charged with a fountain fimbriated Tenné , overall an Indonesian kris hilt to base Proper . Motto ACTS NOT WORDS . The shield is red with a plate ( white ) , which are the colors of the Corps of Engineers , and the masoned bridge charged thereon represents Engineering accomplishment . The demi - sunburst refers to World War II campaigns in the East Indies . The fountain represents the Pacific Ocean and the Asiatic - Pacific theater of the war . The kris , a typical weapon of Indonesia and Papua , symbolizes that region of the Pacific and its significance during World War II . Gold denotes excellence . The coat of arms was originally approved on 22 Nov 1939 . It was amended on 16 Mar 1999 to add a crest .