249th Engineer Battalion ( United States ) The 249th Engineer Battalion ( Prime Power ) is a versatile power generation battalion assigned to the U . S . Army Corps of Engineers that provides commercial - level power to military units and federal relief organizations during full - spectrum operations . Additionally , the commander serves as the Commandant of the U . S . Army Prime Power School , the institution responsible for the development of Army and Navy power generation specialists . Motto . The battalion ' s motto is “ Build , Support , Sustain ” . Mission . On order , deploy worldwide to provide prime electrical power and electrical systems expertise in support of military operations and National Response Plan . The 249th Engineer Battalion also supports other missions : History . As a combat engineer battalion . World War II . The 249th Engineer Combat Battalion was constituted on 5 May 1943 at Camp Bowie , Texas . The battalion was organized and under the command of only three captains . The other officers that were supplied to the unit were second lieutenant s from the 1943 class of West Point . Shortly after , the battalion participated in two maneuvers in Louisiana , known as the “ Louisiana Maneuvers ” ; there the battalion and its soldiers learned valuable lessons for war . The 249th sailed from the United States to England in May 1944 , after equipping and preparing for combat , the Unit landed on Utah Beach in August 1944 under the 1137th Engineer Combat Group commanded by Colonel George A . Morris . In October through November 1944 , the soldiers were specially trained on using the Bailey bridge in Trier , France . Later that year on 18 December 1944 , the Black Lions were ordered to move from the Saar River , where the unit was building a bridge , to the Ardennes , commonly called the Battle of the Bulge . Upon arriving to the front , the 249th was assigned to the 26th Infantry Division , already engaged and in defensive positions along the southeast corner of the Bulge . The battalion was used in an effort to block the German advance by deploying landmines , obstacles and establishing roadblocks . On 24 December 1944 , Brigadier General Harlan Harkness , the assistant division commander , ordered the battalion to advance and secure the towns of Arsdorf and Bigonville to the north of the 26th Infantry Division , near the area of operations of the 4th Armored Division , in order to relieve the occupied towns so the division could advance and attack the enemy line . Companies A and C were ordered into the town of Arsdorf where the battalion was engaged in fierce combat for two days . It was later learned that the town had never been secured by the 4th Armored Division . In February 1945 , the battalion was selected for the special task of crossing the Rhine River . On 19 March 1945 , the unit was assigned to the engineer task force charged with crossing the Rhine at Oppenheim . The main thrust of the effort was to use assault boats to get troops from 5th Infantry Division across and later to construct a more stable pontoon bridge . The battalion met little resistance across the river and quickly began constructing the bridge . After an accident resulting in a raft being sunk , the Battalion moved downriver to Mainz . After this bridge site was secure , the 249th was detached from the 1137th Engineer Group and was given the mission to secure and maintain the bridges on the Rhine River . In May 1945 , when the war ended in Europe , the battalion was moved to Plattling , Germany where they built a camp for displaced refugees . In November 1945 , the 249th Engineers were sent on their final orders to Camp Lucky Strike , near Marseilles , France and then redeployed back to the United States . The division was inactivated at Camp Patrick Henry , Virginia on 27 November 1945 . Post World War II . In late 1954 , the Black Lion Battalion was withdrawn from the Reserves and assigned to the Regular Army . In February 1955 , it was activated and assigned to USAREUR and an Engineer Battalion ( Combat Heavy ) . From 1955 until 1960 , the 249th Engineer Battalion ( Construction ) was stationed at Kleber Kaserne , ( ( Kaiserslautern , Germany ) ) . Then it was dispatched to France for a time . Then the battalion was stationed at Gerszewski Barracks , Knielingen , Karlsruhe , Germany under the command of the 18th Engineer Brigade where it provided construction support to USAREUR elements stationed in Germany for the Cold War . As a prime power battalion . In 1994 , the battalion was reactivated and designated as the 249th Engineer Battalion ( Prime Power ) , stationed at Fort Belvoir , VA . 9 / 11 . Immediately after the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11 , 2001 , elements of the 249th were deployed to New York City and were instrumental in restoring power to Wall Street enabling the financial district to resume operations within a week of the attack . Global War on Terrorism . The 249th Engineer Battalion ( Prime Power ) provides oversight on all coalition operating base power projects in Iraq ( Operation Iraqi Freedom ) and Afghanistan ( Operation Enduring Freedom ) . Hurricane Katrina . The 249th deployed teams to the Gulf Region under Joint Task Force Katrina , working with contractors , and local and state entities to assess , they helped install and maintain emergency generators at critical facilities . By 5 September 2005 , the 17th Street Canal breach was closed . Blackhawk and Chinook helicopters had dropped over 200 sand bags , with approximately 125 sandbags breaking the surface of the water . After the emergency was over , plans called for the canal to be drained and the wall repaired . There were three 42 " mobile pumps staged and two 42 " and two 30 " pumps were placed at the sheet pile closure . Sewer & water board , electric utility and the 249th Engineer Battalion ( Prime Power ) were completing pump house inspection . When the pumps began operation , a 40 - foot - wide opening was made in the sheet piling to allow water to flow out of the canal . Worldwide . Through the United States Army Corps of Engineers , the 249th soldiers provide contracting officer technical representation on projects throughout the world .