1st Combat Engineer Battalion 1st Combat Engineer Battalion is a combat engineer battalion of the United States Marine Corps . The unit , nicknamed " The Super Breed " , is based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton , California and falls under the command of the 1st Marine Division and the I Marine Expeditionary Force . Mission . Provide mobility , counter mobility , survivability , and limited general engineering support to the 1st Marine Division . History . World War II . The battalion was formed on 24 February 1941 at Guantanamo Bay , Cuba , as the 1st Pioneer Battalion , 1st Marine Division to be a specialized unit to conduct shore party operations during Amphibious assault s , and to provide close combat engineer support to the Marine infantry . The average age of the enlisted men was about 18 , and they referred to themselves as " draft dodger s " because all were volunteers . They relocated during April 1941 to Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island , South Carolina and again in September 1941 to " Tent City One " at Marine Corps Air Station New River , North Carolina On 14 June 1942 the battalion traveled by a five - day train journey to San Francisco , with the final destination of Wellington , New Zealand which was not disclosed to personnel at the time . The sail to New Zealand was on the USAT " John Ericsson " ( NY - 307 ) , a former Swedish deluxe cruise liner the S . S . Kungsholms , departing from the Oakland Naval Base . They were redesignated on 12 January 1943 as the 1st Battalion , 17th Marines and again on 30 June 1944 as the First Engineer Battalion The battalion participated in combat during the Battle of Guadalcanal , Eastern New Guinea , Battle of New Britain , Battle of Peleliu and the Battle of Okinawa . Following the war they were sent to Tientsin , China in September 1945 as peacekeepers and returned to the United States during June 1947 to Camp Pendleton , California Korean War . The battalion deployed during August 1950 to Kobe , Japan , joining the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade they were then sent in September 1950 to Inchon , Korea , and joined the 1st Marine Division . During the war they participated in the following battles : Following the armistice the battalion participated in the defense of the Korean Demilitarized Zone from August 1953 – April 1955 . They returned to Camp Pendleton , California in April 1955 and were again redesignated on 1 May 1957 as the 1st Pioneer Battalion . Vietnam War . The battalion was again redesignated on 1 May 1963 as the 1st Engineer Battalion and departed San Diego Harbor with the 7th Marine Regiment ( RLT - 7 ) on WW - II Troop Ships USS Pickaway ( APA - 222 ) and USS Renville ( APA - 227 ) on 23 May 1965 for Camp Hansen , Okinawa , with a brief stop - over at Pearl Harbor Hawaii . From Okinawa they deployed to Qui - Nhon SVN , landing there on 06 - 7 July 1965 . On 10 November 1965 7th Marines re - deployed to Chu Lai in the Republic of Vietnam . One Marine was lost on the USS Renville while en route to Hawaii due to appendicitis which was misdiagnosed as sea - sickness . During the Vietnam War the 1st Engineer Battalion supported 1st , 2nd , and 3rd Battalions of the 1st 5th and 7th Marines in combat operations from July 1965 through April 1971 , operating from Qui - Nhon , Chu - Lai and Da - Nang , the most famous of which was Operation " Starlight " conducted August 1965 where Sergeant O ' Malley was awarded the first MOH of the Viet - Nam War . 1980s and 1990s . The battalion participated in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in Southwest Asia from August 1990 until March 1991 . They would later take part in Operation Restore Hope in Somalia from December 1992 – February 1993 . Elements would participate in Fire - Fighting efforts in the Western United States during August and September 1994 . Global War on Terror . The battalion has participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom from March 2003 until the present . The battalion headquarters and 3 engineer companies were deployed to Afghanistan in 2009 as part of the NATO counterinsurgency offensive in the Helmand Province . Unit awards . A unit citation or commendation is an award bestowed upon an organization for the action cited . Members of the unit who participated in said actions are allowed to wear on their uniforms the awarded unit citation . 1st CEB has been presented with the following awards : Web