The 79th Engineer Battalion in World War II

Private Andres Lopez Martinez of Abilene, Texas
1943

This is a series of web pages featuring the 79th Engineer Battalion in World War II.

Andres Martinez is now 80 years old. He fought with the 79th in World War II. His son, John Martinez, recently sent me his dad's old pictures. As soon as I saw them it was like the 79th's hero generation suddenly unfolded before my eyes.

Using Andres' pictures with excerpts from both the Narrative of the Battalion's History from 1940 - 1968 that John McConaghy contibuted to this website via Dr. Michael Broadhead from the OFFICE OF HISTORY of the U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS in Alexandria, Virginia, and Bobby Thompson's excellent history of the battalion from World War II through the Korean War, the next few pages will hopefully bring a whole new appreciation to the history of the 79th's hero generation for all of us.

Origin of the Unit Crest

"Our crest had its birth during the Second World War in the Philippine action. The crest is emblazoned with the Corps of Engineers colors, scarlet and white. The Philippine sun which shown down on heroic acts of the Battalion is represented in the center, with the inscription "Fait Accompli" (French for Mission Accomplished) scrolled beneath. The story of the accomplishments of the 79th Engineer Battalion is beheld within this shield. Let us look into the story and see what each of us represents when we walk under the crest of the 79th Engineer Battalion." - Excerpted from The Narrative of the Battalion's History

Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, Streamer embroidered 17 OCTOBER 1944 TO 4 JULY 1945

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