Return to First Friday Briefing

265th Engineer Group
Earns Navy Presidential Unit Citation

Decatur’s Headquarters Company, 265th Engineer Group, is among several active Army, Guard and Reserve units approved to wear the Navy Presidential Unit Citation. 

The 265th’s Soldiers earned the Navy version of the military award for their support of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) and Marine Corps operations during the invasion of Iraq between March 21 and April 24, 2003. A news item in the 23 Feb. issue of the Army Times stated, "only Soldiers assigned or attached to the 1st MEF during its drive up the eastern flank of Iraq are eligible for the award." 

This isn’t the first time the 265th Engineers have been praised for their work with the Marines.

In October 2003 the Group received a letter of commendation from Rear Admiral C.R. Kubic, commander 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Engineer Group (MEG), citing the 265th’s work with the MEG and Task Force Endurance, combat operations and civil-military operations. 

In the citation, the Soldiers of the 265th were lauded for providing TF-Endurance’s command element, and overseeing a naval mobile construction battalion (NMCB), the air detachment of a second NMCB an Army combat engineer battalion, an Army construction engineer battalion, and a Republic of Korea engineer battalion. The Group also "provided oversight and management of projects constructed by contract at Al Jaber Air Base and TAA Fox."

Admiral Kubic noted that "the heroic service and outstanding efforts of the Soldiers of the 265th contributed significantly to the liberation of Iraq and the Global War on Terrorism."

Return to First Friday Briefing