‘Let us try:’ 19th Engineer Battalion cases colors during Patton Museum ceremony

FORT KNOX, Ky. — In its zenith in 2014, 19th Engineer Battalion was considered the largest battalion in the U.S. Army, commanding about 1,000 troops bas… FORT KNOX, Ky. — In its zenith in 2014, 19th Engineer Battalion was considered the largest battalion in the U.S. Army, commanding about 1,000 troops based at Fort Knox. At the deactivation ceremony in the General George Patton Museum of Leadership on Oct. 14, a little over 100 Soldiers remained, along with about a dozen alumni from as far back in the unit’s history as the Vietnam War. They stood together to sing the Engineer Regiment Song: “Pin the castle on my collar, I’ve done my training for the team.

You can call me an engineer Soldier; the warrior spirit has been my dream …” “The 19th Engineer Battalion is among the most well-known stand-alone battalions in the world,” said Maj. Elizabeth Likins-Smith, commander of the battalion. “These colors have lived the engineer motto of Essayons – or “Let Us Try” – having met every mission asked of us, performing sometimes as infantrymen and logisticians for nearly a hundred years across this world.” At the front of the auditorium stood a wooden red and white “Stand Tall” castle with crossed US and battalion colors hoisted behind it. On the left corner tower hung a