LTC PRESSLEY TAKES OVER:
97th Engineer Bn. Under New Command
The Fort Riley Post
Volume 12, No. 16: Junction City, Kansas, Friday February 5, 1971
Lieutenant Colonel Ancil R. Pressley assumed command of the 97th Engineer Battalion (Construction) January 27.
Colonel John R. Manning, commanding officer of the 138th Engineer Group, presented the battalion colors to Colonel Pressley at the change of command ceremony at King Field House.
The former commander of the 97th, Major Martin M. Rogers, has been assigned to the 138th Engineer Group as S–3 (Operations).
Colonel Pressley began his military career with the Corps of Engineers in 1955, at Fort Belvoir, Va. After completing the Engineer Officer Basic Course at Fort Belvoir, he was assigned to Germany. During his tour with three different units in Germany, the 547th Engineer Battalion (Combat), 15th Engineer Battalion (Combat), and the 12th Engineer Battalion (Combat), his duties were those of an executive officer, and platoon leader.
At Fort Wood
In August 1958, he returned to the United States and was assigned to Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., as a company commander in the 62nd Engineer Battalion (Construction). In 1960 he transferred to Korea where he was a company commander with the 76th Engineer Battalion (Construction).
Colonel Pressley returned to the States in August 1961, to attend the Engineer Officer’s Career Course at Fort Belvoir, Va. From there he was assigned to Michigan Technological University as assistant professor of military science. In 1965 he was assigned to the United States Army Engineer Command, Europe, where he served as Comptroller.
Vietnam 1967
The Colonel served at Headquarters, United States Army Vietnam (USARV) in 1967.
In September 1968 he was assigned to the Atlanta Army Depot in Georgia, as depot comptroller. He attended the Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va., in 1970.
He is originally from Arkansas and is a graduate of Arkansas State University and the United States Army Command and General Staff Coil lege.
The colonel presently resides at Fort Riley.
EDITOR’S NOTE: LTC Pressley also published a more detailed technical version of the Slide for Life portion of the above article, with photographs, in The Military Engineer, January–February 1972, Vol. 64, No. 417, page 19.
97th Engineer Battalion Colors Decorated With Streamer:
New Wing Dedicated at the Eisenhower Museum,
Abilene, Kansas, 14 October 1971:
Men from the 97th Engineer Battalion (Construction)
Represent the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers at the Ceremony:
The 97th Engineer Battalion was selected to participate in the dedication ceremony of a new wing addition to the Eisenhower Museum on 14 October 1971—just eight days before their inactivation at Fort Riley, Kansas.
The first photo is a copy of the front cover of the ceremony program guide obtained by COL Ancil R. Pressley. A careful review of the Distinguished and Honored Guests at the Ceremony reflects that the 97th Engineer Battalion (Construction) was observed by many retired and active representatives of the United States military.
The U. S. Army and the Corps of Engineers' representatives from Fort Riley were exceptional and provided a superb performance of duty on this date. The following photographs show some of the men as they stood tall for the occasion. Former President Lyndon Johnson and his wife Lady Bird attended this ceremony. They kept the secret service busy!
97th Engineers Inactivated,
Replaced by 34th Engineer Bn.
The Fort Riley Post
Volume 13, No. 1: Junction City, Kansas, Friday, October 22, 1971
The 34th Engineer Battalion (Construction) arrived at Fort Riley Tuesday to be reorganized and replace the 97th Engineer Battalion which is being inactivated.
The inactivation and reorganization ceremonies will be held today at 3 p.m. in King Field House.
The 34th Engineer (Supply and Shop) constituted in the Regular Army on Feb. 1, 1918. It was organized by elements at Camp Dix, N. J.; and Fort Benjamin Harrison, Ind., during the following four months. After a year and a half of service, it was demobilized on August 7, 1919 at Norfolk, Va.
On October 1, 1933, the 34th Engineers (General Service) was reconstituted in the Regular Army, being officially activated on October 17, 1941, in Hawaii as the 34th Engineers (Combat Corps). It was redesignated on August 1, 1942 as the 34th Engineer Combat Regiment.
The regiment was broken up on April 26, 1944 and its elements reorganized and redesignated. The 1st Battalion became the 34th Engineer Combat Battalion, with Headquarters and Headquarters and Service Company becoming Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1165th Engineer Combat Group. The 2nd Battalion became the 1341st Engineer Combat Battalion and the Band changed to the 121st Army Ground Forces Band.
During World War II, the 34th Engineers served in Central Pacific, Western Pacific and Ryukyus campaigns.
On May 31, 1947, while stationed in Korea, the 34th Engineer Combat Battalion was inactivated. Almost four years later, on April 1, 1951, the Battalion was reactivated at Fort Lewis, Wash.
On June 10, 1953, it was reorganized and redesignated as the 34th Engineer Battalion (Combat) (Army), only to be inactivated on Dec. 15, 1958, while still at Fort Lewis.
Its latest activation was on July 1, 1966, at Fort Stewart, Ga., as the 34th Engineer Battalion (Construction). After continuous training, the Battalion departed Fort Stewart in March 1967 to arrive in the Republic of Vietnam on May 2.
Among the battalion’s jobs the first year in the Republic of Vietnam (RVN) was the construction of the 3631 man cantonment area for the 173rd Brigade at Bien Hoa. All the elements of the battalion were employed on the project which required the use of every skill within the construction battalion. This construction included seven mess halls and two EM (enlisted men) clubs.
From Nov. 1, 1969 to Jan. 31, 1970, the 34th Engineer Battalion successfully accomplished projects in the III Corps Tactical Zone. The battalion was primarily engaged in construction and rehabilitation of various engineer construction lines of communication, operational support missions, MACV (Military Assistance Command, Vietnam) advisor facilities and base construction.
Reports from officers and enlisted men assigned to the 97th Engineer Battalion during the inactivation state that the unit’s personnel were essentially absorbed into and filled the same slot as a soldier of the 34th Engineer Battalion. In fact, as the below order states, LTC Ancil R. Pressley assumed command of the newly activated 34th Engineer Battalion (Construction):
COL (RET.) PRESSLEY’S OVERVIEW OF THE ASSIGNMENT,
MISSION TASKS, AND OPERATIONAL CHALLENGES :
