ACTIVATION 1941

Click Image for larger version

The battalion was activated on January 6, 1941 and was trained at Camp Hulen, Texas, near El Paso, when Pearl Harbor was attacked. The unit was divided after moving to California, Batteries A and B leaving for the Pacific Theatre and the remainder training at the Desert Training Center, Camp Young, Indio California. Additional troops were brought from Ohio, with Batteries C and D dispersed throughout the four reorganized batteries. The unit was re-named the 105th Coast Artillery Battalion (AA) (AW) on July 10, 1942, and was shipped to Scotland and then England, while training for amphibious and antiaircraft warfare.

OPERATION TORCH
The Battalion participated in Operation TORCH, which was commanded by Lt. Gen. Dwight Eisenhower and was the first major Allied offensive in the war. The Germans expected the Allies to attack France from across the English Channel, but the Allies chose instead to secure the oil-rich Suez area and to protect the east-west shipping lanes across the Mediterranean. Between November 1942 and April 1943, TORCH was a complete success, despite setbacks, eliminating the Axis (German and Italians) from North Africa.

TORCH LANDING ON NORTH AFRICAN COAST NOVEMBER 1942
TORCH opened on November 8, 1942. Within three weeks, 500 Allied warships, and 350 transport and cargo ships landed 185,000 soldiers, 200,000 vehicles, and 200,000 tons of supplies on the coast of French Morocco and Algeria. The two countries were hesitant to take sides in the war, with France occupied by the Germans. The French signed an armistice with the Allies on November 10, 1942.

THE 105^th LANDS ON ALGERIAN COAST
The 105th, attached to the 1st Infantry Division as part of the Center Task Force, landed on the coast of Algeria on November 8-11, 1942. The Center Task Force, commanded by Maj. Gen. Lloyd R. Fredenall, subdued the port of Oran and the naval base of Mer-el-kebir by November 10, despite resistance by the French.

Batteries A and B of the 105th landed at Arzew, Algeria, with C and D coming ashore at Les Andelousee, about ten miles east of Oran. Batteries B and C were employed immediately to protect landing beaches with the 40mm and .50 caliber gun. Parts of C and D were removed to the southeast to Tunisia for the protection of the Thelepte airfields and the Faid Pass. The remainder of the battalion was moved along the Algerian coast to protect installations of Phillipsville, Bougie, and Djidjilli.

THE "DESERT FOX"
The beginning of the end had come for Field Marshall Rommel in October 1942, when the British Eighth Army under Gen. Bernard Montgomery defeated the AFRIKA KORPS at Alamein, Egypt, near Libyan border. The "Desert Fox", considered by some to possess the finest tactical mind in the war, had confounded the British with lightening quick tank thrusts in the Libyan-Egyptian desert. With TORCH underway, Eisenhower planned for Montgomery to drive Rommel up the east coast to Tunisiaand to trap the AFRIKA KORPS between Montgomery on the south and TORCH forces on the west.


ROMMEL BREAKS INTO TUNISIA
Rommel, sensing the Allied plan, decided to try to break out of his defenses at the Mareth Line, through Tunisia into Algeria. The key was to break through the Kasserine Pass in the Western Dorsale of mountains near the Tunisian-Algerian border. He would threaten the Allies headquarters at Constantine if he could take Le Kef and Tebessa, west of Kasserine.

Rommel hurled a two-pronged attack toward the Kasserine Pass, breaking into the Tunisian plain in February 1943, routing the Allies from Gafsa on the 14th. Von Arnim, his tank commander, moved north with eighty tanks, entered the plain through the Faid Pass, and punished the U.S. 1st Armored Division at Sidibouzid. Rommel pushed American and French forces out of the Thelepte and Feriana airfields on the 17th, as Von Arnim drove the Americans from Sbeitla.

The Americans retreated in disgrace some fifty miles across the dry Tunisian plain, the 1st Infantry Division before Rummel on the south and the 1st Armored Division before Von Arnim on the north. The 105th Coast Artillery Battalion (AA) (AW) was part of the forces routed by Rommel at Thelepte on the 17th. Having been brought to protect airfields there, the battalion vacated its positions before Rommel could arrive, while his tanks were rumbling towards the town up the Gafsa-Feriana road.

THE BATTLE OF KASSERINE
The 105th met Rommel's tanks and artillery at the Battle of Kasserine Pass, February 20-23, 1943. Having moved into the pass with the 1st Infantry Division on the 16th, the battalion was receiving German artillery fire on the 17th. Sending Von Arnim from Sbeitla to Sbiba on the north, Rommel attacked the pass on the 20th. After dark, Battery D retreated with the 33rd Field Artillery Battalion to a high ridge west of the pass. The battery was shelled heavily by German tanks and artillery the next day.

The Germans attacked Battery D on the 22nd, overrunning Bofers and artillery positions. Ac-ack men in the battery removed their weapons from perches, worked their way through the German tanks, and fired the guns as if they were infantry rifles. Five sections of the battery joined Batteries A and B, covering the retreat of heavy guns and vehicles.

The Americans counter attacked on the 23rd, recovering territory and material, including Bofers and machine guns belonging to the 105th. Rommel called off his attack, and sent his forces back toward the Mereth Line. Although he had not reached Algeria, he had cast doubt upon the ability of Americans in battle. The British had beaten him at El Alamein, but he had run roughshod over the Americans in the first major confrontation of the war between Germans and Americans.

PATTON TAKES COMMAND
The II Corps, with its four divisions and 90,000 men, was at a low end when Maj. Gen. George Patton, relieved Fredendall as commander on March 9, 1943. Patton instituted an offensive within days, hurling an attack toward the Eastern Dorsale and southeastward during March 17-31, 1943. Ward's 1st Armored Division moved to Maknassy, Ryder's 34th to Fondouk, and Allen's 1st, aided by Eddy's 9th, moved down the Feriana-Gafsa road towards El Geuttar. The 1st took Gafsa on the 17th and El Geuttar on the 18th.

Pattons II Corps with 50,000 French and 120,000 British to the north had progressed to engage Rommel's main force by driving to Gabes on the east coast and southeast to the Mareth Line. Eisenhower ordered Patton to halt his tanks at the Eastern Dorsale, allowing Montgomery to drive the AFRIKA KORPS up the coast of Tunisia.

BATTERY C WINS THE PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION AT EL GEUTTAR
A stone monument stands in front of the National Guard Armory at Bogalusa to honor the members of Battery C, 105th Coast Artillery Battalion (AA) (AW). The battery won the highest award that a unit in the U.S. Army can win, for heroism at the Battle of El Geuttar, in southern Tunisia, on March 23, 1943.

Battery C won the Presidential Unit Citation for its actions at Djebel Berda in the defense of El Geuttar. Cited for "Extraordinary fortitude, magnificent courage, and unexcelled heroism", the battery "fought stubbornly and gallantly, exacting a punishing toll of enemy infantry, a counter attack with re-enforcement friendly Infantry and tanks of the 10th PANZER Division. Two men of the battery were killed, and a number were wounded.

The Germans attacked twice on March 23, 1943, diverting their attention back to Tunisia because of Patton's threatening offensive. The 10th PANZER Division, accompanied by an Italian division, flung fifty tanks at the 1st Infantry Division. Battery C was operating with the 32nd Field Artillery Battalion, positioned at Djebel Berda, apparently an outpost east of El Geuttar.

The first attack began at 6:00 a.m. and lasted all morning. Penetrating to within two miles of Allen's command post, the Germans suffered heavily, losing thirty of their tanks. They approached to within 300 yards of the 1st's position, but were sent reeling back by artillery and air burst.

American morale, at home and in the field was strengthened by the defense at El Geuttar. The Americans had fought "without signs of hesitation or panic" writes Martin Blumenson. Patton's performance, offensively as well as defensively, had restored confidence in the ability of the American soldiers.

END OF THE AFRIKA KORPS
The Axis were trapped in the northeast tip to Tunisia. Rommel himself had escaped, leaving for Europe earlier. About 250,000 Axis were captured, including the tank commander Von Arnim. The 105th was moved to northern Tunisia and was convoyed 900 miles back to northern Algeria.

OPERATION HUSKY
Operation HUSKY, commanded by Eisenhower, now the Supreme Commander, was designed to liberate Sicily from the Axis. Under Eisenhower's command was the British General Harold Alexander, head of the Fifteenth Army Group, which consisted of Patton's U.S. Seventh Army and Montgomery's British Eight Army. The 105th again was attached to the 1st Infantry Division in Omar Bradley's II Corps as part of the Seventh Army.

Opposing the Allies in Sicily were four Italian and nine German divisions, including the Goring PANZER Division, a total of 405,000 men. The Allies landed on July 10, 1943 with Patton proceeding around the left end of the island, Bradley up the center, and Montgomery up to the right side. Thirty-nine days after the landing Patton and Montgomery met in victory at Messina, on the northeast tip of the country. The Axis lost 30,000 killed and 134,000 taken prisoner, while the Allies lost 21,000 casualties, two-thirds of then British and Canadian.

The landing at Sicily was the first use of LSTs (Landing Ships, Tanks). With antiaircraft guns perched atop the LSTs all four line batteries of the 105th protected the landing of the 1st Infantry Division at Red Beach, Gela, July 10, 1943. When a German bomb hit LST 313 about fifty yards from shore, twelve men of Battery D were killed, and seven more were wounded. The battalion moved into central Sicily with Bradley's II Corps, six men of Battery C receiving wounds at Nicosia on August 1, 1943.

AVALANCHE
The Allies moved from Sicily to the southern tip to Italy in early September 1943. The Italians surrendered to the Allies while the ships were on the sea. The 105th attached to the Fifth Army, Left Palermo and Termini Increase, Sicily, and landed on the Italian coast September 10-17, 1943.

According to Eric Sevareid, Operation AVALANCHE, the Allied plan to take the mountainous terrain of Italy from Germans, was "slow", spasmodic movement from one patch of silence to another". Moving slowly up the Italian peninsula, the Allies did not overcome the Germans in Italy until May 2, 1945, three days before Churchill declared victory in Europe.

The 105th opened the Italian campaign by supplying antiaircraft protection for the 45th, 36th and 3rd Divisions. The battalion protected the 3rd Division as it drove toward the winding Volturno River and the towns of Venefro and Cassino. The 105th supported the 85th Division from September 1943 to January 1944, during the last part of the Naples-Foggia Campaign, which resulted in the liberation of Rome. The battalion furnished antiaircraft support for the 85th, 91st, and 34th Divisions from January to September 1944.

The battalion spent the last winter of the war along the northern mountains of Italy with the 34th and 85th Divisions in the North Appelines Campaign. The Fifth Army, including the II Corps, broke out into the Po Valley in April and May. The 105th kept up with the rapid advance of the II Corps, protecting vital crossings in the valley. The battalion was situated at the foot of the Italian Alps when the Germans surrendered Italy in May 1945. The unit was deactivated September 15, 1945.

POST-WORLD WAR II
The battalion was re-established April 11, 1947 at the 105th Antiaircraft Battalion (AW) (SP), as part of the 39th Infantry Division. Bogalusa became Headquarters, Headquarters Battery, and Battery A; Franklinton became Battery B; Hammond was added as Battery C on July 29, 1948, and Covington as Battery D on December 16, 1948.

REORGANIZATIONS
The Battalion was converted and redesignated as the 1st Squadron, 139th Armor on July 1, 1959 with units as follows:

        Headquarters and Headquarters Troop - Bogalusa
        Troop A - Parent unit in Franklinton with a detachment in Bogalusa.
        Troop B - Covington.
        Troop C - Hammond.

The Squadron was converted and redesignated as the 1st Squadron, 139th Armored Cavalry on May 1, 1963 with all units remaining at the same location with the same troop letter designation.

The Squadron was completely reorganized, redesignated and converted December 1, 1967 to the 205th Engineer Battalion, (Construction) with units lettered and located as follows:

        Headquarters and Headquarters Company - Bogalusa
        Company A - New Orleans, LA (Jackson Barracks)
        Company B (-Det 1) - Franklinton.
        Det 1 Co B - Covington.
        Company C - New Orleans, LA (Jackson Barracks).
        Company D (-Det 1) - Alexandria, LA.
        Det 1 Co D - Jena, LA.

Troop C of Hammond retained their Armored Cavalry status and was transferred to the 256th Infantry Brigade in Lafayette, LA and became Troop E.

Company A (New Orleans) was re-organized and became part of the 2222nd Engineer Battalion (Maint) in New Orleans and Troop E 256th Infantry Brigade (Hammond) became Company A, 205th Engineer Battalion (Equipment & Maintenance) (Construction) on January 12, 1971.

Company D (Alexandria & Jena) became Company C of the 769th Engineer Battalion (Construction) on October 1, 1972.

Company C (-Det 1), 205th Engineer Battalion (Construction) was organized June 8, 1973 located in Slidell, LA.

Company C, 205th Engineer Battalion (Construction), Jackson Barracks, was relocated to Slidell, LA on September 1, 1975 and was further split with a detachment 1 in Hammond.

Company D, 205th Engineer Battalion (Construction), Thibodeaux, was transferred back to the 769th Engineer Battalion (Construction) as Company C of that battalion. Detachment 1, Company B, 205th Engineer Battalion (Construction), Covington, became Company D (-), 205th Engineer Battalion (Construction) and further split with a Detachment 1, in Bogalusa on September 1, 1975.

The Entire battalion was converted to the 205th Engineer Battalion, Combat Heavy on October 1, 1976 with units located at the following:

        Headquarters and Headquarters Company - Bogalusa.
        Company A - Hammond
        Company B (-Det 1) - Franklinton
        Detachment 1 Company B - Roseland
        Company C (-Det 1) - Slidell
        Detachment 1 Company C - Hammond
        Company D (-Det 1) - Covington
        Detachment 1 Company D - Bogalusa

The Battalion was re-organized in the 1980's to include units at the following locations:

        Headquarters and Headquarters Company (-Det 1) - Bogalusa, LA.
        Detachment 1 Headquarters Company - Hammond, LA.
        Company A (-Det 1) - Covington, LA.
        Detachment 1 Company A - Hammond, LA.
        Company B (-Det 1) - Franklinton, LA.
        Detachment 1 Company B - Independence, LA
        Company C - Slidell, LA (Camp Villere)

Organizational Maintenance Shop (OMS) #7 is also located in Bogalusa.

STATE EMERGENCY DUTY TOURS
The Squadron/Battalion has participated in support of the following disasters, either with personnel and equipment or just with equipment.

Equipment support during Hurricane disaster in New Orleans, and vicinity during September 1947 and September 1948.

Selected personnel and equipment from the Headquarters and Headquarters Battery for five days during flood disaster in Concordia, Catahoula, Caldwell, Avoyelles and Rapides Parishes in April 1950.

Furnished equipment from all Batteries during hurricane disaster "Audrey" and vicinity during 1957.

Personnel and equipment from Headquarters and Headquarters Troop during hurricane "Hilda" in 1964.

The entire battalion was activated during hurricane "Betsy" in the Plaquemines Parish area for a period of seven days in 1965.

Personnel and equipment from Headquarters and Headquarters Company and Company B(-) during hurricane disaster "Camille" during 1969.

Selected personnel and equipment from the entire battalion conducted a special two week Annual Training at Angola State Prison to re-enforce the levee system during March 1973.

The entire battalion was activated for hurricane disaster "Carmen" in the Lafayette area for three days during September 1974.

Selected personnel and equipment from the battalion were activated for special duty at Morgan City, Louisiana for Flood duty in March 1975.

The entire battalion was activated to relieve the New Orleans Police Strike from February 21 to March 2, 1979.

On July 9, 1982 wind shear sent a Boeing 727 (Pan American Flight 759) plummeting into a residential area of Kenner, Louisiana and resulted in 153 dead. The accident was the second worst aviation disaster in the history of the United States. Approximately 45 men from the 205th Engr Bn, Cbt Hvy, primarily from HHC, CO A, and Co D were ordered to active duty for a period of seven days by Governor Dave Treen to assist the City of Kenner in recovering from the disaster. The mission of the 205th consisted of three basic phases; first, searching the ruined houses and plane wreckage for bodies and valuables which were then turned over to the Kenner Police Department; second, collecting pieces of the crashed airliner and marking the spot in which they were found; and third, utilizing heavy equipment to clear away debris.

Torrential rain which began falling on April 6, 1983 and continued to fall until April 9, 1983 spawned what became the worst flooding in the history of Washington-St. Tammany-Tangipahoa Parish areas. A record high of 10.56 inches of rain sent the crests of the Bogue Chitto and Pearl Rivers to phenomenal heights and inflicted an estimated 177 million dollars in damages in the three parish area. The area was declared a disaster area by Governor Dave Treen on April 8, 1983. Approximately 60 men from the 205th Engr Bn, Cbt Hvy, were ordered into State Active Duty. Although the plan of action originally was to assist local residents in evacuation, the rapid flooding of the Franklinton armory, which lies directly in the flood path of the Bogue Chitto River, diverted the 205th's primary concern of evacuation to an intensive effort to safeguard the Franklinton armory. Despite extensive sandbagging efforts, the armory was eventually inundated by approximately five and one half feet of river water.

Hurricane Elena, September 2, 1985: Hurricane Elena looped in the Gulf of Mexico between Louisiana and Florida before eventually headed west-northwest  making landfall near Biloxi, MS on September 2nd.  The eye of this Hurricane passed directly over Bogalusa, LA.  Several members of the Battalion were activated to help in the clean up operation that took place after the storm was out of the area.  Estimates of total economic loss from Elena were near $1.4 billion.

Hurricane Andrew, August 16-28, 1992: After Andrew cut its historic path of destruction and devastation through southern Florida, it exited the southwestern part of the state as a Category 3 hurricane.  Andrew again strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane once it reached the Gulf of Mexico and headed northwest toward Louisiana.  Andrew had weakened to a Category 3 hurricane when it made landfall a few miles west-southwest of Morgan City on the south-central Louisiana coast.  Storm tides in Louisiana were at least 8 feet, and caused flooding from Lake Borgne westward through Vermillion Bay.  Andrew produced heavy rains that locally exceeded 10 inches.  Hammond, LA, reported the greatest amount of rainfall at 11.92 inches.  Andrew's death toll in Louisiana amounted to 15, including 2 deaths from a tornado.  Several members of the Battalion helped in the cleanup effort throughout the State of Louisiana.  The 205th had a lot of equipment operators and truck drivers on State active duty in the Lafourche, Terrebonne and Laplace areas with the high point being around 50 - 60 soldiers.  Damage in the United States is estimated to be near 25 billion, making Andrew the most expensive natural disaster in U.S. history.

Hurricane Georges September 15 1998 - October 1, 1998:  Georges was the second deadliest and second strongest hurricane within the Atlantic Basin in the 1998 hurricane season.  It's journey resulted in 17 landfalls from the northeastern Caribbean to the Gulf coast of Mississippi.  It's was projected to go right through New Orleans, LA which most experts fear would cause massive flooding from Lake Pontchartrain.  Because of this several members of the Battalion were activated to help in rescue operations after the storm.  At the last minute it steered toward Mississippi and spared New Orleans from major destruction.  The Battalion still had to contend with the flooding that took place in Slidell, LA and other parts of Southeast Louisiana.  There were an estimated 602 deaths most occurring in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Hurricane Mitch Oct 26 - Nov 4, 1998:  Mitch is listed as one of the most deadliest hurricanes to hit the Western Hemisphere.  An estimated 11,000+ deaths occurred from this storm which at this time is ranked the second most deadliest hurricane in the Western Hemisphere and is likely to stand for a long time.  Areas of damage include Central America, Honduras, and Nicaragua.  This Battalion along with several Louisiana reserve units participated in "Task Force Aguan" which took place in the summer of 1999 and helped rebuild the countries devastated after the destruction left behind from Hurricane Mitch.

This battalion has also participated in annual training exercises to help poverty stricken counties in Central America to include, Panama, Belize, and Honduras. Training exercises have taken place in Jordan, Italy, Germany, Norway, and the Bahamas.  This Battalion also has members that have participated in the Operation Desert Shield/Storm and Operation Noble Eagle.

Hurricane Katrina, August 23, 2005 - August 31, 2005: Hurricane Katrina was the costliest and one of the deadliest hurricanes in the history of the United States.  It was the sixth-strongest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the third-strongest hurricane to hit the U.S. mainland.  It formed over the Bahamas on August 23, 2005, and crossed southern Florida as a moderate Category 1 hurricane before strengthening rapidly in the Gulf of Mexico and becoming one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded in the Gulf.  The storm made it's second landfall as a Category 3 storm on the morning of August 29 in southeast Louisiana.  The storm surge caused major or catastrophic damage along the coastlines of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, including the cities of Mobile, Alabama, Biloxi and Gulfport, Mississippi, and Slidell, Louisiana.  Levees separating Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans were breached by the surge, ultimately flooding roughly 80% of the city.  Severe wind damage was reported well inland.  Katrina is estimated to be responsible for $75 billion (2005 US dollars) in damages, making it the costliest hurricane in U.S. history.  The storm killed at least 1,836 people, making it the deadliest U.S. hurricane since the 1928 Okeechobee Hurricane.  The 205th Engineer Battalion helped clear roads for traffic, supported humanitarian aid efforts, delivered much needed supplies to several locations, provided security for Hurricane ravaged cities in southeast Louisiana, helped rebuild levees around New Orleans area, and much much more.  The Battalion was activated for approximately 4 months in relief efforts and then by the turn of the year scaled back to volunteers only.  Many soldiers left damaged homes and displaced families behind to perform their duties.

Hurricane Rita, September 17, 2005 - September 26, 2005: Hurricane Rita was the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the most intense tropical cyclone observed in the Gulf of Mexico.  Rita caused $10 billion in damage on the U.S. Gulf Coast in September 2005.  Rita was the seventeenth named storm, tenth hurricane, fifth major hurricane, and third Category 5 hurricane of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season.   Rita made landfall on September 24 near the Texas-Louisiana border as a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale.  It continued on through parts of southeast Texas. The storm surge caused extensive damage along the Louisiana and extreme southeastern Texas coasts and completely destroyed some coastal communities. The storm killed seven people directly; many others died in evacuations and from indirect effects.  The Battalion had volunteers that were sent to help with relief efforts from the aftermath of this storm as they were still occupied with the effects from Hurricane Katrina.  Volunteers at RSA were on duty until late April-Early May 2006.

On October 01, 2006 the 205th Engineer Battalion Combat Heavy was re-organized with redesignated units at the following locations:

        (HQ 205th) 205th Engineer Battalion Headquarters - Bogalusa, LA.
        (HSC 205th) 205th Headquarters Support Company - Bogalusa, LA.
        (FSC 205th) 205th Field Support Command - Hammond, LA.
        1021st Engineer Company (Vertical) - Covington, LA.
        Detachment 1 1021st Engineer Company - Independence, LA
        Detachment 2 1021st Engineer Company - Gonzales, LA
        843rd Engineer Company (Horizontal) - Franklinton, LA.
        Detachment 1 843rd Engineer Company - Covington, LA.
        2225th Multi-Role Bridge Company - Marrero, LA.
        Detachment 1 2225th Multi-Role Bridge Company - Slidell, LA (Camp Villere)

Hurricane Gustav, August 25, 2008 - September 4, 2008: Hurricane Gustav made landfall on September 1 at 9:30 a.m. CST (1430 UTC) along the Louisiana coast near Cocodrie, LA as a strong Category 2 hurricane (1 mph below Category 3), and dropped to Category 1 four hours later, and to a tropical depression the following day. Gustav continued moving northwest through Louisiana, before slowing down significantly as it moved through Arkansas on September 3.  As of September 3, 120 deaths had been attributed to Gustav in the U.S. and Caribbean. A first estimate of the damage in all countries is US$20 billion.  Entergy, who supplies many residents in Louisiana with natural gas and electrical power, said this was the worst storm damage that they have had to deal with as for as power outages.  The battalion was activated a few days before Gustav made landfall to prepare for and help with relief efforts.  The battalion was on full activation for approximately a month.

Hurricane Ike, September 1, 2008 - September 14, 2008:  Like the year 2005 when Louisiana was battered by Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita within 2 weeks of each other, we had Hurricane Gustav and Hurricane Ike do very much the same thing in the year 2008.  Ike will likely be the fourth costliest Atlantic hurricane and third costliest U.S. hurricane of all time, behind both Hurricane Andrew of 1992 and Hurricane Katrina of 2005, if estimates are correct.  Ike made U.S. landfall at Galveston, Texas, on September 13 at 2:10am CDT (07:10 UTC), as a Category 2 hurricane with winds of 110 mph (177 km/h) and a central pressure of 952 mbar (28.11 inHg).   Much of Southwest Louisiana is battered again 3 years removed from feeling the affects of Hurricane Rita.  The battalion was still activated in support of relief efforts for Hurricane Gustav at the time when Hurricane Ike made landfall in Texas.  Several members of the 205th were sent to this region in Louisiana to help with relief efforts for Hurricane Ike.  As stated above the battalion was on full activation for approximately a month due to these 2 storms.

Back to Main Page

Click here to send an email concerning this site.