Historic “Triple Nickel” Engineer Brigade Cases Colors, 864th Engineer Battalion Remains Focused in the Pacific

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. – In a ceremony honoring the historic 555th “Triple Nickel” Engineer Brigade, family, friends, and former Soldiers gathered at Watkins Field to witness the casing of the colors and the brigade's inactivation on Oct. 23, 2026.

“Today, we assemble to formally case the brigade colors. Yet, if the 80-year history of the Triple Nickel teaches us anything, it is that casing these colors is neither an end nor a defeat. It is a well-earned pause in a cycle our unit knows better than any other,” said Col. Ada Cotto, commander of the 555th Engineer Brigade.

From Normandy to now, the Soldiers of Triple Nickel have continuously answered the call. Originally constituted on Feb. 1, 1943, as the 1103rd Engineer Combat Group, the unit participated in Operation Neptune during the invasion of Normandy, landing with the U.S. 1st Army on June 20, 1944.

With a rich history marked by activations and inactivations, the Triple Nickel was most recently reactivated at Joint Base Lewis-McChord on Jan. 18, 1992. During its decades of service at JBLM, the unit made lasting impacts through numerous troop construction projects at home and abroad, as well as through active participation in the Pacific Pathways series of multinational military exercises.

According to unit history, the 555th Engineer Brigade partnered with the Engineer Research and Development Center in the mid-1990s to test new equipment for desert and field environments, including Hesco bastions and sand grids. The 864th Engineer Battalion “Pacemakers” helped defend the homeland by supporting Joint Task Force 6 and constructing roadways along the U.S.-Mexico border on two separate deployments to Texas, and demonstrated unmatched technical excellence in Alaska's Arctic and the Pacific archipelagos.

While stationed at JBLM, the brigade supported Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, deploying to Iraq three times and to Afghanistan once, where they provided critical mobility, counter-mobility, and survivability across multiple deployments. During their first deployment to Iraq, the unit was credited with the demolition of two statues of Saddam Hussein atop the gate to his palace in Tikrit, Iraq.

In 2025, the Triple Nickel headquarters commanded the Joint Security Cooperation Group-Panama from May to October 2025. They oversaw the reopening of the Panama Jungle Operations Training Course for the first time since 1999. Most recently, the brigade participated in Operation Courage Lethality 26, a multi-day fire control exercise which demonstrated I Corps’ ability to deliver synchronized, multi-domain effects across the Pacific.

“The legacy of this historic unit lives on in more than their many construction projects or campaign credits – it lives on in the Soldiers standing before you today,” said the Commander of I Corps and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Lt. Gen. Matthew McFarlane. “They are disciplined, lethal and relentless in their pursuit of excellence. … The Soldiers standing in formation today, and their predecessors, have always been willing and able.”

Through the decades, many unique military occupational specialties have served with the historic brigade, from chemical and explosive ordnance disposal technicians and firefighters to combat, construction, and technical engineers. Across the generations, Soldiers remained grounded in their fundamentals.

“The 555th Engineer Brigade was my first unit and a place of learning,” said Pfc. Zachary Sullivan, a 12T (Technical Engineer). “I was blessed to receive amazing leaders who taught me so much, and I look forward to taking that with me and giving back to my future Soldiers one day.”

The Oct. 23 ceremony marked a historic moment for all who served in the Triple Nickel brigade — the end of a chapter, but not the end of the unit’s legacy. The 864th Engineer Battalion will remain on JBLM and was aligned with the 593rd Corps Sustainment Command earlier this summer. In addition to casing the colors, Soldiers of the 864th Engineer Battalion participated in a patching ceremony to visually display their recent transition to the 593rd CSC.

“This transition strengthens our ability to support I Corps and the joint force with the speed, precision, and engineering expertise required in the Pacific,” said the Commander of the 864th Engineer Battalion, Lt. Col. Anthony Funkhouser. “The Pacemakers have always answered the nation’s call, and joining the 593rd CSC ensures we remain ready to build, enable, and sustain wherever the mission takes us.”

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.