109th Engineer Battalion from Sturgis Fought in WWII and Korea

by Duke Doering

     On February 3, 1976, Headquarters Detachment, 109th Engineer Battalion was operating from the 1019 Main Street armory in Sturgis, the unit’s home for more than four decades. Built in 1936 under the sponsorship of the Depression-era Works Progress Administration (WPA), the barrel-roofed, brick structure was 75 by 125 ft. The main floor was used for drill purposes as well as a community meeting place and home for Sturgis High School basketball games.  The 109th used the basement for office space, storage and as a locker room.  

     The City of Sturgis financed $13,000 of the construction cost, with the WPA providing the balance of $12,800 for materials and $26,000 for labor.  The vintage armory was turned over to the city in 1979 when the National Guard worked in cooperation with the Meade County School District to build a new armory on the high school campus, east of town near Fort Meade.

     The South Dakota National Guard’s 109th Engineer Regiment began its long affiliation in Sturgis in 1930 when Company F was moved from Deadwood.  This was the start of a 77-year presence in Sturgis for the 109th Engineers, a cooperative effort that ended with the reorganization of the 109th to the 881st Troop Command in 2007.

      With the transfer of Company F came 1st Lt. William J. Brown, who held leadership roles in the 109th for nearly 40 years.  Brown was commander of Company C in World War II, the 109th Battalion during the Korean War, and the first commander of the 109th Engineer Group before retiring from the Guard in the early 1960’s.  The Sturgis Brown High School is named in honor of Col. Brown, who served on the faculty and administrative staff of the high school for nearly his entire professional career.

     Company F was reorganized to Company C, 109th Engineer Battalion on February 1, 1942.  The unit landed in North Africa on November 8, 1942 and was one of the first American units to enter the European Theatre during World War II.  It was still designated Company C when it was mobilized during the Korean War in 1950.  On September 15, 1956 the unit became Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 109th Engineer Battalion (Combat).  The January 4, 1968 reorganization of the SDNG resulted in the loss of the organic battalion and creation of a new name for the Sturgis unit, Headquarters Detachment, 109th Engineer Battalion.