During World War II, the 338th Engineer General Service Regiment rebuilt the vital port of Livorno (Leghorn), in Northern Italy, in advance of the Fifth United States Army's assault on the German positions in the Po Valley.
The Germans had erected barricades, blown bridges, laid mines, and sunk twenty ships to completely seal off the harbor entrances.
As the mine-clearing teams made room, more elements of the 338th arrived, set up quarters, and began preparing a berth for the LST and the LCT carrying construction equipment.
Assured of a strong supply base in the rear, Fifth Army moved rapidly forward into the Po River valley.
The citation was as follows: "The 338th Engineer General Service Regiment, Peninsular Base Section, for superior performance of duty in the accomplishment of an exceptionally difficult mission in Italy from 17 July 1944 to 30 September 1944.
This regiment entered the Port of Leghorn under artillery fire and through extensive mine fields, moved equipment over bombed out roads and bridges, cleared streets and dock areas that were completely blocked by debris from demolished buildings and other structures; removed thousands of enemy mines, built new roads and bridges, repaired utilities, and planned and constructed berthing and unloading facilities in one of the most completely destroyed ports as yet encountered in Italy.