174th Infantry Brigade (United States)

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 174th Infantry Brigade


caption=174th Infantry Brigade shoulder sleeve insignia
dates= 1862-1864
2006-present
country= United States
allegiance=United States Army
branch= Army Reserve
type= Infantry Brigade
role= Training
size= Brigade
command_structure= First Army
garrison= Fort Drum, New York
garrison_label=
equipment=
equipment_label=
nickname="Patriot Brigade"
"The Away Brigade" [cite web |url=http://www.imcom.army.mil/site/newsletter/092407.html |title=IMCOM World Newsletter, September 2007 |accessdate=2008-07-03 |work= |publisher=US Army Installation Management Command |year=2007 ]
patron=
motto="Pium in Cuspis" - Patriots on Point
colors=
colors_label=
march=
mascot=
battles=
anniversaries=
decorations=
battle_honors=
current_commander=COL Kent Jacocks
current_commander_label=
ceremonial_chief=
ceremonial_chief_label=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
colonel_of_the_regiment_label=
notable_commanders=
identification_symbol=
identification_symbol_label=Distinctive Unit Insignia
identification_symbol_2=
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The 174th Infantry Brigade is an infantry brigade of the United States Army based at Fort Drum, New York. A U.S. Army Reserve training unit, the brigade provides operational training readiness for units in the First Army.

Tracing its lineage back to the American Civil War, the brigade was deployed for both World War I and World War II. Reorganized and redesignated numerous times, the 174th Infantry Brigade has been a reserve unit of the United States Army for most of its existence, seeing only short stints in the Active Duty forces and a combat role.

Reactivated in 2006 as a training unit, the brigade is responsible for preparing other soldiers of the Reserve and National guard for deployment through battle training in maneuvers, equipment, and other details. As such, much of the brigade is comprised of trainers who are themselves combat veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

Organization

The brigade is a subordinate unit of the First Army. [cite web |url=http://www.drum.army.mil/sites/tenants/174th/index.asp |title=174th Infantry Brigade Homepage |accessdate=2008-07-03 |work= |publisher=174th Infantry Brigade Staff |year=2008 ] As a separate, reserve brigade, it does not report to a higher division level headquarters, and is a training unit rather than a combat one.

The brigade is made up of six battalions.cite web |url=http://www.drum.army.mil/sites/tenants/174th/organization.asp |title=174th Infantry Brigade Homepage: Organization |accessdate=2008-07-03 |work= |publisher=174th Infantry Brigade Staff |year=2008 ] Its Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment is located at Fort Drum, New York. Assigned to the brigade are the 1st Battalion, 314th Infantry Regiment, the 2nd Battalion, 313th Logistics Support Battalion, and the 3rd Battalion, 314th Field Artillery Regiment, which are also headquartered at Fort Drum. Additionally, the brigade contains the 2nd Battalion, 310th Combat Support Regiment,cite web |url=https://www.devens.army.mil/tenants/174th.html |title=Fort Devens Homepage: Tenant Units |accessdate=2008-07-03 |work= |publisher=Fort Devens Staff |year=2008 ] and 3rd Battalion, 313th Logistics Support Battalion, which are both headquartered at Fort Devens, New York. The 3rd battalion, 309th Combat Support Regiment, also part of the brigade, is headquartered at Syracuse, New York.

History

Origins

The brigade draws its origins back to the 174th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, a unit that served during the American Civil War.cite web |url=http://www.drum.army.mil/sites/tenants/174th/lineage.asp#history |title=174th Infantry Brigade Homepage: History |accessdate=2008-07-03 |work= |publisher=174th Infantry Brigade Staff |year=2008 ] The 174th, also called the 5th National Guard, was recruited in New York City under the auspices of the Metropolitan police; it was organized at Riker's Island, and there mustered into the U. S. service for three years on November 13, 1862. The regiment sailed to Louisiana that December. Upon arrival, it was assigned to 2nd brigade, Emory's division.

During the preliminary operations against Port Hudson, in the 3rd Brigade, Augur's division, 19th Corps, it skirmished on the Clinton plank road, was engaged at Plains store, and then took part in the long siege of Port Hudson, during which it sustained a loss of 14 killed, wounded, and missing.

After the fall of Port Hudson it engaged Confederate forces at Cox's plantation, while under command of Maj. George Keating. In the end, the unit lost 54 soldiers, 18 killed, 29 wounded and 7 missing. This was the heaviest loss sustained by any regiment in the action. The remainder of the year was spent by the regiment in post and garrison duty at Baton Rouge, and on February 8, 1864, the regiment was consolidated with the 162nd New York Infantry. During its independent existence, the unit suffered one officer and 22 men killed and mortally wounded, and one officer and 59 men killed from disease and other causes, bringing the total number of casualties suffered to 83.

World War I

The 174th Infantry Brigade was first constituted on August 5, 1917 in the National Army.cite web |url=http://www.first.army.mil/1aEast/lineage-pdf/174L&H.pdf |title=Lineage: 174th Infantry Brigade |accessdate=2008-07-03 |work= |publisher=US Army Center of Military History |year=2008 |format=PDF] It was organized on August 25, 1917 at Camp Dix, New Jersey,cite web |url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/78d-2bde.htm |title=GlobalSecurity.org: 174th Infantry Brigade |accessdate=2008-07-03 |work= |publisher="GlobalSecurity.org" |year=2008 ] and assigned to the 87th Division. It never saw combat in World War I, like the other units of the 87th Division, the brigade was used for labor duties and a pool of reinforcements. It received a campaign streamer for World War I without an inscription. After the war, it was demobilized on May 23, 1919 at Camp Dix, New Jersey.

Reorganized in December 1921 at Shreveport, Louisiana, the brigade was redesignated on March 23, 1925 as the 174th Brigade. It was again redesignated on August 24, 1936 as the 174th Infantry Brigade. On February 13, 1942, the unit was converted and redesignated as 3rd platoon, 87th Reconnaissance Troop, still assigned to the 87th Division. This consolidation also occurred to the 173rd Infantry Brigade. [cite web |url=http://www.asomf.org/rollcall/unithistories/ABNInfantry/173rd_AirborneBrig.htm |title=173rd Airborne Brigade Lineage |accessdate=2008-07-03 |work= |publisher=Airborne & Special Operations Roll Call |year=2008 ] That December, the unit was ordered into active military service and reorganized along with the rest of the division at Camp McCain, Mississippi, which became an Infantry division. It was then mechanized the next year.

World War II

The 87th Infantry Division arrived in Scotland on October 22, 1944, and trained in England until the end of November.cite web |url=http://www.lonesentry.com/gi_stories_booklets/87thinfantry/index.html |title=Stalwart and Strong: The Story of the 87th Infantry Division |accessdate=2008-07-03 |work= |publisher="Stars & Stripes" |year=1944 ] It landed in France in early December, and moved to Metz, where, on the 8th, it went into action against and took Fort Driant. The troop followed its division as it shifted to the vicinity of Gross Rederching near the Saar-German border on December 10, and capturing Rimling, Obergailbach, and Guiderkirch.

The 87th Division was moving into Germany when Von Rundstedt launched his offensive in the Ardennes. The Division was placed in reserve from December 24 until December 28, before engaging in the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium on December 29. In a fluctuating battle, it captured Moircy on December 30 and Remagne on December 31. On January 2, 1945, it took Germont, on January 10 Tillet, and reached the Ourthe by January 13. On January 15, 1945, the Division moved to Luxembourg to relieve the 4th Infantry Division along the Sauer and seized Wasserbillig on January 23. The 87th moved to the vicinity of St. Vith on January 28, then attacked and captured Schlierbach, Selz, and Hogden by the end of the month. After the fall of Neuendorf on February 9, the Division went on the defensive until the February 26, when Ormont and Hallschlag were taken in night attacks. The 87th crossed the Kyll River on March 6, took Dollendorf on March 8, and after a brief rest, returned to combat on March 13, 1945, crossing the Moselle on the March 16 and clearing Koblenz, on March 18-19. The Division crossed the Rhine on March 25-26 and despite strong opposition, consolidated its bridgehead, and secured Grossenlinden and Langgöns. On April 7, it jumped off in an attack which carried it through Thuringia into Saxony. Plauen fell on April 17, and the Division took up defensive positions on April 20, about 4 miles from the Czech border. On May 6, 1945, it took Falkenstein and maintained its positions until VE-day.

The 87th Division returned to the United States in July 1945 expecting to be called upon to play a role in the defeat of the Japanese, but the sudden termination of the war in the Pacific while the division was reassembling at Fort Benning changed the future of the 87th. The Division was inactivated on September 21, 1945. The 87th Reconnaissance Troop was deactivated on the same day.

Cold War era

The 87th Reconnaissance Troop was reorganized and redesignated in April 1947 as the 87th Mechanized Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop in the reserves. It was then activated the next month at Birmingham, Alabama. At the same time, the Organized Reserves were undergoing a transformation into the Army Reserve. The unit was again reorganized and redesignated in 1949 as the 87th Reconnaissance Company, before being deactivated in December of 1951 in Birmingham.

The unit was once again designated as the 174th Infantry Brigade following a conversion and redesignation in March 1963. For the next 30 years, the brigade would continue to be a standing reserve unit, but would never be called on to participate in any conflicts. In 1997, the brigade was withdrawn from the reserve and activated in the Active Duty force at Fort Drum, New York. It would be inactivated two years later.

Training brigade

The brigade headquarters were again reactivated on December 1, 2006 at Fort Drum, by reflagging 2nd Brigade, 78th Division (Training Support). It was one of 16 reserve brigades to be activated for the purpose of training. The brigade, which is headquartered at Fort Drum and is subordinate to the First Army Division East,cite web |url=http://www.first.army.mil/1aEast/organization-unitsleaders.asp |title=First Army Division East: Organization |accessdate=2008-07-03 |work= |publisher=First Army Staff |year=2008 ] is responsible for early stages of training for other reserve soldiers who have been alerted for deployment.cite web |url=http://www.army.mil/-news/2006/12/14/968-reserve-guard-soldiers-extend-mobilization-to-train-others/ |title=Reserve, Guard Soldiers extend mobilization to train others |accessdate=2008-07-03 |work= |publisher=Ben Abel, 10th Mountain Division Public Affairs |year=2006 ] [cite web |url=http://www.drum.army.mil/sites/tenants/174th/mission.asp |title=174th Infantry Brigade Homepage: Mission |accessdate=2008-07-03 |work= |publisher=174th Infantry Brigade Staff |year=2008 ] The brigade offers the opportunity for veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom to use their skills to train new soldiers who will be entering the field of operations in Iraq or Afghanistan. [cite web |url=http://www.drum.army.mil/sites/tenants/174th/recruiting.asp |title=174th Infantry Brigade: Recruiting |accessdate=2008-07-03 |work= |publisher=174th Infantry Brigade Staff |year=2008 ] This training includes convoy live-fire training exercises, and techniques in dealing with improvised explosive devices, which are the primary cause of casualties in the operations.

During the summer of 2007, the brigade was mobilized to Fort Dix for training along with the 72nd Field Artillery Brigade from April until September.cite web |url=http://www.dix.army.mil/PAO/Post07/post092107/post092107.pdf |title=The Fort Dix Post: Vol. 82, No. 38 |accessdate=2008-07-03 |work= |publisher=Adam Navarro, 72nd Field Artillery Brigade |year=2007|format=PDF] Soldiers of the 174th Infantry Brigade trained other units in land navigation, area security, urban operations, marksmanship, and live fire exercises. Most of the soldiers being trained were members of the Army National Guard. [cite web |url=http://www.dix.army.mil/pao/Post07/post061507/post061507.pdf |title=The Fort Dix Post: Vol. 82, No. 24 |accessdate=2008-07-03 |work= |publisher=Carolee Nisbet, Editor |year=2007|format=PDF] The brigade received distinctive unit insignia and shoulder sleeve insignia in September of 2007.cite web |url=http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/Inf/174InfantryBrigade.htm |title=The Institute of Heraldry: 174th Infantry Brigade |accessdate=2008-07-03 |work= |publisher=The US Army Institute of Heraldry |year=2008 ] These items contained allusions to the Brigade's honors during World War I and II, and its history with the 78th Infantry Division. However, as it is subordinate to the First Army, soldiers of the brigade wear that patch on their shoulders instead. Later that month, the brigade was again mobilized to Fort Bragg, North Carolina for another training mission.

Honors

Unit decorations

The brigade has never received a unit decoration from the United States military.

Campaign streamers

References

External links

* [http://www.tsb-drum.army.mil/"The 174th Infantry Brigade official website"]
* [http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/Inf/174InfantryBrigade.htm The Institute of Heraldry: 174th Infantry Brigade]