3rd Sustainment Brigade History
The 3rd Sustainment Brigade was constituted on 1 July 1957, and activated at Fort Benning, Georgia, as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 3rd Infantry Division Trains. On 15 March 1968, the unit was reorganized and re-designated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company and Band. Four years later, on 21 May 1972, the unit was re-designated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Infantry Division Support Command. The unit relocated to Germany supporting the 3rd Infantry Division during the Cold War, standing ever vigilant and ready to provide support should hostilities arise, and remained in Germany until its return to Fort Stewart and Coastal Georgia in 1991.
In the fall of 2002, the Division Support Command deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom I. The unit supported the 3rd Infantry Division in spearheading the invasion into Iraq, supporting the four brigades as they marched through Southern Iraq and into the capitol of Baghdad. After the initial invasion and capture of Baghdad, the brigade remained in the city, supporting the 3rd Infantry Division's and coalition force's efforts as it conducted counterinsurgency operations in and around Baghdad. The Brigade returned home to Fort Stewart in August 2003, earning the Presidential Unit Citation.
In the fall of 2004, the 3rd Infantry Division Support Command was re-designated as the 3rd Infantry Division Support Brigade and deployed to Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom III. Under Multinational Division, Baghdad the Brigade was responsible for supporting coalition forces in and around Baghdad. During this deployment, on 15 June 2005, the Division Support Brigade was re-designated as the 3rd Support Brigade and later returned home in January 2006.
On 21 April 2006 the Division Support Brigade was officially re-designated as the 3rd Sustainment Brigade.
In the fall of 2007, the Brigade followed the 3rd Infantry Division Brigade Combat Teams and Combat Aviation Brigade to Iraq for its third deployment, for 15 months, in support of the war in Iraq. The brigade was aligned under Multinational Division-North with the headquarters at Contingency Operating Base Q-West in Northern Iraq. During this deployment the brigade's footprint canvassed all of Northern Iraq and consisted of over a dozen Forward Operating Bases.
In April 2010, the 3rd Sustainment Brigade deployed again to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 10-11. The brigade was instrumental in the responsible drawdown of forces and the retrograde of equipment out of Iraq in support of United States Division-North and Center, effectively preparing the Iraq Joint Operations Area for its 1 September launch of Operation New Dawn. The Brigade redeployed in April 2011.
In December 2012, the 3rd Sustainment Brigade deployed for its fifth deployment over the last decade and first to Afghanistan, for nine months in support of Operation Enduring Freedom 12-13. The brigade provided sustainment and retrograde support to the 3rd and 4th Infantry Divisions, 1st and 2nd Marine Expeditionary Forces, and International Security Assistance Forces operating in Regional Commands South, Southwest, and National Support Element-West. The brigade was instrumental in the closure and transfer of over 61 Forward Operating Bases while simultaneously providing sustainment to the force.
Additionally, the 3rd Sustainment Brigade provided direct support to the 1st and 2nd Brigade Combat Teams and the Combat Aviation Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division. Since the brigade's beginning, it has been providing the 3rd Infantry Division with the logistical lifeblood vital for victory, consecrating our motto "Heart of the Rock!"
"PROVIDERS!"