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174th Infantry Brigade (United States)
Encyclopedia
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, many personnel in the brigade are instructors who are themselves combat veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
level headquarters, and is a training unit rather than a combat one.
The brigade is made up of six battalions. Its Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment
is located at Fort Dix, New Jersey
. Assigned to the brigade are the 1st Battalion, 314th Infantry Regiment; the 2nd Battalion (Logistics Support), 313th Regiment; and the 3rd Battalion (Field Artillery), 314th Regiment; which are also headquartered at Fort Drum. Additionally, the brigade contains the 2nd Battalion (Combat Support), 310th Regiment; and 3rd Battalion (Logistics Support), 313th Regiment, which are both headquartered at Fort Devens
, Massachusetts. The 3rd Battalion (Combat Support), 309th Regiment, also part of the brigade, is headquartered at Syracuse, New York
.
. 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 13 November 1862. The regiment sailed to Louisiana
that December. Upon arrival, it was assigned to the 2nd brigade of Major General
William Emory's division
.
During the preliminary operations against Port Hudson, in the 3rd Brigade, Augur's division, XIX 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 8 February 1864, the regiment was consolidated with the 162nd New York Infantry. During its independent existence, the unit suffered one officer
and 22 enlisted men killed and mortally wounded, and one officer and 59 enlisted men killed from disease and other causes, bringing the total number of casualties suffered to 83.
, 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 23 May 1919 at Camp Dix, New Jersey.
Reorganized in December 1921 at Shreveport, Louisiana
, the brigade was redesignated on 23 March 1925 as the 174th Brigade. It was again redesignated on 24 August 1936 as the 174th Infantry Brigade. On 13 February 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. 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.
on 22 October 1944, and trained in England until the end of November. 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 10 December, 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 24 December until 28 December, before engaging in the Battle of the Bulge
in Belgium on 29 December. In a fluctuating battle, it captured Moircy on 30 December and Remagne on 31 December. On 2 January 1945, it took Germont
, on 10 January Tillet, and reached the Ourthe
by 13 January. On 15 January 1945, the Division moved to Luxembourg
to relieve the 4th Infantry Division along the Sauer
and seized Wasserbillig
on 23 January. The 87th moved to the vicinity of St. Vith on 28 January, then attacked and captured Schlierbach
, Selz
, and Hogden by the end of the month. After the fall of Neuendorf
on 9 February, the Division went on the defensive until the 26 February, when Ormont
and Hallschlag
were taken in night attacks. The 87th crossed the Kyll River on 6 March, took Dollendorf on 8 March, and after a brief rest, returned to combat on 13 March 1945, crossing the Moselle
on the 16 March and clearing Koblenz
, on 18 – 19 March. The Division crossed the Rhine on 25 – 26 March and despite strong opposition, consolidated its bridgehead, and secured Grossenlinden and Langgöns
. On 7 April, it jumped off in an attack which carried it through Thuringia
into Saxony
. Plauen
fell on 17 April, and the Division took up defensive positions on 20 April, about 4 miles from the Czech
border. On 6 May 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 21 September 1945. The 87th Reconnaissance Troop was deactivated on the same day.
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 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.
or Afghanistan
. 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. 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
. The brigade received distinctive unit insignia
and shoulder sleeve insignia in September 2007. 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.
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
based at Fort Drum
Fort Drum
Fort Drum is a United States Army base in New York near the Canadian border.Fort Drum may also refer to:*Fort Drum, Florida, a nearly-uninhabited town in the United States*Fort Drum , Philippines...
, 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
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the brigade was deployed for both World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. 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, many personnel in the brigade are instructors who are themselves combat veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
Organization
The brigade is a subordinate unit of the First Army. As a separate Reserve brigade, it does not report to a higher divisionDivision (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
level headquarters, and is a training unit rather than a combat one.
The brigade is made up of six battalions. Its Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment
Headquarters and Headquarters Company
In United States Army units, a headquarters and headquarters company is a company sized military unit, found at the battalion level and higher. In identifying a specific headquarters unit, it is usually referred to by its abbreviation as an HHC...
is located at Fort Dix, New Jersey
Fort Dix, New Jersey
JB MDL Dix , better known as Fort Dix, is a United States Army base located approximately south-southeast of Trenton, New Jersey. Dix is under the jurisdiction of the United States Army Reserve Command...
. Assigned to the brigade are the 1st Battalion, 314th Infantry Regiment; the 2nd Battalion (Logistics Support), 313th Regiment; and the 3rd Battalion (Field Artillery), 314th Regiment; which are also headquartered at Fort Drum. Additionally, the brigade contains the 2nd Battalion (Combat Support), 310th Regiment; and 3rd Battalion (Logistics Support), 313th Regiment, which are both headquartered at Fort Devens
Fort Devens
Fort Devens is an active United States military installation in the towns of Ayer and Shirley, in Middlesex County and Harvard in Worcester County in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It was named after jurist and Civil War general Charles Devens. The nearby Devens Reserve Forces Training Area is...
, Massachusetts. The 3rd Battalion (Combat Support), 309th Regiment, also part of the brigade, is headquartered at Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
.
Origins
The brigade draws its origins back to the 174th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, a unit that served during the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. The 174th, also called the 5th National Guard, was recruited in New York City under the auspices of the Metropolitan
Metropolis
A metropolis is a very large city or urban area which is a significant economic, political and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections and communications...
police; it was organized at Riker's Island, and there mustered into the U. S. service for three years on 13 November 1862. The regiment sailed to Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
that December. Upon arrival, it was assigned to the 2nd brigade of Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
William Emory's division
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
.
During the preliminary operations against Port Hudson, in the 3rd Brigade, Augur's division, XIX Corps
XIX Corps (ACW)
XIX Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War. It spent most of its service in Louisiana and the Gulf, though several units fought in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley....
, it skirmished on the Clinton plank road, was engaged at Plains store, and then took part in the long siege of Port Hudson
Siege of Port Hudson
The Siege of Port Hudson occurred from May 22 to July 9, 1863, when Union Army troops assaulted and then surrounded the Mississippi River town of Port Hudson, Louisiana, during the American Civil War....
, during which it sustained a loss of 14 killed, wounded, and missing.
After the fall of Port Hudson it engaged Confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
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 8 February 1864, the regiment was consolidated with the 162nd New York Infantry. During its independent existence, the unit suffered one officer
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
and 22 enlisted men killed and mortally wounded, and one officer and 59 enlisted 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 5 August 1917 in the National Army. It was organized on 25 August 1917 at Camp Dix, New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, and assigned to the 87th Division. It never saw combat in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, 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
Campaign streamer
Campaign streamers are decorations attached to military flags to recognize particular achievements or events of a military unit or service. Attached to the headpiece of the assigned flag, the streamer often is an inscribed ribbon with the name and date denoting participation in a particular battle,...
for World War I without an inscription. After the war, it was demobilized on 23 May 1919 at Camp Dix, New Jersey.
Reorganized in December 1921 at Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
, the brigade was redesignated on 23 March 1925 as the 174th Brigade. It was again redesignated on 24 August 1936 as the 174th Infantry Brigade. On 13 February 1942, the unit was converted and redesignated as 3rd platoon
Platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing 16 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organized into a company, which typically consists of three, four or five platoons. A platoon is typically the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer—the...
, 87th Reconnaissance Troop, still assigned to the 87th Division. This consolidation also occurred to the 173rd Infantry Brigade. That December, the unit was ordered into active military service and reorganized along with the rest of the division at Camp McCain, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, which became an Infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
division. It was then mechanized
Mechanized infantry
Mechanized infantry are infantry equipped with armored personnel carriers , or infantry fighting vehicles for transport and combat ....
the next year.
World War II
The 87th Infantry Division arrived in ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
on 22 October 1944, and trained in England until the end of November. It landed in France in early December, and moved to Metz
Metz
Metz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place...
, 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
Saarland
Saarland is one of the sixteen states of Germany. The capital is Saarbrücken. It has an area of 2570 km² and 1,045,000 inhabitants. In both area and population, it is the smallest state in Germany other than the city-states...
-German border on 10 December, and capturing Rimling
Rimling
Rimling is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France....
, Obergailbach
Obergailbach
Obergailbach is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.Located on the border with Germany, it is adjacent to the German village of Niedergailbach.-External links:**...
, and Guiderkirch.
The 87th Division was moving into Germany when Von Rundstedt launched his offensive in the Ardennes
Ardennes
The Ardennes is a region of extensive forests, rolling hills and ridges formed within the Givetian Ardennes mountain range, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France , and geologically into the Eifel...
. The Division was placed in reserve from 24 December until 28 December, before engaging in the Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
in Belgium on 29 December. In a fluctuating battle, it captured Moircy on 30 December and Remagne on 31 December. On 2 January 1945, it took Germont
Germont
Germont is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France....
, on 10 January Tillet, and reached the Ourthe
Ourthe
The Ourthe is a 165 km long river in the Ardennes in Wallonia . It is a right tributary to the river Meuse. The Ourthe is formed at the confluence of the Ourthe Occidentale and the Ourthe Orientale , west of Houffalize.The source of the Ourthe Occidentale is near Libramont-Chevigny, in the...
by 13 January. On 15 January 1945, the Division moved to Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
to relieve the 4th Infantry Division along the Sauer
Sauer
The Sauer or Sûre is a river in Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany. A left tributary of the river Moselle, its total length is 173 km....
and seized Wasserbillig
Wasserbillig
Wasserbillig is a town in the commune of Mertert, in eastern Luxembourg. , Wasserbillig has 2,186 inhabitants, which makes it the largest town in Mertert. It lies at the confluence of the rivers Moselle and Sauer, which form the border with Germany at the town...
on 23 January. The 87th moved to the vicinity of St. Vith on 28 January, then attacked and captured Schlierbach
Schlierbach
Schlierbach may refer to:* Schlierbach , a town in the district of Göppingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany* Schlierbach, Haut-Rhin, commune in France* Heidelberg-Schlierbach, a district of the city of Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany...
, Selz
Selz
The Selz is a river in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, a left tributary to the Rhine. It flows through the biggest German wine region, which is called Rheinhessen....
, and Hogden by the end of the month. After the fall of Neuendorf
Neuendorf, Rhineland-Palatinate
Neuendorf is a municipality in the district of Bitburg-Prüm, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany....
on 9 February, the Division went on the defensive until the 26 February, when Ormont
Ormont
Ormont is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
and Hallschlag
Hallschlag
Hallschlag is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
were taken in night attacks. The 87th crossed the Kyll River on 6 March, took Dollendorf on 8 March, and after a brief rest, returned to combat on 13 March 1945, crossing the Moselle
Moselle
Moselle is a department in the east of France named after the river Moselle.- History :Moselle is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
on the 16 March and clearing Koblenz
Koblenz
Koblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the...
, on 18 – 19 March. The Division crossed the Rhine on 25 – 26 March and despite strong opposition, consolidated its bridgehead, and secured Grossenlinden and Langgöns
Langgöns
Langgöns is a municipality in the district of Gießen, in Hesse, Germany. It is situated 10 km south of Gießen....
. On 7 April, it jumped off in an attack which carried it through Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
into Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
. Plauen
Plauen
Plauen is a town in the Free State of Saxony, east-central Germany.It is the capital of the Vogtlandkreis. The town is situated near the border of Bavaria and the Czech Republic.Plauen's slogan is Plauen - echt Spitze.-History:...
fell on 17 April, and the Division took up defensive positions on 20 April, about 4 miles from the Czech
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
border. On 6 May 1945, it took Falkenstein
Falkenstein, Saxony
Falkenstein is a town in the Vogtlandkreis district, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated 4 km southwest of Auerbach, and 17 km east of Plauen....
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
Fort Benning
Fort Benning is a United States Army post located southeast of the city of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama...
changed the future of the 87th. The Division was inactivated on 21 September 1945. The 87th Reconnaissance Troop was deactivated on the same day.
Cold War era
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
. At the same time, the Organized Reserves were undergoing a transformation into the Army Reserve
United States Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
. The unit was again reorganized and redesignated in 1949 as the 87th Reconnaissance Company, before being deactivated in December 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 1 December 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, is responsible for early stages of training for other reserve soldiers who have been alerted for deployment. 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 IraqIraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
or Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. 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. 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
Army National Guard
Established under Title 10 and Title 32 of the U.S. Code, the Army National Guard is part of the National Guard and is divided up into subordinate units stationed in each of the 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia operating under their respective governors...
. The brigade received distinctive unit insignia
Distinctive unit insignia
A Distinctive Unit Insignia is a metal heraldic device worn by soldiers in the United States Army. The DUI design is derived from the coat of arms authorized for a unit...
and shoulder sleeve insignia in September 2007. 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
Fort Bragg (North Carolina)
Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke counties, North Carolina, U.S., mostly in Fayetteville but also partly in the town of Spring Lake. It was also a census-designated place in the 2010 census and had a population of 39,457. The fort is named for Confederate...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
for another training mission.
Unit decorations
The brigade has never received a unit decoration from the United States military.Campaign streamers
| Conflict | Streamer | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|
| World War I World War I World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918... |
(no inscription) | 1918 |
| World War II World War II World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis... |
Rhineland Campaign | 1944–1945 |
| World War II | Ardennes-Alsace Campaign | 1944–1945 |
| World War II | Central Europe Campaign Central Europe Campaign After crossing the Rhine the Western Allies fanned out overrunning all of western Germany from the Baltic in the north to Austria in the south before the Germans surrendered on 8 May 1945. This is known as the "Central Europe Campaign" in United States military histories.By the early spring of... |
1945 |