2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion
Encyclopedia
Unit Crest
Description: A Gold color metal and enamelEnamel
Enamel may refer to:* Tooth enamel, the hard mineralized surface of teeth* Vitreous enamel, a smooth, durable coating made of melted and fused glass powder-See also:* Enamel organ, a cellular aggregation that functions in the formation of tooth enamel...
device 1 1/8 inches (2.86 cm) in height overall consisting of a shield blazoned: Per pale Sable
Sable (heraldry)
In heraldry, sable is the tincture black, and belongs to the class of dark tinctures, called "colours". In engravings and line drawings, it is sometimes depicted as a region of crossed horizontal and vertical lines or else marked with sa. as an abbreviation.The name derives from the black fur of...
and Gules
Gules
In heraldry, gules is the tincture with the colour red, and belongs to the class of dark tinctures called "colours". In engraving, it is sometimes depicted as a region of vertical lines or else marked with gu. as an abbreviation....
with stylized folds Sanguine
Sanguine (heraldry)
Sanguine is a tincture in heraldry, otherwise one of the "staynard colours" . In the past it was sometimes taken to be equivalent to murrey, but they are now definitely considered two distinct tinctures. It is a brownish red, the colour of arterial blood....
; in the first three lightning flashes conjoined and radiating from base point Or
Or (heraldry)
In heraldry, Or is the tincture of gold and, together with argent , belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". In engravings and line drawings, it may be represented using a field of evenly spaced dots...
; in the second a stylized demi-Spartan shield of the like garnished Tenné and Bronze; overall a sword in pale Argent (Silver Gray) with hilt and handguard Azure (Teal); a bordure
Bordure
In heraldry, a bordure is a band of contrasting tincture forming a border around the edge of a shield, traditionally one-sixth as wide as the shield itself...
of the fourth two bars enhanced of the first. Attached around the sides and bottom of the shield is a Black tripartite scroll inscribed with "PERSTATUM FORTITUDO BELLATORIS" in Gold.
Symbolism: Gold (Yellow) recalls the Cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
lineage of the unit. Gold is also emblematic of excellence and high achievement. The two horizontal black bars allude to wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
, inherent with Armor and the unit's numerical designation "2nd." The Sparta
Sparta
Sparta or Lacedaemon, was a prominent city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the banks of the River Eurotas in Laconia, in south-eastern Peloponnese. It emerged as a political entity around the 10th century BC, when the invading Dorians subjugated the local, non-Dorian population. From c...
n sword or Xiphos represents the unit's courage, vigilance and preparedness to stand and fight at a moment's notice. The blue of the hilt is for loyalty. The Spartan shield or Hoplon signifies the unit's ability to receive and organize multiple attachments for combat and remain constantly ready to support global military operations. Red symbolizes valor, sacrifice and is the color of the Spartan warrior's cape. The Spartan army
Spartan Army
The Spartan army was the military force of Sparta, one of the leading city-states of ancient Greece. The army stood at the centre of the Spartan state, whose citizens' primary obligation was to be good soldiers. Subject to military drill from infancy, the Spartans were one of the most feared...
was one of the toughest on record and served as the standard for valor. The lightning flashes highlight the organization's inherent ability to support tactical missions with Intelligence, Signal and Military Police capabilities. The contrast of black and gold underscores the night and day, around the clock mission of the Special Troops Battalion
Special Troops Battalion
A Special Troops Battalion is an organic unit of a modular brigade, Division , corps or higher echelon United States Army organization...
.
Background: The distinctive unit insignia
Insignia
Insignia or insigne pl -nia or -nias : a symbol or token of personal power, status or office, or of an official body of government or jurisdiction...
was approved on 4 October 2005.
Unit History
2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, "Spartans", Commanded by LTC Kenneth Crawford and CSM Michael Cooke, was activated on 8 July 2005 in response to the US Army’s UA / UE concept of fielding its vision of “The Objective Force”. The battalion is composed of a headquarters company (old HHC, 91 EN) (with an organic MP platoon, NBC Recon platoon, and support platoon),a Military Intelligence company (old B Co, 312 MI), and a Signal company (old B Co, 13SIG) thereby making it the primary support node for Blackjack Brigade. The Spartan battalion is capable of receiving multiple combat, combat support, and combat service support modules in support of full spectrum and support operations worldwide.On 4 Sep., 2BSTB deployed to New Orleans, LA. in response to Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
. The primary mission of this deployment was to render aide to displaced civilians, provide a patrolling force to deter rioting and criminal activity, and assist local law officials and government organizations to safeguard and protect the neighborhood of Algiers within the greater New Orleans city limits.