Up until five weeks ago, Joe was still emailing about website business. The 89th Tank Battalion returned to Hawaii with the 25th Infantry Division where it remained until deactivation in 1957. Bravo Company's 1st Platoon, detailed to provide additional firepower to the SF camp, fought what was to be the only engagement between U.S. and NVA armor on the night of 3 and 4 March. For its actions A Company was awarded the Valorous Unit Citation. [2], The Battalion shipped from Okinawa to Vietnam and, and true to the policy at the time, was fragmented, with the Battalion HQ, trains, A and C companies going to Cu Chi supporting the main elements of the 25 Division, while B Company joined the 3rd Brigade of the 25th Division in Pleiku. Both battalions continue to operate with the now 3rd Infantry Division (following redesigination of the 24th)(Mechanized) as part of the Army's Rapid Deployment Forces and have distinguished themselves both in armored combat and as key elements of the ready force of the United States Army. 10 April: Reported to White Battalion, 273rd Infantry Regiment, 69th Division, and formed part of the advance guard for Combat Command A, 9th Armored Division. [2], LTC Fairfield was promoted and subsequently reassigned as command of 1/69 Armor passed to LTC Clyde O. Clark. Donald P. Boyer was the S-3 (Operations) Officer of 38th Armored Infantry Battalion. These routes were notorious for ambush actions dating back to the French Indochina War of the 1950s. We will be posting a tribute and the family's eulogy. Armored. LTC Robert J. Graebener, March 1990 - October 1991 (Colors Cased), LTC Lon E. Maggart, April 1984 April 1986, LTC Ricardo Sanchez, during Operation Desert Storm 9091, LTC Jeffery R. Sanderson, May 2002 June 2004, LTC Robert R. Roggeman, June 2004 June 2006, LTC Robert Ashe, July 2008 January 2011, LTC George E Bolton Jr., June 2019 - Present, LTC Jessie L. Robinson, 27 July 2008 October 2009, LTC Jeff Denius, October 2009 October 2011, LTC Orestees "Bo" T. Davenport, October 2011 October 2013, LTC Harry "Zan" Hornbuckle, October 2013 July 2015, LTC Johnny A. Evans Jr., July 2015 May 2017, LTC Stewart W. Wallace June 1985 - June 1987, LTC J. Steven Hunter June 1987 - October 1987, This page was last edited on 27 July 2022, at 11:53. Deployment commenced on 25 January 1966 with the Battalion laying over in Okinawa to take over 52 new M48A3 tanks and familiarize crews with the new series, AN-GRC 12 radios. The 2017 Annual Reunion will be in Virginia Beach, VA at the North Beach Holiday Inn Sept. 21-24, 2017. He said we were like brothers and then all of a sudden, we lost all contact. The Regimental Headquarters and 1st Battalion remained with the 6th Armor Division as the 69th Tank Battalion; the 3rd Battalion was redesignated as the 708th Amphibian Tank Battalion and participated in most of the key amphibious assault campaigns in the Pacific Theater of Operations. Background: The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 69th Armored Regiment on 7 September 1942. [2], The 1st Battalion was again reactivated and assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division in Germany in 1975. [2], As part of the 197th Brigade (Separate), 2d Battalion, 69th Armor led the assault of the 24th Infantry Division into Iraq during Operation Desert Storm in February 1991. [2], During a reaction force operation just prior to Tet in January, 1968, Sp5 Dwight Hal Johnson, gunner on B11, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry above and beyond the call of duty. In a rapid advance to the east, the 69th took Schmidtheim and Dahlem, 7 March. We wonder about the rest that served with us in the artillery unit we served in. The 69th Armored Regiment's history began on 15 July 1940 when it was formed and assigned to the 1st Armored Division. The 69th Armored Regiment was constituted on 15 July, 1940 in the Regular Army and initially assigned to the lst Armored Division. Two days later, Division patrols in the area between the Elbe and the Mulde Rivers contacted Russian troops in the vicinity of Riesa and again at Torgau. This deactivation came to an end when the unit was re-designated as the 69th Medium Tank Battalion in August 1950. Being always alert, the black variety of panther is considered the most dangerous of all the feline family. A Company was charged with the security of Hwy 19E between An Khe and Mang Jiang Pass, and on 10 April, routed a regimental size ambush attempt on a convoy which effectively destroyed the NVA 95B battalion as a fighting force. 69th Armor tankers learned on-the-job the importance of rear and flank security, the effect of canister in dense jungle, the exaggerated needs for constant maintenance halts and the value and down-sides of assorted OVM and equipment. It was reorganized and re-designated on 20 September 1943 as Company C, 69th Tank Battalion. In January 2005, the Speed and Power Battalion deployed again under the command of LTC Mark Wald[2] in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom III. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Archer ,1/35, US Armored Division Patches..# AR99019, sealed .+ bonus set at the best online prices at eBay! The 89th Tank Battalion returned to Hawaii with the 25th Infantry Division where it remained until deactivation in 1957. It was a wonderful moment that we will both remember for the rest of our lives, and we owe it to VetFriends. . 6th Armored Division "Super Sixth" The mixture of insignia and distinctive colors of several arms incorporated in the Armored Force symbolize integrity and esprit. Thanks for making it possible!" Following great successes in Chalis Qada and Ar Ramadi, the Battalion redeployed to Fort Benning, Georgia in January 2006. The battalion displaced its forward headquarters in March, from Hwy 14S to Camp Radcliff in An Kh, under the operational control of the 173rd Airborne Brigade to join Operation Walker and was again involved in fighting along the coastal plain near Bong Son. Stories of The Fighting 69th Infantry Division in World War II, 69th involvement in The Battle of the Bulge, Read the latest memories from 69th family, friends and buddies, Search military records medical benefits awards & decorations, Search for date of KIA (killed in action) and burial location overseas, Social Security site recommended to help vets apply for disability benefits, Donate to the development and enhancement of this website, 69th Annual Reunion, 2017, Virginia Beach, VA, Sep. 22-25, 2016. The Regimental HQ and 1st Battalion remained with the 6th Armored Division as the 69th Tank Battalion, while the 3rd Battalion was re-designated as 708th Amphibian Tank Battalion and was a participant in several critical amphibious campaigns and distinguished itself during the bloody fighting on Okinawa earning the battalion the Navy Presidential Unit Citation. The 69th Armored Regiment's history began on 15 July 1940 when it was formed and assigned to the 1st Armored Division. [2], A Company was committed within two hours of its disembarking from LSTs in Saigon as a reaction force to combat in the Filhol Rubber Plantation west of Saigon. The 1st Battalion was again reactivated and assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division in Germany in 1975. Until VE-day the 69th patrolled and policed its area. In July, 1994, a monument was erected and dedicated to the tank Soldiers of the 69th Armor Regiment, from all battalions, in Armor Memorial Park at Fort Knox, Kentucky. FG35039 | 1:35 . Lieutenant Colonel (Major General, Retired) R.J. Fairfield, Jr. assumed command of the 1st Battalion, 69th Armor on 31 July, 1965. Unit troops discovered Leipzig-Thekla concentration camp, a subcamp of Buchenwald. The 69th Armor Regiment is part of the U.S. Army Regimental System with only two battalions, the 2nd and 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, existing in separate brigades and representing the regiment as a whole. Lineage and Honors Information as of 16 May 2012, Robert J. DalessandroDirector, Center of Military History, Constituted 15 July 1940 in the Regular Army as Company B, 69th Armored Regiment, an element of the 1st Armored Division, Activated 31 July 1940 at Fort Knox, Kentucky, Inactivated 10 January 1942 at Fort Knox, Kentucky, Activated 15 February 1942 at Fort Knox, Kentucky (69th Armored Regiment concurrently relieved from assignment to the 1st Armored Division and assigned to the 6th Armored Division), Reorganized and redesignated 20 September 1943 as Company B, 69th Tank Battalion, Reorganized and redesignated 10 July 1945 as Company B, 69th Amphibian Tractor Battalion (69th Tank Battalion concurrently relieved from assignment to the 6th Armored Division), Inactivated 8 March 1946 at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, Redesignated 21 August 1950 as Company B, 69th Medium Tank Battalion, an element of the 6th Armored Division, Activated 5 September 1950 at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, Inactivated 16 March 1956 at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, (69th Medium Tank Battalion relieved 1 February 1957 from assignment to the 6th Armored DIvision), Redesignated 1 July 1957 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2d Medium Tank Battalion, 69th Armor (organic elements concurrently constituted), Battalion assigned 8 July 1957 to the 10th Infantry Division and activated in Germany, Relieved 14 June 1958 from assignment to the 10th Infantry Division and assigned to the 2d Infantry Division, Inactivated 1 March 1963 at Fort Benning, Georgia, and relieved from assignment to the 2d Infantry Division, Redesignated 21 March 1973 as the 2d Battalion, 69th Armor, assigned to the 197th Infantry Brigade, and activated at Fort Benning, Georgia, Relieved 16 October 1991 from assignment to the 197th Infantry Brigade and assigned to the 24th Infantry Division, Relieved 16 February 1996 from assignment to the 24th Infantry Division and assigned to the 3d Infantry Division, Relieved 16 March 2004 from assignment to the 3d Infantry Division and assigned to the 3d Brigade Combat Team, 3d Infantry Division, Redesignated 1 October 2005 as the 2d Battalion, 69th Armored Regiment, *Presidential Unit Citation (Army), Streamer embroidered IRAQ 2003, Presidential Unit Citation (Navy), Streamer embroidered SAIPAN AND TINIAN, Presidential Unit Citation (Navy), Streamer embroidered OKINAWA, Presidential Unit Citation (Navy), Streamer embroidered WONJU-HWACHON, *Valorous Unit Award, Streamer embroidered BAGHDAD, *Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army), Streamer embroidered IRAQ 2009-2010, Navy Unit Commendation, Streamer embroidered PANMUNJOM, *Army Superior Unit Award, Streamer embroidered 1994, Valorous Unit Award, Streamer embroidered YUSUFIYAH, IRAQ. [2], A Company was committed within two hours of its disembarking from LSTs in Saigon, as a reaction force to combat in the Filhol Rubber Plantation west of Saigon. It participated in the Battle for Jalibah Airfield. After a successful tour, Task Force 369 AR redeployed to Fort Stewart in January 2006. Non-Commissioned Officers were also called. The Battalion was instrumental in keeping these vital roads open for re-supply of units heavily engaged with the North Vietnames during the heavy battles around Dak To and Kontum in November, 1967. The 69th Infantry Division arrived in England, 12 December 1944, where it continued its training. The 2nd Battalion at Fort Benning, and the 3rd Battalion assigned to Fort Stewart, Georgia, were organic to the 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized). Throughout the 1990s, the battalion deployed in support of numerous war-time missions including Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in Iraq. Contact us | Terms of Use The battalion served first under 2nd BCT, 2ID and later under 4th BCT, 10th MTN DIV while detached from the rest of the 3rd HBCT. Meanwhile, B and C Companies were placed OPCON to the Republic of Korea's 'Tiger' Division, headquartered near Qui Nhon at Camp Townes to support Operation Maeng Ho 11. In November 1951, it was again reflagged the 89th Tank Battalion and assigned to the 25th Infantry Division. The 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment (3-69 AR) is a United States Army combined arms battalion and part of the 3rd Infantry Division based at Fort Stewart, Georgia. The insignia was redesignated for the 69th Medium Tank Battalion on 25 February 1954. The 69th Armor is an armored (tank) regiment of the United States Army. During this period Alpha Company supported the three Sky Trooper brigades in heavy combat operations along the South China Sea coast, distinguishing itself in savage fighting against Main Force Viet Cong, for countless fortified village complexes in Binh Dinh province and the Bong Son plain area. (Click for explanation of photos.) 1/69 Armor played a critical role in the defense of Pleiku, Kontum, Dak To and Hwy 19 during the Jan/Feb. T he 6th Armored Division had three Tank Battalions: the 15th, the 68th and the 69th. LTC William Grant assumed command of 1/69 Armor as the Battalion was given the mission of securing the primary routes of communicationon QL 19, between Qui Nhon on the coast and Duc Co on the Cambodian border; and on QL 14 between Dak To in the north to Ban Me Thout in the south. 269 AR is currently stationed at Fort Stewart, Georgia as part of the 2nd Armor Brigade Combat Team ("Spartans"), 3rd Infantry Division and 369 AR is stationed at Fort Stewart, Georgia as part of the 1st Armor Brigade Combat Team ("Raider"), 3rd Infantry Division. The battalion continued its second half of the deployment north of Ramadi, and executed numerous expeditionary combat operations near Lake Tharthar, Habbaniyah, and the southern region of the Salah ad Din Province. It is an interlocked. By January 1943 or earlier, the widening WWII and its troop demands brought these plans out again. The unit was reassigned on 16 October 1987 to the 24th Infantry Division and activated at Fort Stewart, Georgia. [2], 1st Platoon, B Company earned a special Presidential Unit Citation in August 1966 for their actions at LZ 27 Victor, a small Korean enclave in the triple canopy jungles of the Ia Drang-Chu Pong mountain area, where nine months earlier, the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) fought savage battles with infiltrating North Vietnamese units. Justbeforethe 69th departed the USA for Europe, Major General Emil F. Reinhardt took division command. Bulletins thru the years - training, combat, reunion & photos of buddies and you. 6th AD was formed under the 1942 Table of Organization and Equipment. It was subsequently deactivated in late 1991 with the Regimental Colors returning to the 2nd Battalion at Fort Benning, Georgia. Thanks for making it possible, Thanks so much VetFriends.com for your help and genuine concern for locating this long lost buddy of mine, Please Enter a Valid email address with no spaces, VetFriends Members: Our prayers and sympathies go out to the Lipsius family. Meanwhile, B and C Companies were placed OPCON to the Republic of Korea's 'Tiger' Division, headquartered at Camp Thunderbolt near Qui Nhon to support Operation Maeng Ho 11. [2], 1/69 Armor played a critical role in the defense of Pleiku, Kontum, Dak To and Hwy 19 during the Jan/Feb. Are you looking for someone who is or was in 69TH ARMORED DIVISION? LTC James L. Marini took command in December, 1969 and continued operations until the Battalion stood down with the 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division and returned to the U.S. in mid 1970. the 1st Battalion 69th Armor distinguished itself in fierce combat in all areas of its operations during over four years of deployment in the Republic of Vietnam. Archer 1/35 U.S. 69th, 71st, 95th, 98th, 106th Infantry Division Patches FG35035. [5] This time the battalion served as the 1st Brigade Combat Team's and 42nd Infantry Division's main effort in Samarra, Iraq. U.S. The battalion also participated in Intrinsic Action in Kuwait and Kosovo Force Operation support in Kosovo. The 6th Armored Division ("Super Sixth") was an armored division of the United States Army during World War II. Co. & 69th Inf. Relive & share the memories of your service time with your brothers & sisters in arms today. It was redesignated for the 69th Tank Battalion on 4 November 1943. The former Company C, 69th Tank Battalion, was reconstituted on 21 August 1950 in the Regular Army as Company C, 69th Medium Tank Battalion, an element of the 6th Armored Division. Co A, 777th Tk Bn: 6 Mar 45-8 Mar 45: 777th Tk Bn: 29 Mar 45-15 Jun 45: Chemical. All rights reserved. This fifteen-month deployment was part of the General Petraeus "surge" of force. The 69th Tank Battalion participated in most of the major ETO actions and campaigns with the 6th Armor Division includingNormandy, Northern France, the Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace and Central Europe. It relieved the 80th Division in Kassel, 5 April, seized Munden on the 8th and Weissenfels on the 14th against sharp opposition, and captured Leipzig, 19 April, following a fierce struggle within the city. View our site visit statistics. Hq., Cn. Re-designated on 15 August 1983 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3d Battalion, 69th Armor, the unit was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division, and activated in Germany. Thank you so much again for helping me Joe was 97 years old. Joe was 97 years old. Each battalion had its own insignia. Welcome to the 6th Armored Division virtual museum. 69th Armored Infantry Battalion 23rd Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron (Mechanized) 216th Armored Engineer Battalion 156th Armored Signal Company 16th Armored Division Artillery 393rd Armored Field Artillery Battalion 396th Armored Field Artillery Battalion 397th Armored Field Artillery Battalion 16th Armored Division Trains On March 19, 2003, 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor was the tip of the spear, leading the famous "March to Baghdad." [2] Both received the Superior Unit Award. The 69th Armor Regiment was constituted on 15 July, 1940, at Fort Knox, Kentucky, in the Regular Army and initially assigned to the 1st Armor Division. 3d Battalion, 69th Armor similarly operated with the 24th Division during war.[2]. Col. Ethan J. Diven, commander of the "Spartan Brigade," 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, passes the unit colors to new brigade senior enlisted advisor, Command Sgt. In June, 1996, a M48A3 tank was obtained from Vietnam, refurbished and placed in the Patton Museum of Cavalry and Armor at Fort Knox.