Has the reconfiguration of forces to War Fighting and the creation of Brigade Combat Teams, caused every unit you were ever in to disappear?

2016-06-22T02:55:24-04:00

Response by SGM Joel Cook made Jun 22 at 2016 3:10 AM

2016-06-22T03:10:24-04:00

I was talking to an old Platoon SGT of mine a few days ago. We were both 31U series commo soldiers. Because of the reorganization of the US Army to War Fighting and reconfiguration to Brigade Combat Teams almost every unit we had ever been in no longer exists because of units closing, redesignation, post closures or elimination of specific Signal MOSs. I was wondering if other Signal Soldiers had experienced the same situation. I was in HHD, DIVARTY, 1 CD and HHB, 2-18th FA Bn, 2 ID that I think still exist. All other units I was ever in are now gone. A total of 10 other units.

Response by SGT David T. made Jun 22 at 2016 7:45 AM

2016-06-22T07:45:58-04:00

Not every unit. My first unit 3/502nd Infantry at Campbell was disbanded and turned into a cav unit. My second unit 1/506th Infantry was moved from 2ID in Korea to Campbell. My third unit 102nd QM co disappeared. My final unit unit 47th FSB was changed to a BSB and moved to Bliss from Germany.

Response by SFC William Swartz Jr made Jun 22 at 2016 10:11 AM

2016-06-22T10:11:00-04:00

With the end of the Cold War and post DS/DS, the Army That I enlisted into went through a major downsizing, but since that time the only unit I served in that is no longer in existence is the very first one I served in '88-'90, 2-77 AR BN that was at Ft. Carson, Co. Since the beginning of OIF/OEF the Army once again shifted the configuration of the fighting elements into somehat bastardized ACRs when they shifted to the BCT configuration. They attempted to, in a manner, to emulate the configuration of forces lobbied for by COL(R) Douglas Macgregor in his book "Breaking the Phalanx", and this has served us rather well as units are already organically organized and do not need to cross-attach like we did in the Cold War Army.

Response by MSG Jim Sterling made Jun 29 at 2016 6:10 AM

2016-06-29T06:10:00-04:00

Most of the Signal units I served in have long been deactivated, some have been reactivated and even some of those have been deactivated again and I am sure that was for a good cause as the Army evolved and as technology in the Signal Corps made those units obsolete. When I look back at my tours in the 25th Signal Bn.in Germany in 1958 / 1960, 525th Signal company in Ft Bliss TX and Ft, Huachuca1960 /1966, 121st Signal in Vietnam 1966 /1967, 51st Signal In Korea 1969 to 1970,and 35th Signal Group in Ft. Bragg !970/71 I see Horse and Buggy technology compared to todays Signal units. Even though I do not have an inkling of what type of communications the units have today, But I can guess that it would be satellite versus line of sight. Internet and fiber optics vs Spiral four cable and they have probably even retired our high tech HF Fax. Lol. Guess my MOS 31Z has gone obsolete by now so I cannot really expect my old units to stay activated. The Signal Corps has to keep up with the evolving Army and Technology. In my days in the Army from 1958 to 1978 I thought we were high tech and we were for the time but I never imagined the communications of today.

Response by 1SG William West made Jun 30 at 2016 2:04 AM

2016-06-30T02:04:48-04:00

Some of the units I was in went away in the drawdown after Desert Storm: 143rd Signal Bn, 3rd AD; 5th Sig Bn, 5th ID; 8th Sig Bn, 8th ID was reflagged to 141st Sig Bn, 1st AD, and that battalion went away as well. As part of the latest reorganization 16th Sig Bn, 3rd Sig Bde, and 504th Sig Bn, 11th Sig Bde have gone away. 21st Sig CO remains-it was reflagged from C Co, 6th Sig Bn, 6th ID. HHC, 11th Sig Bde remains as does 307th Sig Bn and 59th Sig Bn.