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2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division
Sunday, 02 September 2007
The present Spartan Brigade was constituted November 12, 1917 at Camp Greene, N.C. The brigade saw its first combat during World War I and participated in six major campaigns.
The most notable was the Battle of the Marne from which the 3rd Infantry Division derives its motto, “Rock of the Marne.”
On October 16, 1939, just prior to WWII, the brigade was disbanded at Vancouver Barracks, Washington due to the reorganization of the Army division structure from the “Square” to the “Triangular” concept.
On June 17, 1963, the 2nd Brigade was activated in Kitzengen, Germany, as a senior headquarters to one armor battalion and two mechanized infantry battalions. Here the brigade remained as a major force of the striking power of the 3rd Infantry Division, dedicated to the defense of the United States and the free world during the height of the Cold War. In January 1994, the 2nd Brigade was deactivated.
The unit was reactivated February 16, 1996 at Fort Stewart, Georgia, as part of the XVIII Airborne Corps Rapid Deployment Force. The 2nd Brigade became the armor-heavy brigade in the 3rd Infantry Division.
In 2002 the brigade was positioned in Kuwait to respond to potential Iraqi aggression. In March 2003, 2nd Brigade attacked into Iraq to liberate the Iraqi people and remove Saddam Hussein from power. The brigade seized Baghdad in a lightning-quick “Thunder Run” that military historians and tacticians will surely be analyzing for many years to come.
The brigade conducted stability and security operations in Fallujah before redeploying to Fort Stewart. The brigade then became the first brigade in the Army to test a new “modular” design in personnel manning and equipment allocation.
In January 2005 the brigade deployed to Baghdad as part of OIF III, conducting operations including direct action against terrorists, humanitarian missions and reconstruction efforts.
The Spartan Brigade Combat Team is currently deployed south of Baghdad in support of Multi-National Division/Center’s mission to stem the flow of weapons and terrorists into Baghdad.
