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56th Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division (United States)

April 11, 2024

The 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT), 28th Infantry Division, also known as the Independence Brigade, is a brigade combat team of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard and has its headquarters located at Horsham Air Guard Station in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania.

56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team
56th SBCT / 28th Division shoulder sleeve insignia
Active1747 – present
Country United States
Branch United States Army
TypeInfantry Brigade
RoleStryker Infantry
Size4,000
Part of28th Infantry Division
Garrison/HQBiddle National Guard Base
Willow Grove, Pennsylvania
Nickname(s)"Independence Brigade"
Motto(s)"Strength Through Honor" "Ride the Lightning"
EngagementsAmerican Civil War
World War I
World War II
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Commanders
Notable
commanders		George C. Rickards
Insignia
Combat service identification badge

The 56th SBCT is one of nine Stryker Brigade Combat Teams in the United States Army and for many years, until the conversion of 81st SBCT, it was the only reserve component Stryker unit in the Army. It is one of five brigades of the 28th Infantry Division, and provides light infantry land assets for both federal and state active duty missions. The federal mission is to deploy on short notice as part of the 28th Infantry Division and destroy, capture, or repel enemy forces using maneuver and shock effect. The state mission of the brigade is to serve the Governor and the citizens of the Commonwealth as needed in times of natural disaster or civil unrest.

History edit

 
Strykers from the 56th SBCT arrive in Lithuania 6 June 2015 to take part in Saber Strike 2015.

The 56th SBCT is composed of some of the oldest units in the United States Army. Units of the 111th Infantry trace their lineage back to 1747, when Benjamin Franklin first established his famed "Associators" in Philadelphia. The battalions, as well as the brigade, carry battle streamers from nearly every conflict throughout American history.[1]

The current 56th Brigade Combat team derives its numerical designation, although not its lineage, from the historical 56th Infantry Brigade. The 56th Infantry Brigade was formed in September 1917 as part of the 28th Division. The brigade, commanded in late 1918 by Arthur L. Conger, initially included the 111th and 112th Infantry Regiments.[2] During World War I it was involved in the Meuse-Argonne, Champagne-Marne, Aisne-Marne, Oise-Aisne, and Ypres-Lys (field artillery only) operations. During the war, the 28th Infantry Division took a total of 14,139 casualties (KIA-2,165 ; WIA-11,974). The brigade was again part of the 28th Division from 1921 to 1941.

The current brigade traces its origins to the 111th Infantry and the Pentomic and Reorganization Objective Army Division reorganizations of the 28th Infantry Division from regiments to battle groups and finally to brigades, culminating in 1963.[3] In 1963, the brigade was formed as the 1st Brigade, 28th Infantry Division. In 1968, as part of the McNamara-inspired reorganization of the Army National Guard, it was reassigned to the 42nd Infantry Division as the 56th Brigade, 42nd Infantry Division. From 1975 it has again been assigned to the 28th Infantry Division.

The brigade was called to active duty during the Blizzard of 1996, when flood emergencies were declared by the Governors of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. During the blizzard in Philadelphia, the 56th Brigade won credit in saving over 70 lives by providing emergency medical transportation during the duration of the Governor's proclamation.[1]

In December 2000, the United States Army proposed a new reorganization. The following year, the 56th Brigade was selected as the only reserve component Stryker Brigade out of seven in the entire United States Army. The brigade was reflagged the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team on 24 October 2004 at Fort Indiantown Gap's Muir Field.[4]

On 1 September 2005 the entire Brigade Combat Team was mobilized to deploy to Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, the sixth strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean, slammed into the Gulf Coast. The 56th SBCT was stationed in and around New Orleans to support the relief effort for nearly a month and a half. This included a subsequent deployment to the areas damaged by Hurricane Rita, which made land fall near the Louisiana-Texas border.[1]

Iraq deployment edit

 
56th Stryker Brigade soldiers in training before going to Iraq.

The brigade trained at Camp Shelby, Mississippi from 19 September 2008 until November 2008 when it moved to the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) in Fort Polk, Louisiana until December 2008. The brigade continued training at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in December 2008 and moved to Camp Buehring, Kuwait, in January 2009 awaiting movement into Iraq. The 56th SBCT, based at Camp Taji, Iraq, conducted operations in the northern Baghdad Governorate, as part of Multi-National Division – Baghdad, from January to September 2009, before redeploying to Kuwait and returning home at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.

56th Stryker Brigade – OIF composition

Composition edit

 
US Army Stryker Brigade Combat Team Organizational Chart

As of 2024 the brigade is consists of the following units:

Lineage edit

  • Organized 1800-05-01 at Philadelphia as the Weccacoe Fire Company of the Philadelphia City Volunteer Fire Department.
  • Reorganized as Company B, 72nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment (Fire Zouave Regiment), and mustered into federal service 1861-08-10 at Philadelphia;
  • Mustered out 1864-08-24 at Philadelphia.
  • Reorganized 1867-09-17 in the Pennsylvania Militia at Philadelphia as Company A, Weccacoe Legion.
  • Re-designated 1868-03-06 as Company A, Keystone Guards.
  • Disbanded 1868-09-30 at Philadelphia (Weccacoe Fire Company remained in service as a separate organization).
  • Pennsylvania Militia re-designated 1870-04-07 as the Pennsylvania National Guard.
  • Weccacoe Legion reorganized 1870-04-29 in the Pennsylvania National Guard at Philadelphia as a company.
  • Expanded 1878-10-22 – 1878-10-26 as a battalion.
  • Former Company A, Keystone Guards, reorganized 1878-10-30 as Company A, Weccacoe Legion.
  • Re-designated 1879-07-31 as Company E, 3rd Infantry Regiment.
  • Re-designated 1880-10-31 as Company A, 3rd Infantry Regiment.
  • Mustered into federal service 1898-05-11 at Mount Gretna, as Company A, 3rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry;
  • Mustered out 1898-10-22 at Philadelphia.
  • Reorganized 1899-02-01 at Philadelphia as Company A, 3rd Infantry Regiment.
  • Mustered into federal service 1916-07-01 at Philadelphia;
  • Mustered out 1916-10-18.
  • Mustered into federal service 1917-03-28 at Philadelphia;
  • Drafted into federal service 1917-08-05.
  • Consolidated 1917-10-11 with Company A, 10th Infantry Regiment (organized in 1869), and consolidated unit reorganized and re-designated as Company A, 110th Infantry, an element of the 28th Division.
  • Demobilized 1919-05-24 at Camp Dix, New Jersey.
  • Former Company A, 3rd Infantry Regiment, reorganized 1920-08-02 in the Pennsylvania National Guard at Philadelphia as Company A, 3rd Infantry;
  • Federally recognized 1920-08-07.
  • Reorganized and re-designated 1921-04-01 as the Howitzer Company, 111th Infantry, an element of the 28th Division.
  • Consolidated 1939-10-01 with Headquarters Company, 111th Infantry (see Headquarters Company, 6th Infantry Below), and consolidated unit designated as Headquarters Company, 111th Infantry.
  • Inducted into federal service 1941-02-17 at Philadelphia.
  • 111th Infantry relieved 1942-02-17 from assignment to the 28th Division.
  • Inactivated 1945-11-22 at Camp Anza, California.
  • Reorganized and federally recognized 1947-02-27 at Philadelphia.
  • Consolidated 1959-06-01 with the Medical Company, 111th Infantry (see Medical Company, 111th Infantry Below), and consolidated unit reorganized and re-designated as Headquarters Company, 1st Battle Group, 111th Infantry, an element of the 28th Infantry Division.
  • Reorganized and re-designated 1963-04-01 as HHC, 1st Brigade, 28th Infantry Division.
  • Re-designated 1968-02-17 as HHC, 56th Brigade, 42d Infantry Division.
  • Re-designated 1975-04-01 as HHC, 56th Brigade, 28th Infantry Division.
  • Re-designated 2004-10-04 as HHC, 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division.

Honors edit

Unit decorations edit

Ribbon Award Year Notes
  Meritorious Unit Commendation 2009 for service in Operation Iraqi Freedom

Campaign streamers edit

  1. Peninsula[5]
  2. Antietam[5]
  3. Fredericksburg[5]
  4. Chancellorsville[5]
  5. Gettysburg[5]
  6. Wilderness[5]
  7. Spotsylvania[5]
  8. Cold Harbor[5]
  9. Petersburg[5]
  10. Virginia 1863[5]
  1. Meuse-Argonne
  2. Champagne-Marne
  3. Aisne-Marne
  4. Oise-Aisne
  5. Ypres-Lys
  1. Central Pacific[5]
  2. Eastern Mandates[5]
  3. Western Pacific[5]
  1. Iraq[5]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Global Security.Org, About the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team
  2. ^ McGrath, The Brigade, p.168
  3. ^ McGrath, The Brigade, p.193
  4. ^
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Earned only by the 56th Brigade, 28th Infantry Division Units.

April 11, 2024
56th, brigade, combat, team, 28th, infantry, division, united, states, 56th, stryker, brigade, combat, team, sbct, 28th, infantry, division, also, known, independence, brigade, brigade, combat, team, pennsylvania, army, national, guard, headquarters, located, . The 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team SBCT 28th Infantry Division also known as the Independence Brigade is a brigade combat team of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard and has its headquarters located at Horsham Air Guard Station in Willow Grove Pennsylvania 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team56th SBCT 28th Division shoulder sleeve insigniaActive1747 presentCountry United StatesBranchUnited States ArmyTypeInfantry BrigadeRoleStryker InfantrySize4 000Part of28th Infantry DivisionGarrison HQBiddle National Guard BaseWillow Grove PennsylvaniaNickname s Independence Brigade Motto s Strength Through Honor Ride the Lightning EngagementsAmerican Civil WarWorld War IWorld War IIOperation Iraqi FreedomCommandersNotablecommandersGeorge C RickardsInsigniaCombat service identification badge The 56th SBCT is one of nine Stryker Brigade Combat Teams in the United States Army and for many years until the conversion of 81st SBCT it was the only reserve component Stryker unit in the Army It is one of five brigades of the 28th Infantry Division and provides light infantry land assets for both federal and state active duty missions The federal mission is to deploy on short notice as part of the 28th Infantry Division and destroy capture or repel enemy forces using maneuver and shock effect The state mission of the brigade is to serve the Governor and the citizens of the Commonwealth as needed in times of natural disaster or civil unrest Contents 1 History 2 Iraq deployment 3 Composition 4 Lineage 5 Honors 5 1 Unit decorations 5 2 Campaign streamers 6 ReferencesHistory edit nbsp Strykers from the 56th SBCT arrive in Lithuania 6 June 2015 to take part in Saber Strike 2015 The 56th SBCT is composed of some of the oldest units in the United States Army Units of the 111th Infantry trace their lineage back to 1747 when Benjamin Franklin first established his famed Associators in Philadelphia The battalions as well as the brigade carry battle streamers from nearly every conflict throughout American history 1 The current 56th Brigade Combat team derives its numerical designation although not its lineage from the historical 56th Infantry Brigade The 56th Infantry Brigade was formed in September 1917 as part of the 28th Division The brigade commanded in late 1918 by Arthur L Conger initially included the 111th and 112th Infantry Regiments 2 During World War I it was involved in the Meuse Argonne Champagne Marne Aisne Marne Oise Aisne and Ypres Lys field artillery only operations During the war the 28th Infantry Division took a total of 14 139 casualties KIA 2 165 WIA 11 974 The brigade was again part of the 28th Division from 1921 to 1941 The current brigade traces its origins to the 111th Infantry and the Pentomic and Reorganization Objective Army Division reorganizations of the 28th Infantry Division from regiments to battle groups and finally to brigades culminating in 1963 3 In 1963 the brigade was formed as the 1st Brigade 28th Infantry Division In 1968 as part of the McNamara inspired reorganization of the Army National Guard it was reassigned to the 42nd Infantry Division as the 56th Brigade 42nd Infantry Division From 1975 it has again been assigned to the 28th Infantry Division The brigade was called to active duty during the Blizzard of 1996 when flood emergencies were declared by the Governors of Pennsylvania and West Virginia During the blizzard in Philadelphia the 56th Brigade won credit in saving over 70 lives by providing emergency medical transportation during the duration of the Governor s proclamation 1 In December 2000 the United States Army proposed a new reorganization The following year the 56th Brigade was selected as the only reserve component Stryker Brigade out of seven in the entire United States Army The brigade was reflagged the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team on 24 October 2004 at Fort Indiantown Gap s Muir Field 4 On 1 September 2005 the entire Brigade Combat Team was mobilized to deploy to Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina the sixth strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean slammed into the Gulf Coast The 56th SBCT was stationed in and around New Orleans to support the relief effort for nearly a month and a half This included a subsequent deployment to the areas damaged by Hurricane Rita which made land fall near the Louisiana Texas border 1 Iraq deployment edit nbsp 56th Stryker Brigade soldiers in training before going to Iraq The brigade trained at Camp Shelby Mississippi from 19 September 2008 until November 2008 when it moved to the Joint Readiness Training Center JRTC in Fort Polk Louisiana until December 2008 The brigade continued training at Joint Base McGuire Dix Lakehurst in December 2008 and moved to Camp Buehring Kuwait in January 2009 awaiting movement into Iraq The 56th SBCT based at Camp Taji Iraq conducted operations in the northern Baghdad Governorate as part of Multi National Division Baghdad from January to September 2009 before redeploying to Kuwait and returning home at Joint Base McGuire Dix Lakehurst 56th Stryker Brigade OIF composition Headquarters and Headquarters Company HHC Stryker 1st Battalion 111th Infantry Regiment 1st Battalion 112th Infantry Regiment 2nd Battalion 112th Infantry Regiment 1st Battalion 108th Field Artillery Regiment FAR Battery B 1st Battalion 109th FAR 328th Brigade Support Battalion BSB 2nd Squadron 104th Cavalry Regiment Reconnaissance Surveillance and Target Acquisition RSTA 856th Engineer Company 656th Signal Company 556th Military Intelligence Company MIC Company D Anti Tank 112th Infantry RegimentComposition edit nbsp US Army Stryker Brigade Combat Team Organizational ChartAs of 2024 the brigade is consists of the following units nbsp 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team at Horsham Air Guard Station in Horsham Pennsylvania Headquarters and Headquarters Company at Horsham Air Guard Station nbsp 2nd Squadron 104th Cavalry Regiment RSTA in Reading Pennsylvania nbsp 1st Battalion 111th Infantry Regiment in Plymouth Meeting Pennsylvania nbsp 1st Battalion 112th Infantry Regiment in Cambridge Springs Pennsylvania nbsp 2nd Battalion 112th Infantry Regiment in Lewistown Pennsylvania nbsp 1st Battalion 108th Field Artillery Regiment in Carlisle Pennsylvania nbsp 103rd Brigade Engineer Battalion in Philadelphia Pennsylvania 328th Brigade Support Battalion in Elizabethtown PennsylvaniaLineage editOrganized 1800 05 01 at Philadelphia as the Weccacoe Fire Company of the Philadelphia City Volunteer Fire Department Reorganized as Company B 72nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment Fire Zouave Regiment and mustered into federal service 1861 08 10 at Philadelphia Mustered out 1864 08 24 at Philadelphia Reorganized 1867 09 17 in the Pennsylvania Militia at Philadelphia as Company A Weccacoe Legion Re designated 1868 03 06 as Company A Keystone Guards Disbanded 1868 09 30 at Philadelphia Weccacoe Fire Company remained in service as a separate organization Pennsylvania Militia re designated 1870 04 07 as the Pennsylvania National Guard Weccacoe Legion reorganized 1870 04 29 in the Pennsylvania National Guard at Philadelphia as a company Expanded 1878 10 22 1878 10 26 as a battalion Former Company A Keystone Guards reorganized 1878 10 30 as Company A Weccacoe Legion Re designated 1879 07 31 as Company E 3rd Infantry Regiment Re designated 1880 10 31 as Company A 3rd Infantry Regiment Mustered into federal service 1898 05 11 at Mount Gretna as Company A 3rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Mustered out 1898 10 22 at Philadelphia Reorganized 1899 02 01 at Philadelphia as Company A 3rd Infantry Regiment Mustered into federal service 1916 07 01 at Philadelphia Mustered out 1916 10 18 Mustered into federal service 1917 03 28 at Philadelphia Drafted into federal service 1917 08 05 Consolidated 1917 10 11 with Company A 10th Infantry Regiment organized in 1869 and consolidated unit reorganized and re designated as Company A 110th Infantry an element of the 28th Division Demobilized 1919 05 24 at Camp Dix New Jersey Former Company A 3rd Infantry Regiment reorganized 1920 08 02 in the Pennsylvania National Guard at Philadelphia as Company A 3rd Infantry Federally recognized 1920 08 07 Reorganized and re designated 1921 04 01 as the Howitzer Company 111th Infantry an element of the 28th Division Consolidated 1939 10 01 with Headquarters Company 111th Infantry see Headquarters Company 6th Infantry Below and consolidated unit designated as Headquarters Company 111th Infantry Inducted into federal service 1941 02 17 at Philadelphia 111th Infantry relieved 1942 02 17 from assignment to the 28th Division Inactivated 1945 11 22 at Camp Anza California Reorganized and federally recognized 1947 02 27 at Philadelphia Consolidated 1959 06 01 with the Medical Company 111th Infantry see Medical Company 111th Infantry Below and consolidated unit reorganized and re designated as Headquarters Company 1st Battle Group 111th Infantry an element of the 28th Infantry Division Reorganized and re designated 1963 04 01 as HHC 1st Brigade 28th Infantry Division Re designated 1968 02 17 as HHC 56th Brigade 42d Infantry Division Re designated 1975 04 01 as HHC 56th Brigade 28th Infantry Division Re designated 2004 10 04 as HHC 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team 28th Infantry Division Honors editUnit decorations edit Ribbon Award Year Notes nbsp Meritorious Unit Commendation 2009 for service in Operation Iraqi FreedomCampaign streamers edit American Civil War 5 Peninsula 5 Antietam 5 Fredericksburg 5 Chancellorsville 5 Gettysburg 5 Wilderness 5 Spotsylvania 5 Cold Harbor 5 Petersburg 5 Virginia 1863 5 World War IMeuse Argonne Champagne Marne Aisne Marne Oise Aisne Ypres LysWorld War IICentral Pacific 5 Eastern Mandates 5 Western Pacific 5 Operation Iraqi FreedomIraq 5 References edit a b c Global Security Org About the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team McGrath The Brigade p 168 McGrath The Brigade p 193 Officials Activate New 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team National Guard News 1 November 2004 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Earned only by the 56th Brigade 28th Infantry Division Units Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 56th Brigade Combat Team 28th Infantry Division United States amp oldid 1214993125, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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