The 87th Support Battalion (Corps) was constituted on 1 May 1936 in the U.S. Army as the 87th Separate Quartermaster Battalion (Light Maintenance) at Fort Des Moines,

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

. In November 1942, the battalion arrived in Africa. Assigned to II Corps, it was to provide 3rd Echelon Maintenance and Supply to Corps troops, 1st Infantry, 1st Armored and 34th Infantry Divisions in and around

Oran, Algeria Oran ( ar, وَهران, Wahrān) is a major coastal city located in the north-west of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria after the capital Algiers, due to its population and commercial, industrial, and cultural ...

. In early 1943, the battalion was assigned to Fifth Army and then to the 1st Destroyer Group which operated south of Oran near Sebban. By September 1943, the battalion boarded the USS Korea for movement to

Salerno, Italy Salerno (, , ; nap, label= Salernitano, Saliernë, ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' in Campania (southwestern Italy) and is the capital of the namesake province, being the second largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, after ...

. Between September 1943 and July 1945, the battalion established a number of ammunition supply points throughout Italy, ranging from Prestum to Monecatini. In addition, the unit was tasked to provide material while working under adverse conditions. The unit handled 89,499 tons of ammunition during a 30-day period. The battalion earned six battle streamers for participating in six major campaigns in North Africa and Italy. It also received a Meritorious Unit Commendation with streamer embroidered "EUROPEAN THEATER." On 2 December 1990, the battalion advance party arrived in Saudi Arabia and on 15 December, the battalion began its movement to the desert in support of

Operation Desert Shield The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...

. Immediately following Operation Desert Shield, the 87th Maintenance Battalion began preparation to reorganize from Wertheim, Germany to

Fort Stewart Fort Stewart is a United States Army post in the U.S. state of Georgia. It lies primarily in Liberty and Bryan counties, but also extends into smaller portions of Evans, Long and Tattnall counties. The population was 11,205 at the 2000 census. ...

as part of the Army European drawdown. The unit completed this mission on 1 Jan. 1992. On 30 September 1992, the battalion deployed troops to

Homestead Air Force Base Homestead Air Reserve Base (Homestead ARB), previously known as Homestead Air Force Base (Homestead AFB) is located in Miami–Dade County, Florida to the northeast of the city of Homestead. It is home to the 482nd Fighter Wing (482 FW) of th ...

, Florida, for Operation Hurricane Andrew Relief, to help support the citizens after a major national disaster. The troops returned on 6 November 1992. On 16 October 1993, the battalion was officially re-designated as the 87th Support Battalion (Corps) with the motto: "Base of the Pyramid". On 11 September 1994, the battalion deployed to Operation Vigilant Warrior, Kuwait. While deployed, the battalion provided all classes of support to the

24th Infantry Division (Mechanized) The 24th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the United States Army that was inactivated in October 1996. Formed during World War II from the disbanding Hawaiian Division, the division saw action throughout the Pacific theater, firs ...

deployed in theater. From January 2005 to February 2006, the battalion deployed to Camp Taji, Iraq where they provided all classes of support, convoy security, force protection, and division distribution to the 3rd Infantry Division. The battalion drove more than two million miles, transporting multiple classes of supply, supporting election operations, and moving several combat units within the division's area of responsibility. The battalion also supported port operations as part of the division's redeployment.

Order of battle

*87th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion ** Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment ** 24th Ordnance Ammunition Company ** 135th Quartermaster Fuel Company ** 226th Composite Supply Company ** 233rd Heavy Equipment Transportation Company Inactivated 15 JUN 15 ** 396th Light-Medium Composite Truck Company ** 495th Movement Control Team ** 632nd Service Maintenance Company

References

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