The 38th Signal Battalion is a unit of the United States Army. It was last active from 17 January 1986 to 15 June 1991.

Coat of arms

Shield: Tenné, three lightning flashes—two per saltire and one per pale argent—centered overall a sinister gauntlet sable. Crest: On a wreath of the colors argent and tenné a demi-globe of the like gridlined argent surmounted by a mullet, points fleury or. Symbolism: Orange and white are the colors traditionally associated with the Signal Corps. The three lightning flashes symbolize command, control, and communication. The gauntlet represents strength and unity. The orange demi-globe represents the unit’s involvement in worldwide communications. The gold five-pointed star denotes the five campaign participation credits awarded the unit for service in France and Central Europe, as represented by the fleurs-de-lis. Distinctive Unit Insignia: The distinctive unit insignia is the shield and motto of the coat of arms. It was designed, in 1986, by SPC Anita Yellowhair Sonne, the Signal Battalion's resident artist.

History

The 38th Signal Construction Battalion was organized on 11 May 1942. On 6 October 1942 it became affiliated with the

New York Telephone Company The New York Telephone Company (NYTel) was organized in 1896, taking over the New York City operations of the American Bell Telephone Company. Predecessor companies The Telephone Company of New York was formed under franchise in 1876. The princi ...

. The battalion move to

Camp Toccoa Camp Toccoa (formerly Camp Toombs) was a basic training camp for United States Army paratroopers during World War II west of Toccoa, Georgia. Among the units to train at the camp was the 506th Infantry Regiment. The regiment's Company E ("Easy ...

, Georgia, on 1 July 1943 and affiliation with NYT was terminated. The battalion reorganized and redesignated on 20 May 1945 as the 38th Signal Light Construction Battalion. The unit then left Europe on 7 July 1945 on the and arrived in Okinawa on 1 September 1945. The battalion was inactivated 30 January 1946 on Okinawa.

Pershing

The

56th Field Artillery Command The 56th Artillery Command is a two-star command of the United States Army that serves as the Force Field Artillery Headquarters for U.S. Army Europe and Africa, with a mission to synchronize, integrate, and control fires and effects in support ...

reorganized on 17 January 1986. The communications sections in all of the subordinate field artillery battalions were consolidated into the reactivated 38th Signal Battalion.

Subordinate units

* Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) in

Schwäbisch Gmünd Schwäbisch Gmünd (, until 1934: Gmünd; Swabian: ''Gmẽẽd'' or ''Gmend'') is a city in the eastern part of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. With a population of around 60,000, the city is the second largest in the Ostalb district and ...

* A Company supporting

2nd Battalion, 9th Field Artillery Regiment The 9th Field Artillery Regiment is a field artillery regiment of the United States Army first formed in 1916. The regiment served in Hawaii during World War I, 3rd, 4th, 7th, and 9th Divisions between the world wars, and with 3rd Infantry Divis ...

* B Company supporting

1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery Regiment The 9th Field Artillery Regiment is a field artillery regiment of the United States Army first formed in 1916. The regiment served in Hawaii during World War I, 3rd, 4th, 7th, and 9th Divisions between the world wars, and with 3rd Infantry Divi ...

Neu-Ulm Neu-Ulm (Swabian: ''Nej-Ulm'') is the capital of the Neu-Ulm district and a town in Swabia, Bavaria. Neighbouring towns include Ulm, Senden, Pfaffenhofen an der Roth, Holzheim, Nersingen and Elchingen. The population is 58,978 (31 December ...

* C Company supporting

4th Battalion, 9th Field Artillery Regiment The 9th Field Artillery Regiment is a field artillery regiment of the United States Army first formed in 1916. The regiment served in Hawaii during World War I, 3rd, 4th, 7th, and 9th Divisions between the world wars, and with 3rd Infantry Divi ...

in Heilbronn * D Company in

The battalion provided communication links for the command and control of the

Pershing missile The MGM-31A Pershing was the missile used in the Pershing 1 and Pershing 1a field artillery missile systems. It was a solid-fueled two-stage theater ballistic missile designed and built by Martin Marietta to replace the PGM-11 Redstone missile as ...

in garrison, during field operations and at Combat Alert Status sites. Communications equipment included the AN/TRC-184 radio terminal set and the AN/MSC-6 satellite communications terminal. The battalion was deactivated 15 June 1991 when the 56th Field Artillery Command was deactivated.

Campaigns

* World War II ** Normandy ** Northern France ** Rhineland ** Ardennes-Alsace ** Central Europe ** Asiatic-Pacific Theater, Streamer without inscription

Decorations

* Army Superior Unit Award (January 1986 – December 1986)

References

External links

38th Signal Construction Battalion
{{Pershing missile Signal battalions of the United States Army Military units and formations established in 1986 Military units and formations disestablished in 1991 Pershing missile