The 59th Quartermaster Company is a bulk petroleum company designed to provide semi-portable storage for of fuel and to provide distribution of fuel to military units within a specified geographic area while deployed overseas. Its secondary mission is to provide an armed military escort to military cargo and civilian trucks during overseas contingency operations. It is a U.S. Army Forces Command

combat service support The term combat service support (or CSS) is utilized by numerous military organizations throughout the world to describe entities that provide direct and indirect sustainment services to the groups that engage (or are potentially to be engaged) ...

unit stationed at

Fort Carson, Colorado Fort Carson is a United States Army post located directly south of Colorado Springs in El Paso, Pueblo, Fremont, and Huerfano counties, Colorado, United States. The developed portion of Fort Carson is located near the City of Colorado Sprin ...

under the command of the 68th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion. The 59th has deployed overseas to Algeria, Italy, France, Germany, Korea, Vietnam, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The 59th is the only bulk petroleum company in the

Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following: * a ...

; all sister units are part of the Army Reserve as of 2011.

Service history

The unit was constituted into the

on 13 January 1941 as Company B, 240th Quartermaster Battalion and composed of African-American Soldiers. On 15 February 1944, the unit was redesignated as the 3251st Quartermaster Service Company. During World War II, the unit served in the

Mediterranean Theater of Operations The Mediterranean Theater of Operations, United States Army (MTOUSA), originally called the North African Theater of Operations, United States Army (NATOUSA), was a military formation of the United States Army that supervised all U.S. Army for ...

and served during the Rome-

Arno The Arno is a river in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber. Source and route The river originates on Monte Falterona in the Casentino area of the Apennines, and initially takes a sou ...

campaign, the invasion of Southern France (

Operation Dragoon Operation Dragoon (initially Operation Anvil), known as Débarquement de Provence in French ("Provence Landing"), was the code name for the landing operation of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Provence (Southern France) on 15Augu ...

); the

Rhineland The Rhineland ( ; ; ; ) is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly Middle Rhine, its middle section. It is the main industrial heartland of Germany because of its many factories, and it has historic ties to the Holy ...

campaign; the

Ardennes The Ardennes ( ; ; ; ; ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France. Geological ...

Alsace Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...

campaign; and the campaign in Central Europe. The unit was inactivated following

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. It briefly served in Korea from December 1946 until July 1947 when it was redesignated from the 3251st to the 59th. From September 1950 until December 1957 the company served at Fort Lee,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. The 59th deployed to Vietnam in 1965 and served until its inactivation in 1972. The 59th's latest period of service began in 1995 and includes service during Operation

Iraqi Freedom The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with the invasion by a United States-led coalition, which resulted in the overthrow of the Ba'athist governm ...

and Operation

Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used by the U.S. government for both the first stage (2001–2014) of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response ...

World War II

After taking part in both the

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

and the

Carolina Maneuvers The Carolina Maneuvers were a series of United States Army exercises held around the border of North Carolina and South Carolina in 1941. The exercises, which involved some 350,000 troops, were designed to evaluate United States training, logisti ...

, B Company deployed to

Oran Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...

, Algeria in November 1942 in support of the Mediterranean Base Section. In June 1944, the 3251st deployed to

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

in support of the 5th Army's Rome/Arno campaign. The 3251st was transferred to the 7th Army and remained under its command for the rest of the war. The 3251st participated in

in direct support of the 45th Infantry Division under the command of the 240th

Quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land army, armies, a quartermaster is an officer who supervises military logistics, logistics and requisitions, manages stores or barracks, and distri ...

Battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

and then supported the divisions of the 7th Army as they fought their way across France into Germany. The 3251st returned to the United States through the

Newport News Newport News () is an independent city in southeastern Virginia, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the fifth-most populous city in Virginia and 140th-most populous city i ...

Port of Embarcationhttps://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Fr4wAAAAIBAJ&sjid=pU4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=192,3958651/ The 3251st Quartermaster Company arrives home, P4, The Saint Petersburg Times aboard the AP-116 General Meigs on 13 October 1945.

Vietnam

The 59th served under the

1st Logistics Command The 1st Theater Sustainment Command (1st TSC) is a major subordinate unit of United States Army Central at Fort Knox, Kentucky, United States. History The 1st Logistical Command was activated as a planning headquarters in October 1950 at Fort McP ...

while deployed to Vietnam. The company operated the Army mortuaries at

Cam Ranh Bay Cam Ranh Bay () is a deep-water bay in Vietnam in Khánh Hòa Province. It is located at an inlet of the South China Sea situated on the southeastern coast of Vietnam, between Phan Rang and Nha Trang, approximately 290 kilometers (180 miles) nor ...

and Boa Loc. In addition, the unit provided clothing reclamation and laundry services on those bases. During their service in Vietnam, the unit strength fluctuated between 297 officers and men and a low of 268 officers and men.https://www.amazon.com/Vietnam-Order-Battle-Illustrated-Reference/dp/0811700712/ Vietnam Order of Battle, page 204

Operation Iraqi Freedom

In 2003 the 59th deployed to Kuwait and various sites in Iraq to support the 3rd Infantry Division. Official Lineage & Honors Certificate The Fuelmasters deployed again from October 2004 to September 2005 to support the 1st Corps Support Command.

Operation Enduring Freedom

From May to November 2011 the 59th deployed 170 Soldiers to

Bagram Airfield Bagram Airfield-BAF, also known as Bagram Air Base , is located southeast of Charikar in the Parwan Province of Afghanistan. It is under the Ministry of Defense (Afghanistan), Afghan Ministry of Defense. Sitting on the site of the ancient town ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

to conduct convoy security operations for logistics convoys. The 59th initially fell under the command of the 17th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion of the 101st

Sustainment Brigade Sustainment Brigades were created as part of the early 21st century transformation of the United States Army from a division-based structure to a brigade-based army. Mission The sustainment brigade is a flexible headquarters that is task organi ...

and later the 142nd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion of the 10th Sustainment Brigade after the previous units rotated back to the United States.

Current operations

The 59th is currently conducting operations in support of the 4th Infantry Division and its brigade combat teams and other Fort Carson tenant units. In addition, the unit is providing hot (engine running) refuel services at Butts Army Airfield. The airfield provides support to the US Army aviation units based at Fort Carson as well as transient aircraft from other services and bases. Hot Point 2

Organization

The 59th Quartermaster Company is organized with a

Headquarters Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...

platoon A platoon is a Military organization, military unit typically composed of two to four squads, Section (military unit), sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the Military branch, branch, but a platoon can ...

, three petroleum supply platoons, and a

maintenance The technical meaning of maintenance involves functional checks, servicing, repairing or replacing of necessary devices, equipment, machinery, building infrastructure and supporting utilities in industrial, business, and residential installa ...

platoon. The 40th Quartermaster Detachment normally functions as part of the headquarters platoon.

Personnel

The 59th Quartermaster Company is authorized 225

Soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The wo ...

non-commissioned officers A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted rank, enlisted leader, petty officer, or in some cases warrant officer, who does not hold a Commission (document), commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority b ...

warrant officers Warrant officer (WO) is a Military rank, rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ...

, and

officers An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

. The two Soldiers composing the 40th Quartermaster Detachment (Petroleum Laboratory) are attached to the 59th for training, support, and disciplinary purposes. The 59th is composed of personnel from the

Quartermaster Corps Following is a list of quartermaster corps, military units, active and defunct, with logistics duties: * Egyptian Army Quartermaster Corps - see Structure of the Egyptian Army * Hellenic Army Quartermaster Corps (''Σώμα Φροντιστών ...

, Ordnance Corps,

Signal Corps A signal corps is a military branch, responsible for military communications (''signals''). Many countries maintain a signal corps, which is typically subordinate to a country's army. Military communication usually consists of radio, telephone, ...

Adjutant General Corps The Adjutant General's Corps, formerly the Adjutant General's Department, is a Structure of the United States Army#Branches and functional areas, branch of the United States Army first established in 1775. This branch provides personnel service ...

, Engineer Corp, and

Chemical Corps The Chemical Corps is the branch of the United States Army tasked with defending against and using chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear ( CBRN) weapons. The Chemical Warfare Service was established on 28 June 1918, combining activit ...

. *Enlisted Specialties **12N Horizontal Construction Engineer ** 25U Signal Support Specialist **42A

Personnel Employment is a relationship between two parties regulating the provision of paid labour services. Usually based on a contract, one party, the employer, which might be a corporation, a not-for-profit organization, a co-operative, or any othe ...

Specialist **74D

CBRN Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear defense (CBRN defense) or Nuclear, biological, and chemical protection (NBC protection) is a class of protective measures taken in situations where chemical, biological, radiological, or nucl ...

Specialist **91B Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic **91C Utilities Equipment Repairer **91D Power Generation Equipment Repairer **91E Allied Trades Specialist **91X Maintenance Supervisor **91Z Senior Maintenance Supervisor **92A Automated Logistical Specialist **92F Petroleum Supply Specialist **92G Food Service Operations **92L Petroleum Laboratory Specialist (40th Quartermaster Detachment only) **92Y Unit Supply Specialist *Warrant Officer Specialties **923A Petroleum Technician **915A Automotive Maintenance Warrant Officer *Officer Specialties **90A

Logistics Logistics is the part of supply chain management that deals with the efficient forward and reverse flow of goods, services, and related information from the point of origin to the Consumption (economics), point of consumption according to the ...

Officer (company commander) **92A Quartermaster, General **92F Petroleum and Water

Equipment

*SEE Truck *HMMH Truck *Fuel System Supply Point *Assault Hoseline System *M969 Fuel Tanker * M931 Trucks *M1151 * Medium Tactical Vehicles * M998 Humvees *

Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle (MRAPV), also known as MRAP vehicle, is a type of armoured personnel carrier that is designed specifically to withstand land mines, improvised explosive device (IED) attacks, and ambushes to save troops' li ...

Vehicles * Maxxpro MaxxPro Armored Truck * Common Remotely Operated Weapon System * M2 Heavy Machine Gun * MK-19 Automatic grenade Launcher *

M249 Light Machine Gun The M249 SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon), formally the Light Machine Gun, 5.56 mm, M249, is the United States Armed Forces adaptation of the Belgian FN Minimi, a light machine gun manufactured by FN Herstal (FN). The M249 SAW is manufactured in t ...

M16 Rifle The M16 (officially Rifle, Caliber 5.56 mm, M16) is a family of assault rifles adapted from the ArmaLite AR-15 rifle for the United States Armed Forces, United States military. The original M16 was a 5.56×45mm NATO, 5.56×45mm automatic ...

M203 Grenade Launcher The M203 is a single-shot 40 mm under-barrel grenade launcher designed to attach to a rifle. It uses the same rounds as the older stand-alone M79 break-action grenade launcher, which utilizes the high-low propulsion system to keep recoil force ...

M9 Pistol The Beretta M9, officially the Pistol, Semiautomatic, 9mm, M9, is the designation for the Beretta 92FS semi-automatic pistol used by the United States Armed Forces. The M9 was adopted by the United States military as their service pistol in 19 ...

Army Combat Uniform The Army Combat Uniform (ACU) is the current combat uniform worn by the United States Army, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Space Force and some elements of the U.S. Coast Guard. Within the Air Force and Space Force, it is referred to as the OCP ( Op ...

* Army Combat Boot *

MultiCam MultiCam is a Military camouflage, camouflage pattern designed for use in a wide range of environments and conditions which was developed and is produced by American company Crye Precision. The pattern has found extensive adoption globally. Var ...

* Extended Climate Warfighter Clothing System *

Army Combat Shirt The Army Combat Shirt (ACS) is a flame-resistant shirt developed and used by the United States Army as a supplementary addition to the Army Combat Uniform (ACU). The ACS is a stand-alone shirt designed specifically for use with the Improved Outer ...

Advanced Combat Helmet The Advanced Combat Helmet (ACH) is the United States Army's current combat helmet, used since the early 2000s. It was developed by the U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center, the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, and the U.S. Army Research Labo ...

* Improved Outer Tactical Vests

Campaign participation credit

Unit decorations

References

External links

Fort Carson HomepageUS Army Institute of Heraldry page for the 43rd Sustainment BrigadeArmy Emergency Relief
{Dead link, date=September 2019 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes
Slideshow of the 2010 RedeploymentThe 3251st Quartermaster Company arrives home, page 4, The Saint Petersburg Times59th trains for deployment
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20030226183652/http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/army/docs/st63-1/chapter6.htm Petroleum Doctrine at the Federation of American Scientists websitebr>Vietnam Order of Battle, page 204The U.S. Army Quartermaster Museum
059 Quartermaster companies of the United States Army