50th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (United States)
50th Infantry Brigade Combat Team | |
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Special Designation)[1] |
The 50th Infantry Brigade Combat Team ("Jersey Blues"
Background
The 50th Brigade Combat Team was the major unit of the New Jersey Army National Guard. The headquarters was located in Lawrenceville, NJ. The 50th Brigade Combat Team had two light infantry battalions, one field artillery battalion, one cavalry squadron, a special troops battalion, two MP companies, and a support battalion. Its nickname "Jersey Blues" dates back to the 17th century with the earliest units serving in both the French and Indian War (see book titled 'Colonial Tribulations') and Rev. War.
The brigade's lineage can be traced back to several different units starting with the
The 50th Armored Brigade took part in several homeland security missions after 11 September 2001. It also participated in several Global War on Terror missions before converting in 2008. The 1st Battalion, 114th Infantry took part in the Sinai Multi-National Force and Observers (MFO) Security Mission and was deployed for six months in 2004. The 2d Battalion, 102d Armor and the
The force structure of the Brigade was changed in 2008 when the conversion to the 50th IBCT occurred. The new force structure now consists of the 1st Squadron,
In June 2008, 26 company-sized elements of the 50th IBCT were mobilized and trained at Fort Bliss, Texas, before being separately deployed to Iraq for the 2008–2009 rotation of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). The deployment of these 50th IBCT elements brought the total number of NJ National Guard Soldiers sent to Iraq and Afghanistan to over 3,200. The 50th IBCT units were mobilized for one year, including stateside training and "boots on the ground" in theater. The 50th IBCT units conducted a variety of important missions in Iraq. Pre-mobilization training began in 2007 and took place in New Jersey and Fort Indian Town Gap, Pennsylvania, with further OIF-specific preparations conducted at Fort Bliss, TX. Originally slated to deploy to Iraq in 2010, the 50th IBCT units deployed earlier to compensate for the changes needed to comply with new Department of Defense (DoD) policies. Earlier in 2007, the DoD had reduced the amount of time units spend overseas in a combat theater, which in turn shifted mobilization schedules and required earlier deployments than anticipated. The units of the 50th Infantry Brigade Combat Team were welcomed home by family and friends with a parade through Trenton, NJ on 12 June 2009, after almost a year-long tour of Iraq. The brigade units, led by their commander, Colonel Steve Ferrari, were welcomed by Governor Jon Corzine.
The force structure of the Brigade was changed again in 2015, in accordance with the Army's latest Modified Table of Organization and Equipment (MTOE) for IBCTs. The new force structure consisted of a third infantry battalion, the 1st Battalion, 181st Infantry Regiment headquartered in Worcester, Massachusetts. Additionally, the 50th Brigade Special Troops Battalion was converted to a Brigade Engineer Battalion (BEB), designated as the 104th BEB.
On 15 June 2017, the 50th IBCT was reflagged as the
Structure
- 1st Squadron, 102nd Cavalry Regiment
- 2nd Battalion, 113th Infantry Regiment
- 1st Battalion, 114th Infantry Regiment
- 1st Battalion, 181st Infantry Regiment
- 3rd Battalion, 112th Field Artillery Regiment(3-112th FAR)
- 104th Brigade Engineer Battalion (104th BEB)
- 250th Brigade Support Battalion (250th BSB)
- 1st Squadron,
Campaign participation credit
World War I
- Meuse-Argonne
- Alsace 1918
World War II
War on Terrorism
Decorations
- Joint Meritorious Unit Award
- Guantanamo (2004–2005)
- Iraq (2008–2009)
References
- ^ a b "Special Designation Listing". United States Army Center of Military History. 21 April 2010. Archived from the original on 9 June 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
- ^ US Army Homepage: Guard Units, United States Army. Retrieved 7 March 2008.