1st Battalion - 64th Armor Regiment
"Desert Rogues"
On order, 1st Battalion, 64th Armor deploys by air, sea, and land to any contingency area, projects a strong forward presence and conducts combat operations to defeat an armored heavy force in order to preserve regional stability.
1st Battalion, 64th Armor is the Iron Fist of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd ID (Mech).
The Desert Rogues have served with distinction in WWII, Korean War, Germany, Gulf War, Somalia, and Bosnia (Stabilization Force 8).
The 64th Armor Regiment is descended from the 78th Tank Battalion which was activated on 13 January 1941, and redesignated the 758th Tank Battalion (Light) on 8 May 1941. The 758th Tank Battalion served with the 92d Infantry Division in World War II, and was inactivated 22 September 1945 at Viareggio, Italy.
The 758th was the first tank battalion in history to be organized with black soldiers. A 758th soldier designed the regimental crest--the rampant head of a black African elephant symbolizing the soldier's pride in their heritage and their unit's mission of mobile armored warfare. Today, every 64th Regiment soldier wears that same crest which is prominently displayed on the unit colors with the motto "We Pierce".
In 1949, the 758th Tank Battalion was redesignated the 64th Heavy Tank Battalion and assigned to the 2d Armored Division. In 1950, the 64th Tank Battalion was assigned to the 3d Infantry Division, and deployed overseas for combat operations during the Korean War. In 1957, the 64th Tank Battalion was inactivated at Ft. Benning, Georgia. In 1963, the 64th Armor was activated as a parent regiment under the Combined Arms Regimental System. All four battalions of the 64th Armor were in Germany for over twenty years of distinguished service. In 1984, the 1st and the 4th Battalions, 64th Armor, redeployed from Germany to Fort Stewart, Georgia. Two battalions of the 64th -- the 2d and 3rd -- remain in Germany. The 1st Battalion is the 64th Regimental Headquarters and Fort Stewart is the home base.
For over 50 years, the 64th Armor Regiment has served with distinction in World War II, Korea, Germany, and the United States. Most recently, while assigned to the 24th Infantry Division, the 1st and 4th Battalions distinguished themselves in the defense of Saudi Arabia during Desert Shield, and in combat operations in Iraq during Desert Storm.
In reaction to the shooting down of US Army Black Hawks in Mogadishu, Somalia 1-64 AR deployed an immediate reaction force to support of 2-22 IN, 10th MTN Division and suppress further attacks on US personnel.
Around Sept. 21, 2002, 135 soldiers from the 1-64th departed for Kuwait as part of the Desert Spring deployment. This deployment was reported in the Hinnesville Coastal Courier, the local paper for Fort Stewart, dated Sept. 23, 2002.
