284th Base Support Battalion
The 284 Base Support Battalion is comprised of two major sites, the Giessen U.S. Army Depot and Ray Barracks in Friedberg. Giessen, a city in northeast Hessen approximately 60 miles north of Frankfurt, is also home to the 284 BSB Headquarters, officially activated there on April 24, 1998.
The 522-acres of former grazing fields was identified in 1920 as an ideal landing site for small aircraft. During those years an entrepreneur ran an aerial sightseeing service and private flying school. Even the German airline, Lufthansa, thought Giessen to be a perfect place to begin regular passenger and cargo services and developed the airfield in 1929. The growing German "Luftwaffe" (Air Force) soon took notice, built the Giessen airport and began training pilots and technicians at the site.
Seven other facilities are part of the 284 BSB, including the Dulles and Marshall Housing areas and Pendleton Barracks in Giessen, and the Alvin York and McArthur housing areas in Friedberg. The vast majority of families in the 284 BSB live in Roman Way and Schloss Housing in Butzbach, a small community between Giessen and Friedberg.
The independent Giessen military community was reflagged during the draw down and became the 284 BSB, part of the 104th Area Support Group. With the fall of the Berlin Wall and consequent further realignment in USAREUR, additional draw down measures were executed.
German history in the 284 BSB is rich. Evidence of a 6,400 year-old settlement near the city of Butzbach has been uncovered. It is also well known that some of the "Hessians" who fought for the British during the American Revolution were trained at a castle called Schloss Kaserne near Butzbach. The city of Giessen was first mentioned in 1197 and received township privileges and rights in 1248. Because Giessen was situated on two main trading routes leading from Italy to the North Sea and from Eastern Europe to France, it soon became an important trading center. In 1607, Giessen established a university that still attracts students from all over the world. The city of Friedberg dates back to 1170. Despite two devastating fires in 1383 and 1447, it was able to rebuild and has preserved its medieval character.
