29th Support Group
The 29th Support Group mission is to provide operational and tactical logistical support to units in EUCOM, and area support in the Central Region. Mission includes:
Providing DS/GS maintenance and sustainment support; Ammunition and explosive ordnance disposal support; Theater wide airdrop services; Theater aviation intermediate maintenance; Support deployment by operating USARUER's power project platform (DPC and Closed Loop Facility); and to provide trained and ready support modules that are rapidly deployable in as early as 48 hours.
The 29th Support Group was constituted 1 May 1936 in the Regular Army as the 29th Quartermaster Regiment. Activated 6 March 1942 at Fort Ord, California (less Company E; Companies A - D and F - M activated December 1940 - March 1942 at various stations). Redesignated 1 April 1942 as the 29th Quartermaster Truck Regiment. Regiment broken up 2 December 1943 and its elements reorganized and redesignated as follows: Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 29th Quartermaster Group. (Headquarters and Headquarters Detachments, 1st, 2d, and 3d Battalions as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 29th, 67th, and 119th Quartermaster Battalions, Mobile, respectively; Companies A - M as 3441st - 3452d Quartermaster Truck Companies, respectively - hereafter separate lineages.) Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 29th Quartermaster Group inactivated 31 April 1947 in the Philippine Islands.
Activated 8 June 1962 at Fort Lee, Virginia. Reorganized and redesignated 20 July 1966 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 29th General Support Group. Inactivated 30 April 1972 at Fort Lewis, Washington. Redesignated 16 August 1980 as Headquarters and Headquarters, Company, 29th Support Group and activated in Germany.
The focal point for the deployment of US forces into the Balkan Theater in support of Operation Joint Endeavor, peacekeeping operations in the former Yugoslavia was "Task Force 29" from the 29th Support Group, 21st Theater Area Army Command. Normally based in and around Kaiserslautern, Germany, and now stationed at Taszar Air Base, Hungary, the 29th Support Group is responsible for the reception, storage and onward movement of US forces into the area of operations.
The 29th Support Group operated numerous logistics activities in this theater. At the intermediate staging base (ISB), Taszar Air Base, the 28th Support Group operates the following:
- The reception station that inprocesses all personnel into the theater.
- The life support area that houses thousands of transient troops moving from bases in Germany and the US into the Balkan theater.
- The container handling area that accepts, stores and readies for deployment all containers shipped into this theater.
- Three separate railheads.
- An airhead.
- Numerous direct support supply and maintenance activities that provide necessary goods and services to both transient deploying units and tenant units of the Taszar area.
The Task Force 29 forward staging area for Operation Joint Endeavor was located on a far strip of aircraft runway at the ISB. The staging area receives vehicles and equipment via air, rail and ground transportation. As deploying units and equipment from Task Force Eagle arrive in the Taszar area, their vehicles and equipment are immediately taken to the staging area. Vehicles are then staged and prepared for onward movement. Direct support supply and maintenance operations are conducted. Units are armed, fueled, fixed and in all ways readied for movement to forward areas. About 24 hours before departure, units are alerted and moved from the life support area to the staging area. Upon arrival, units receive their first "Convoy Commander's Briefing" at 0800. At this time, the number of vehicles, personnel and equipment deploying as well as convoy departure times are verified.
Some units arrive at the ISB and depart within 24 hours. Others may wait for several days before they deploy. The bottom line: logistics soldiers from the 29th Support Group make all resources available to ensure readiness for units deploying to forward areas. As of 21 Jan 96, the soldiers from Task Force 29 had pushed over 3,965 vehicles in over 232 convoys out of the ISB: a record-breaking accomplishment critical to the deployment of all elements of Task Force Eagle and to the success of Operation Joint Endeavor.
