3rd Battalion - 67th Armor Regiment
"Hounds of Hell"
As of December 15th, 2004, the 3rd Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, was reconstituted from the 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division to the newly established 4th Brigade, 4th Infantry Division. This shift was made as part of the Arm'ys new modular trasformation.
As of January 2006, 3rd Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, was deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom to Forward Operating Base Rustamiyah, which is housed in a former Iraqi Army officer's academy in eastern Baghdad, Iraq. The unit's duties involved regular patrols of the Iraqi capital to provide security while working in conjunction with Iraqi police forces.
The colorful history of the 3rd Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment dates back to the early months of 1917 and World War I. During the summer of 1918, the unit, as part of the 301st Heavy Tank Battalion, saw their first deployment - into the British sector of France as support for the American 27th Division into the Somme area of France. From that point on until the end of the war, the unit was in constant action. After returning to the United States following the war, the 301st Heavy Tank Battalion joined the 303d Heavy Tank Battalion (part of the 301st Tank Brigade), commanded by then Colonel George S. Patton.
During this period before World War II, the battalion was reorganized numerous times; first into the 16th Light Tank Battalion, then the 17th Heavy Tank Battalion, then the 15th Composite Tank Battalion. The 3rd Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, was originally constituted on 24 March 1923 in the Regular Army as Company C, 19th Tank Battalion. It was redesignated on 1 September 1929 as Company C, 2d Tank Regiment. It converted and was redesignated on 25 October, 1932, as Charlie Company, 67th Armored Regiment (Medium Tanks).
It activated on 5 June, 1940, at Fort Benning, GA. The unit converted and was redesignated on 15 July, 1940, as Company C, 67th Armored Regiment, an element of the 2d Armored Division.
The battalion was activated on 5 June, 1943, in preparation for World War II at Fort Benning, Georgia. Just one month later (15 July 1943), the unit found itself serving with the 2d Armored Division as they fought fierce battles against the famed Afrika Corps across Morocco and Tunisia. The battalion then helped the 2d Armored Division during their liberation of Sicily. On 9 June 1944, the battalion landed on Omaha Beach as part of Operation "Overlord". From there they fought across France and Belgium in route to Germany. The battalion distinguished itself during the war, receiving two presidential citations and two battle Streamers.
Following the conflict in Europe, Charlie Company, 67th Armored Regiment was designated as Charlie Company, 6th Tank Battalion - an element of the 2d Armored Division. On 31 January, 1949, the battalion was again designated, this time as Charlie Company, 6th Medium Tank Battalion. The following year (14 July 1950) the unit was relieved from the 2d Armored Division, and then assigned to the 24th Infantry Division three months later in Korea. The battalion saw fierce fighting on the Korean Peninsula and was justly rewarded with eight campaign streamers.
After Korea, the battalion was relieved from its assignment to the 24th Infantry Division and was inactivated (5 June 1958). The following day, the battalion was designated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3d Medium Tank Battalion, 67th Armor. The following year, the unit was withdrawn from the Regular Army and allotted to the Army Reserve with Headquarters in Tallahassee, Florida as part of the Third United States Army. The Battalion would stay this way until being inactivated on 1 May 1964.
On 1 March, 1975, the battalion was withdrawn from its allotment with the Army Reserve and placed in the Regular Army. Concurrently, the unit was designated as the3d Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment and was activated at Fort Hood, Texas as part of the 2d Armored Division.
In 1990, when Iraq invaded Kuwait, the 3d Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment was finally called back into action. The battalion was deployed to Saudi Arabia as part of the 1st (Tiger) Brigade, 1st Calvary Division to participate in Operation Desert Shield. During the operation, the 3d Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment was then attached as an element of the 2d Marine Division and participated in the liberation of Kuwait. During this conflict, the battalion achieved its objective on the outskirts of Kuwait City in only 72 hours. The unit was rewarded for their actions, receiving the Navy Unit Commendation and a streamer.
Upon returning to Fort Hood, the 3d Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment was relieved from its assignment to the 2d Armored Division and placed in the 3d Brigade (Grey Wolf) 1st Calvary Division on 21 May 1991. Two years later on 16 August, 1993, the battalion was removed from the 1st Calvary Division and placed in the 2d Brigade (St. Lo) 2d Armored Division. On December 15, 1995, the 2d Armored Division was flagged as the 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized), which is where the 3d Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment now resides.
Task Force 3-67 AR was alerted to deploy as a part of the 4th Infantry Division in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in January 2003. After nearly a month of preparation at Camp Udari, the battalion began its move into Iraq on May 2 and arrived in its Area of Operations on May 3. They immediately established several assembly areas in various parts of the Diyala Province of Iraq. The "Hounds of Hell" prepared to assault and then accepted the capitulation of the Mujahadeen El Kalq (MEK), set up a forward Operating Base in Khalis, Iraq and secured the Balad Airfield for the future location of the largest Coalition Logistical Support Area in the country. From these assembly areas and later four separate forward operation bases, the battalion completed numerous raids, patrols, and checkpoint operations, and guard missions in support of the ongoing counter-insurgency operations from May 2003 until mid-March 2004. During the first half of March 2004, the battalion conducted a detailed Relief in Place handover with elements of the 1st Infantry Division. On March 17, 2004, responsibility for the area of operations was officially handed over to the 1st Infantry Division
The hounds redeployed back to Fort Hood in March 2004 and began reconstituting the battalion. On December 15, 2004 the battalion was designated 3-67 Armor Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division as a part of the Army's reorganization to become a lighter, faster, more lethal fighting force.
