30th Medical Brigade
The 30th Medical Brigade has had a varied and colorful history. Constituted in the Regular Army as the 30th Medical Regiment on 1 October, 1933 in the state of Texas, it was first called into active service as the 30th Medical Regiment (Armored) at Camp Berkley, Texas on July 25, 1942. The unit was redesignated as the 30th Medical Group on September 8, 1943. With the advent of World War II, the unit was transferred to Liverpool, England, in 1944 and left there for Omaha Beach. On December 4, 1944 the Group was reassigned to the Ninth Army in support of actions in the Rhine and Ruhr Valleys and in the drive to the Elbe River. The 30th Medical Group received Campaign Streamers for participation in the Rhineland Campaign and Central European Campaign.
After the war, the 30th Medical Group served in a training status at Camp Swift, Texas; Camp Polk, Louisiana; and Fort Benning, Georgia. It was deactivated at Fort Benning in 1949.
On March 25, 1953, the Group was reactivated in Korea where it coordinated the operations of all medical units in the Eight Army area, as well as providing primary medical and dental care and evacuation for United Nations' troops. For its outstanding work during the Korea campaigns, the 30th Medical Group was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation along with campaign participation credit for Third Korean Winter and Korea, Summer 1953.
In 1955 the Group was transferred to the United States Army, Europe, assigned to Seventh Army, and stationed at, what is now, Landstuhl Army Medical Center. In April 1955, the Headquarters, 30th Medical Group moved to Ludwigsburg, Germany. The 30th Medical Group was further attached to HQ, 7th Medical Brigade in 1965, thus becoming an original part of the US Army's first medical brigade. On October 26, 1979 the 30th Medical Group was transferred to 2d Corps Support Command, VII Corps.
The Group deployed in December 1990 to Southwest Asia in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. The unit redeployed home to Germany in early May 1991. For its efforts, the unit received campaign participation credit for Defense of Saudi Arabia and Liberation and Defense of Kuwait. In June and November of 1991 elements of the Group were transferred to V Corps, 68th Medical Group. On March 19, 1992 the 30th Medical Group was reorganized as the 30th Medical Brigade, a wartime command and control element of V Corps and a peacetime community health care agent of 7th Medical Command.
The Army's 7th Medical Command, which was headquartered in Heidelberg and was a major separate command under U.S. Army Europe and 7th Army, had both a peacetime community healthcare mission and the mission to deploy its members in response to contingency operations. The contingency mission of 7th Medical Command went to 30th Medical Brigade, a separate brigade under V Corps, a major subordinate command of U.S. Army-Europe and 7th Army. The Europe Regional Medical Command assumed responsibility for peacetime care.
The Army Medical Department does not have the personnel resource, though, to maintain a fully-staffed contingency force and to perform its peacetime mission. Hence, while the medical command is organized to provide community healthcare and is not deployable, its personnel support the deployable medical missions of U.S. Army-Europe. Staffing the Wuerzburg hospital is the 67th Combat Support Hospital, a unit subordinate to V Corps' 30th Medical Brigade. Similarly, personnel in the 212th Mobile Army Surgical hospital, also a 30th brigade unit, are imbedded in the Heidelberg hospital. These personnel support the Europe Regional Medical Command peacetime mission when they have no deployable contingency mission. When they do have a deployable mission, Europe Regional Medical Command replaces them with personnel from the U.S. Army Medical Command Activities and Army Reserve personnel to ensure continuity of peacetime community healthcare.
With the deactivation of 7th Medical Command during the fall of 1994, all 30th Medical Brigade TO&E elements were assigned to V Corps with the Headquarters in Heidelberg, Germany. From November 1995 until December 1996, the Headquarters, 30th Medical Brigade and many of its subordinate units were deployed to Hungary, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina in support of Operation Joint Endeavor. For its service, the 30th Medical Brigade was awarded the Army Superior Unit Award.
The 30th Medical Brigade continued its active involvement in the Balkans with its units rotating in and out of Bosnia until October 1998 when the 67th Combat Support Hospital returned to Germany. In March 1999 the 30th Medical Brigade began its support of Operation Allied Force in Albania, Macedonia and now in Kosovo.
Throughout its history, the 30th Medical Brigade has not only provided day-to-day community medical support, but has been called on to provide medical support during wars and conflicts. The Brigade continues to respond to medical disasters all over the world.
