4th Brigade - 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized)
"Vanguard"
The 3rd Infantry Division activated its 4th Brigade in a ceremony May 26, 2004 at Fort Stewart. Col. Edward C. Cardon assumed command of the 4th Brigade, "Vanguard," adding a fourth brigade to the 3rd ID, the first division to reorganize under the Army's new modularity concept.
The 4th Brigade is organized to combine combat and combat-service-support Soldiers under the same command -- typically the way the division deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The 4th Brigade is composed of the 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment; 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment; 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry; 1st Battalion, 76th Field Artillery Regiment; 703rd Brigade Support Battalion, and the 4th Special Troops Battalion. The STB combines military intelligence, signal, and military police units under a single battalion.
The story of the 4th Brigade is one that epitomizes the transformation philosophy. The unit had about 21 soldiers when it was activated, and in six months gained approximately 1,500 Soldiers, garnered new equipment and conducted three major training exercises. The Army took three different battalions from three different brigades with three different cultures and joined together as one team, said Conway.
The 4th Brigade had to be built from the ground up. And about eight months after its formation, it will be deployed to Iraq with another Brigade from the 3rd Infantry and a brigade from the Louisiana Army National Guard in one of the first modular deployments.
The changes mandated by transformation were especially felt among artillery Soldiers, whose battalions were integrated into all units and face new infantry-like requirements and missions as the Army changes.
Soldiers of the 4th Brigade coined the term "infartillery" during their rotation at JRTC to describe their new functions. While they still had traditional artillery responsibilities, they also prepared to go into towns, do security sweeps, and deal directly with the people in the country that they operate in, jobs typically reserved for other Soldiers like infantry and civil affairs.
Soldiers of 4th Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division began moving into newly constructed barracks after the facilities were handed over to the unit 11 August 2004. The contract for the project cost $73.6 million for the design, site development and construction of the new modular barracks campus. It was put in effect May 25 to accommodate the unit, which was formed as part of the 3rd Infantry Division's reorganization.
This modular design afforded the barracks to be built quickly into temporary houses to support the brigade. The barracks are composed of many upscale trailers pieced together. The 3rd Inf. Div. is the first division in the Army to undergo the conversion to a modular structure, and part of garrison's mission was to accommodate the structures and facilities required for the new brigade.
More than a million square feet of barracks, modular office facilities, company orderly rooms, battalion headquarters, arms rooms, storage rooms and maintenance facilities were built to accommodate three 4th Brigade battalions. On 05 February 2004 the division found out it would be first up on the modularity concept and as a result would gain a new brigade.
Since the contract was awarded May 25, construction workers have cleared forests, installed underground utilities, and the first of the modular barracks were delivered on June 30. The Aug. 11 initial turnover included 40 of the 142 six-man barracks and 10 of 20 operations facilities to 4th brigade, which were deemed ready for operations. Soldiers will continue to move into the remaining buildings as finishing touches are placed, and all facilities are to be handed over to the unit by Oct. 14.
The new temporary facilities have more square footage and are larger and better equipped than our current 1970 and 1980 versions of the permanent party facilities. Each barrack includes two living quarters and within those quarters are three separate rooms, a central kitchen and bathroom.
