7th Transportation Battalion
On Time, On Target
As of July, 2006 the 7th Transporation Battalion was attached to the 1 Brigade, 34th Division in Iraq.
The 7th Transportation Battalion was originally constituted as the 7th Quartermaster Troop Support Battalion on June 17, 1943. The unit was activated on August 25, 1943, at Camp Livingston, LA. From there it deployed to Europe where it participated in the Rhineland and Central European Campaigns of World War II.
On November 30, 1945, the unit was designated as the 7th Quartermaster Battalion, Mobile. The unit was converted and redesignated on August 1, 1949 as the 7th Transportation Corps Truck Battalion at Camp Atterbury, IN, and on June 25, 1954, was redesignated as the 7th Transportation Battalion. The battalion was allotted to Regular Army in October 1952. During this period, the 7th Transportation Battalion served with the Regular Army in October 1952. During this period, the 7th Transportation Battalion served with the Army Occupation in Japan and acquired the nickname "Orient Express". The unit was deactivated on March 30, 1972 at Fort Lewis, WA and was then reactivated on July 21, 1974 at Fort Bragg, NC where it remains today.
The 7th Transportation Battalion carries a proud tradition that began during World War II when the Battalion participated in the Campaigns of Central Europe and the famous Rhineland Campaigns. The 7th Transportation Battalion received a Meritorious Unit Commendation streamer embroidered "Vietnam 1968-1969" and a Meritorious Unit Commendation streamer embroidered "Vietnam 1969" for participating in 13 campaigns during the Vietnam Conflict. The Battalion produced one of three COSCOM soldiers to be decorated with the Congressional Medal of Honor during the Vietnam Conflict. Sergeant William W. Seay, assigned to the 7th Transportation Corps to be awarded the Medal of Honor. He was awarded the medal posthumously for heroic action on August 25, 1968, in Vietnam.
The unit deployed soldiers to St. Croix, Virgin Islands following the aftermath of the effects of Hurricane Hugo. The battalion provided Arrival/Departure Airfield Control Group (A/DACG) and upon arrival, organized and directed the movement of critically needed supplies and expedited the evacuation of stranded citizens.
The battalion next distinguished itself during Operation Just Cause, in Panama, from December 1989 through January 1990. The battalion sent elements from three units to set up and operate a Transportation Motor Pool (TMP), a Class IX supply point and two A/DACGs. The TMP and Class IX supply point directly supported the XVIII Airborne Corps. One A/DACG supported XVIII Airborne Corps JSOC Operations, while the other made a combat jump in direct support of the 82d Airborne Division.
Operation Desert Shield/Storm was the next test for the 7th Transportation Battalion's soldiers. The battalion deployed almost 1,000 soldiers to Southwest Asia in August 1990. The battalion received recognition for its establishment of Log Base Charlie, with the movement of over 300,000 short tons of supplies. Additionally, the battalion ran the Transportation Consolidation Center-North, providing rapid redeployment support to the XVIII Airborne Corps units in a record 21 days and over 500 miles. The battalion drove over 6 million miles during these operations. Finally, the battalion provided rigger support throughout the entire theater of operations rigging in excess of 1,300 tons of supplies and dropped over 130 tons during the ground war.
7th Transportation Battalion riggers deployed to Turkey in support of Operation Provide Comfort rigging supplies for airdrop to the Kurdish refugees left stranded after war. The battalion's soldiers assisted in the rigging effort which resulted in over 7,000 CDS bundles dropped in a 30-day period. It is the largest humanitarian airdrop mission on record.
Next elements of the battalion deployed to support operations at Guantanemo Naval Base, Southern Florida in support of Hurricane Andrew relief efforts, Somalia in support of Operations Restore/Uphold Democracy, and most recently to support the United Nations peace keeping missions in Bosnia.
