12th Chemical Company (Heavy)
On 10 June 2013, the 12th Chemical Company was inactivated. The 12th Chemical Company had been the last active chemical company in all of US Army Europe at that time.
The mission of the 12th Chemical Company (Heavy), is to, on order, provide Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) reconnaissance, surveillance, decontamination, and mitigation to ensure US and Coalition Forces freedom of maneuver.
The 12th Chemical Company was first constituted on 28 March 1942 in the Army of the United States as the 12th Chemical Company. It was redesignated on 1 April 1942 as the 12th Chemical Maintenance Company and activated on 1 May 1942 at Fort Custer, Michigan.
The unit was deployed to North Afric and served there before beginning operations in the European theatre during March 1943. The company served with the 3rd Armored Division in Italy, operating chemical warfare supply dumps. The unit was reassigned in November 1944 to the Seventh Army, and accompanied combat units from the coast of Southern France, across the Rhine River, and deep into Southern Bavaria. The unit participated in a total of 8 campaigns during the Second World War: Tunisia, Sicily, Naples-Foggia, Rome-Arno, Southern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe. After returing from service in Europe, the Company was inactivated on 28 March 1946 at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey.
The 12th Chemical Maintenance Company was reactivated on 15 February 1949 at Pine Bluff, Arkansas and allotted on 25 May 1951 to the Regular Army. It was reorganized and redesignated on 1 October 1953 as the 12th Chemical Company. The Company was inactivated on 25 July 1966 at Fort McClellan, Alabama.
The 12th Chemical Company was assigned on 1 March 1980 to the 1st Infantry Division and activated at Fort Riley, Kansas. In January 1991, the 12th Chemical Company deployed with the 1st Infantry Division to Southwest Asia in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Outfitted with new M93 Fox NBC Reconnaissance vehicles, the company conducted recon missions at the VII Corps breach site and Iraqi ammunition depots, and also conducted 3 combat smoke missions. The Company recieved participation credit for the Defense of Saudi Arabia, Liberation and Defense of Kuwait, and Cease-Fire campaigns in Southwest Asia.
From 24 August to 15 September 1994, the Company deployed to Idaho and conducted firefighting operations. The Company was inactivated on 15 September 1995 at Fort Riley, Kansas, and relieved from assignment to the 1st Infantry Division.
The Company was reactivated on 16 February 1996 in Germany with the return of the 1st Infantry Division to Europe, where it again became the Division's chemical company. As the 1st Infantry Division's chemical company, 12th Chemical Company advised the Division Commander and staff on all NBC related issues. It was also tasked with mobilizing, deploying, and providing NBC warning and reporting support to the division. The unit provided NBC related customer support to all assignment and attached units.
In February 2004 the 12th Chemical Company deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II. The 12th Chemical Company executed force protection missions on two forward operating bases, assisted in the capturing of numerous enemy ammunition points, of the Iraqi Division Artillery spanning from Forward Operating Base Babylon to Forward Operating Base Warhorse. During this deployment the Company developed the Chemical Corps' very first TIC/TIM teams, developed and fielded the FALCON IIIs, the first fixed site decontamination systems, and executed a smoke mission in support of Operation Baton Rouge, the first combat smoke mission since Operation Desert Storm.
With the reorganization of US forces in Europe and the beginning of the transformation of the 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized) to the US Army's new modular force structure, beginning in 2006, the 12th Chemical Company was subsequently assigned to V Corps and attached to the Special Troops Battalion, as the Corps only organic chemical unit. As part of the transition, on the 29 April 2006, the 12th Chemical Company moved to the Grafenwoehr Training Area.
The 12th Chemical Company was subsequently reassigned to the 18th Combat Service Support Battalion and moved to Schweinfurt, Germany. As part of continuing restructuring of US forces in Europe, it was announced on 1 March 2013 that the 12th Chemical Company would be inactivated during 2013.
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