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198th Infantry Brigade

198th IN BDE transforms civilians into disciplined Infantrymen who embody the Warrior Ethos in order to support an Army at war. The mission of the 198th Infantry Brigade is to transform civilians into disciplined INFANTRYMEN that possess the Army Values, fundamental Soldier skills, physical fitness, character, confidence, commitment, and the Warrior Ethos to become adaptive and flexible Infantrymen ready to accomplish the mission of the Infantry.

Infantry One Station Unit Training (OSUT) combines Basic Combat Training (BCT) with Advanced Individual Training (AIT) in one location at Fort Benning. Soldiers stay with the same class throughout Infantry training. Unlike many other MOS, Soldiers do not have to move to another installation after BCT to complete AIT.

The 198th Infantry Brigade was formed in the Organized Reserves in Erie County, Pennsylvania, on June 24, 1921. The unit became an organic element of the 99th Infantry Division. The unit was reorganized and redesignated as the 3rd Platoon of the 99th Cavalry Recon Troop, and on November 15, 1942 was ordered to active military service at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi.

During World War II, the troop fought with the 99th Infantry Division and received campaign credit for operations in the Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace and Central Europe. The troop was also cited by the Belgian Army for action at Elsenborn and in the Ardennes, and was awarded the Belgian Fourragere. The 99th Cavalry Recon Troop was inactivated on September 29, 1945 at Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts, and assigned as a reserve component of the 99th Infantry Division.

On August 1, 1962, the 99th Cavalry Recon Troop was relieved from its assignment to the 99th Infantry Division and withdrawn from the Army Reserve. At the same time, the 3rd Platoon of the Troop was converted and redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 198th Brigade, and allotted to the Regular Army. This, then was the unit which began training at Fort Hood in May 1967. During this training, jungle fighting techniques and air mobility were emphasized.

On May 10, 1967, the Department of Defense announced: "A new infantry brigade will be sent to Vietnam." The new unit, the 198th Infantry Brigade, was formed from units of the 1st and 2nd Armored Divisions, Fort Hood, Texas.

In October, 1967, the brigade shipped from Oakland, California, to Da Nang, Vietnam. After arriving in Da Nang, the "Brave and Bold" soldiers boarded troop ships for transportation to Chu Lai, where they arrived on October 22, 1967. Four days later they became a part of the reactivated Americal Division.

On March 18, 1969, the "Brave and the Bold" of the 198th Brigade and the 6th ARVN Regiment embarked upon Operation Geneva Park. The mission was to eliminate the enemy forces within the area of operation while stressing pacification and combined US/ARVN operations. This operation is still in progress.