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222nd Base Support Battalion

In 2005, an official ceremony in Heidelberg, Germany marked the reflagging of the Installation Management Agency - Europe's Area Support Groups, Base Support Battalions, and Area Support Teams into 21 US Army Garrisons to align with the common US Army installation management structure worldwide, known as Standard Garrison Organization. As a result, the 222nd Base Support Battalion was inactivated and reflagged as the US Army Garrison Baumholder.

The 222nd Base Support Battalion mission was to plan, coordinate and execute all base operation functions and community quality of life programs; exercise command and control for community/area Conventional Force Europe (CFE) inspections and force protection; facilitate deployment operations for tenant units and prepare to deploy selected personnel; and assist staging operations for units and individuals as they transitioned through the 222nd Base Support Battalion area of responsibility.

Located in west central Germany in the state of the Rheinland-Pfalz, Baumholder was nestled in rolling forested hills just 70 kilometers from the French border and a 2 hour drive from Frankfurt. Rich in history, with medieval origins, the first reference to Baumholder was in a document dating to 1156. The French occupied the area after World War II and in 1951 the Americans arrived.

Baumholder was home to the largest concentration of US combat soldiers outside the United States. It consisted of Smith Barracks (the main post), and the base operations area support teams of Strasburg in Idar-Oberstein and Neubrücke near Birkenfeld. A full complement of support services and agencies, the majority of which were offered by the 222nd Base Support Battalion, were available to the Baumholder military community. These included services such as medical care and schools to morale, welfare and recreation facilities. Baumholder's Army Community Services also stood ready to support the families, single soldiers and civilians with services like Crisis Prevention, Baby's First Year Program, Exceptional Family Member Program, ACS Volunteer Program, Family Advocacy Education Program and much more.

The coat of arms for the 222nd Base Support Battalion was approved on 16 June 1995. Buff was the primary color traditionally used by Support units. The chevron, a symbol of support and solidity, resembled a hill or mound and, when combined with the oak, for strength and stamina, suggested the arms of Baumholder and the unit's location. The quills, crossed for cooperation and teamwork, highlighted the unit's mission. The distinctive unit insignia was approved on 16 June 1995, consisting of a shield blazoned: Per chevron debased Buff (Or) and Vert an oak tree Proper superimposed in base by 2 quills saltirewise Argent. Attached below the shield was a black scroll doubled red and inscribed "HOME OF CHAMPIONS" in gold.