27th Brigade Support Battalion
27th Main Support Battalion
"Rough Riders"

The mission of the 27th Brigade Suppot Battalion, "Rough Riders," is to, on order, deploy and sustain the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division while defending assigned areas. It would then, on order, redeploy and prepare for future operations.

The 27th Brigade Support Battalion was first constituted on 1 September 1921 in the regular Army as the 27th Ordnance Company, an element of the newly formed 1st Cavalry Division. Activated 20 days later at Fort Bliss, Texas, the 27th Ordnance Company's mission was to provide farrier and blacksmith support for the horses and equipment of the division.

On 2 March 1943, the 27th Ordnance Company was reorganized and redesignated as the 27th Ordnance Medium Maintenance Company. Thereafter, the unit proceeded to the Southwest Pacific Theater with the 1st Cavalry Division where it established a reputation for professionalism in its duty performance. On 25 March 1949, the Company was again reorganized and redesignated as the Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 27th Ordnance Battalion, with the remainder of the Battalion being concurrently reorganized.

During the Korean War, the Battalion deployed to Korea, where it received a Presidential Unit Citation Streamer and the Chryssoun Aristion Andrias (Bravery gold Medal of Greece).

On 1 September 1963, the Battalion was redesignated as the 27th Maintenance Battalion. It was reorganized in 1965 as part of the reflagging of the 11th Air Assault Division (Test) as the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). Shortly thereafter, it was deployed to Vietnam and served 6 years with the 1st Cavalry division in the Vietnam Conflict. There it earned the Vietnamese Valorous Unit Award, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, the Vietnamese Civil Action Honor Medal, and the Meritorious Unit Commendation and Streamer, among many others.

The 27th Maintenance Battalion had maintained its dedicated and professional support to the 1st Cavalry Division willingly for almost 64 years before being deactivated and reorganized into the 4th Main Support Battalion on 20 June 1985. Elements of the 15th Medical Battalion and the 15th Supply and Transport Battalion were concurrently reorganized into this new battalion. Although shortly lived, the 4th Main Support Battalion quickly established itself as a dedicated and successful support unit in its superior support of the 1st Cavalry Division at numerous field exercises and several National Training Center Rotations at Fort Irwin, California. On 1 May 1987, the Battalion was reinstated as the 27th Main Support Battalion, assuming its colors and carrying on its proud tradition of the past.

In August 1990, the 1st Cavalry Division was alerted for deployment to Southwest Asia as part of the joint forces participating in Operations Desert Shield. The focus at the time was the defense of Saudi Arabia against potential Iraqi attack. Arriving in Saudi Arabia in September 1990, the 27th Main Support Battalion moved to Northern Saudi Arabia, West of Hafar Al Batin. At the start of the ground war, a heavy forward support team moved into Iraq and set up operations and logistical release point near the Kuwaiti border.

On 6 July 2005, the 27th Main Support Battalion was inactivated and redesignated as the 27th Brigade Support Battalion. It was reactivated on 18 October 2005 and assigned to the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Bliss, Texas as directed in the Army's modularity transformation. As part of the transformation, assets previously held at division level, but habitually attached to the brigades during operations were made organic to those brigades. The 27th Brigade Support Battalion subsequently provided all logistical support to combat units assigned to the 4th Brigade Combat Team.

In 2008, the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division inactivated at Fort Bliss, Texas and its personnel were reflagged as the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division. In March 2008, the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division was reflagged as the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, which was subsequently reactivated at Cooper Field, Fort Hood, Texas.

From June 2008 to June 2009, the Battalion deployed to southern Iraq as part of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division's deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 08-10.