• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

284th 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 284th Base Support Battalion was inactivated and reflagged as the US Army Garrison Gießen (Giessen).

The 284 Base Support Battalion consisted of 2 major sites, the Giessen US Army Depot and Ray Barracks in Friedberg. Giessen, a city in northeast Hessen approximately 60 miles north of Frankfurt, was also home to the 284th Base Support Battalion Headquarters, officially activated there on 24 April 1998.

The 522-acres of former grazing fields was identified in 1920 as an ideal landing site for small aircraft. During those years an entrepreneur ran an aerial sightseeing service and private flying school. Even the German airline, Lufthansa, thought Giessen to be a perfect place to begin regular passenger and cargo services and developed the airfield in 1929. The growing German Luftwaffe (Air Force) soon took notice, built the Giessen airport and began training pilots and technicians at the site.

Seven other facilities were part of the 284th Base Support Battalion, including the Dulles and Marshall Housing areas and Pendleton Barracks in Giessen, and the Alvin York and McArthur housing areas in Friedberg. The vast majority of families in the 284th Base Support Battalion lived in Roman Way and Schloss Housing in Butzbach, a small community between Giessen and Friedberg.

The independent Giessen military community was reflagged during the draw down and became the 284th Base Support Battalion, part of the 104th Area Support Group. With the fall of the Berlin Wall and consequent further realignment in US Army Europe (USAREUR), additional draw down measures were executed.

German history in the 284th Base Support Battalion was rich. Evidence of a 6,400 year-old settlement near the city of Butzbach had been uncovered. It was also well known that some of the "Hessians" who fought for the British during the American Revolution were trained at a castle called Schloss Kaserne near Butzbach. The city of Giessen was first mentioned in 1197 and received township privileges and rights in 1248. As Giessen was situated on 2 main trading routes leading from Italy to the North Sea and from Eastern Europe to France, it soon became an important trading center. In 1607, Giessen established a university that continued to attract students from all over the world into modern times. The city of Friedberg dated back to 1170. Despite 2 devastating fires in 1383 and 1447, it was able to rebuild and had preserved its medieval character.