3rd Brigade Support Battalion
3rd Forward Support Battalion
"Ready to Roll"

In July 2004 the 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized) began tranformation to the US Army's new modular force structure. As a result the relationships between the Division's brigades and Division level support support assets, often habitually attached, changed. One of the more visible changes was the inactivation of the Division Support Command, and the inactivation of the Forward Support Battalions and Main Support Battalion. These Battalions were reactivated as the Brigade Support Battalions assigned to the Division's reorganzied Brigade Combat Teams. The 3rd Forward Support Battalion was inactivated and reactivated as the redesignated and reorganized 3rd Brigade Support Battalion.

The 3rd Brigade Support Battalion consists of 7 companies: Headquarters and Headquarters Company, A Company (Supply), B Company (Field Maintenance), C Company (Medical), and 4 Forward Support Companies assigned to the 1st Brigade Combat Team's other battalions. These are D Company, supporting 5-7th Cavalry; E Company, supporting 3-69th Armor; F Company, supporting 2-7th Infantry; and Golf Company, supporting 1-41th Field Artillery. Prior to the modular transformation, the "Ready to Roll" Battalion consisted of the Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment "Panthers", A Company (Supply) "Gators", B Company (Maintenance) "Bulldogs", and C Company (Medical) "Hellcats."

The 3rd Brigade Support Battalion traces its lineage to the Motor Supply Train, 3rd Division, constituted in the regular Army on 12 November 1917 at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Reorganized 10 Jan 1918 as the 3rd Supply Train, the unit arrived in France at the beginning of the last series of German offensives of World War I. The Supply Train worked to support the 3rd Infantry Division with supplies, which enabled the Soldiers to hold their position and defeat the German army at the Marne River. The 3rd Supply Train proudly supported the Division throughout the rest of the war in 5 campaigns throughout Southern France.

The unit was reorganized and redesignated on 23 March 1925 as the 3rd Division Quartermaster Train. The 3rd Division Quartermaster Train was inactivated on 30 June 1931 at Fort Lewis, Washington and redesignated and activated as the 3rd Quartermaster Battalion, an element of the 3rd Division in October 1939. Shortly after redesignation, the Battalion entered World War II in North Africa in support of the first campaign against Germany. The unit served with the 3rd Division in 10 campaigns throughout North Africa, the Mediterranean, Italy, Southern France and Central Europe. It was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, the Meritorious Unit Commendation and the French Croix de Guerre with Palm for actions in the Colmar Pocket, and the Fourragere, French Croix de Guerre, for service in World War II.

The 3rd Division Quartermaster Battalion deployed to the Republic of Korea in 1950 and served in 8 campaigns from the Intervention to the Summer Campaign of 1953. The unit awards include the Meritorious Unit Commendation, streamer embroidered Korea 1950-1951 and the Meritorious Unit Commendation, streamer embroidered Korea 1952-1953. With the end of the war in 1953, the unit returned to Fort Benning in November 1954.

Participation in World War II and Korea culminated with the Battalion's being reorganized and redesignated on 20 March 1963 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Supply and Transport Battalion, an element of the 3rd Infantry Division. The Battalion was later inactivated on 15 May 1985 in Germany, but was redesignated on 1 May 1987 as the 3rd Forward Support Battalion (FSB) as an element of the 3rd Infantry Division. The 3rd FSB moved to Fort Stewart, Georgia, on 25 April 1996.

The 3rd FSB deployed to Kuwait in January 2003 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and provided combat service support and combat health support to the 3rd Infantry Divisions attack into Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) where the Battalion was awarded a second Presidential Unit Citation.

Upon its return from OIF, the 3rd FSB was reorganized and redesignated as part of the overall transformation of the 3rd Infantry Division to the US Army's modular force structure to become the 3rd Brigade Support Battalion (BSB), part of the 1st Brigade Combat Team (BCT). This was a product of the modular realignment of support assets, which also saw the 3rd Division Support Command inactivated, some of its units being reactivated assigned to the Division's line brigades, and others assigned to the 3rd Sustainment Brigade.

The Battalion continued its support of the War on Terrorism in Jan 2005 by again deploying to Iraq for OIF III, where it supported the 1st Brigade Combat Team in the Salah ad Din province in North Central Iraq. 1st BCT and 3rd BSB were assigned to the 42nd and 101st Infantry Divisions during this phase of the War on Terrorism, as part of Task Force Liberty.

Upon redeployment from OIF III the 3rd BSB completed it's modular reorganization and began to prepare to return to Iraq. In January 2007 the 3rd BSB and the 1st BCT deployed to Al Anbar, Iraq to join Multi-national Forces-West. The 3rd BSB provided support to the 1st BCT in 3 different Areas of Operation, while it made history bringing peace and stability to Al Anbar. The Battalion redeployed to Fort Stewart, Georgia in April 2008.

The 3rd BSB also participated in OIF V. This deployment included providing all logistical and life-support activities for the brigade combat team spanning Areas of Operation Topeka, Denver and Raleigh, conducting over 1,000 combat logistics patrols, processed more than 1,155,000 transactions for equipment and vehicle parts, establishing and maintaining 2 water purification units providing 4 millions gallons of water for Iraqis and US troops, receiving and issuing more than 32 million gallons of fuel to vehicles and 2,000 helicopters at Camp Ramadi, and providing medical treatment for 15,000 service members and 700 Iraqis.