4th Brigade is Reflagged and Joins 1AD

[tomahawk6]

Long Knife Brigade reflags under 1st AD
Staff report
Posted : Friday Mar 7, 2008 19:43:15 EST

At a re-flagging ceremony March 4 on Noel Field at Fort Bliss, Texas, the 1st Cavalry Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team became part of the 1st Armored Division.

The armored brigade, formerly known as the Long Knife Brigade, was stood up at Bliss three years ago and has already logged one 14-month rotation in Iraq.

Now it has a new headquarters, a new flag and a new name — the Highlander Brigade. The 1st Armored Division headquarters element is in Iraq at the helm of Multi-National Division-North in Tikrit and will relocate to Fort Bliss in a year.

“Today we gather to recognize the 4th Brigade Combat Team’s final task here at Fort Bliss, Texas; a critical task as Fort Bliss prepares for the arrival of the 1st Armored Division,” 4th BCT commander Col. Stephen Twitty said in a press release.

The full arrival of the 1st Armored Division to Bliss is scheduled to be complete by 2012, bringing an additional 37,000 soldiers to the post, as part of base realignment and closure.

“What no one knew at the time was that the 4th Brigade Combat Team would not only make a physical footprint here in the sands of west Texas, but would also raise the bar of excellence with their phenomenal training success and gallantry in battle, both of which will be talked about for years to come,” Twitty said in the release.

As soon as the brigade was stood up in October 2005, it did a rotation at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, Calif., then immediately deployed.

 

[Sherwood4459]

Being part of the 1st Cavalry Division the brigade's line battalions had "Cavalry" designations.  I assume the battalions will also be reflagged with the heritage of an armored and an Infantry regiments.  Do other armies reflag units like the US does?  I'm not talking about something like a British regimental amalgamation.  That's like an offspring of two(or more) parents.  To me the US reflagging is like suddenly one day, some decides the Yankees will be called the Rangers,  the Red Sox will be called the Tigers, etc etc.  Doesn't it take away from the pride in a unit's past history when it can be changed overnight? 

 

[tomahawk6]

I dont think reflagging is a detriment to unit pride. Both the 1st Cav Division and 1st Armored divisions are heavy divisions so it wont change much except they will lose the silly spurs and stetsons. ;D

 

[GAP]

But what's the logic behind it?

Is it done to create some esprit in that specific unit, to designate this unit as something it is tasked to do, or just a whim?

 

[tomahawk6]

Lets say you want to bring an armored division from Germany to the US. Ft Bliss has room and it has a brigade of another division already there.As Ft Bliss will be the new home of your Germany based armored division you reflag the brigade as one that is affiliated with the 1AD.Its an administrative exercise.For most units troops learn the history and tradition of the new regiment but everything else stays the same.Most soldiers will serve in a number of regiments during the course of a career. Now if an airborne battalion was reflagged as a mech battalion ya there would be some drama but at the end of the day you soldier on knowing you wont be in this unit your entire career.

 

[Sherwood4459]

I don't remember where I read it but didn't the U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry have a point system.  They looked at the histories of all the units and gave them points for certain things.  The top scoring units are kept active the low scoring unit are dropped.  This may have more to do with Regiments and the old CARS(Combat Arms Regimental System) and not the divisions, I don't remember. 

 

 

[geo]

Hmph... this is something like closing down CF Europe and moving 4 CMBG back to Gagetown.
Given that 2 RCR in Gagetown was at the time was part of 5 CMBG, it woulda been reflagged from 5 to 4 CMBG.

However, given as 4 CMBG was folded up and scattered and 1 R22R went to 5 CMBG, 2 RCR has found it's way to belonging to 2 CMBG...