The 348th Brigade Support Battalion

By Maj. William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard.

Soldiers of the 348th Brigade Support Battalion  at Fort Stewart in 2011. Right: Unit insignia of the 348th BSB. Georgia National Guard Archives.

On February 4, 2011, the US Army Institute of Heraldry approved the distinctive unit insignia of the Georgia Army National Guard's 348^th Brigade Support Battalion.

 

Symbolism

The colors and images depicted in the 348^th BSB unit insignia have distinct symbolism. Blue is the color of loyalty and trust. Black represents consistency and confidence. Scarlet represents service and sacrifice and is one of the colors traditionally used by Support. Gold symbolizes high ideals and excellence. The griffin embodies diligence and courage. The sword it holds signifies justice and military readiness. The gauntlet highlights the qualities of leadership and strength while the lightning bolts in its grasp represent swiftness and power. The unit motto translates to “Deliver the Strike.”

Background

The 348^th BSB was organized Sept. 1, 2009, with Headquarters and Company A based in Forsyth County and Company B in Hinesville.[1] Federal recognition was granted to Headquarters and Company A June 3, 2010, while Company B carried on the lineage and honors of Detachment 1, Company B, 148^th BSB.[2] Headquarters and Company A relocated to Ellenwood, Ga in September 2013.[3]

Georgia Army National Guard Sgt. Martika Carter, a water treatment specialist with Company A, 348th Brigade Support Battalion trains Soldiers on
water quality testing while operating her unit’s tactical water purification system during annual training at Fort Stewart, Ga. April 20, 2016.
Photo by Capt. Charles Emmons.

Company A served as the distribution company providing transportation and supply support. Water treatment specialists of Company A successfully fielded a Tactical Water Purification System capable of purifying 1,500 gallons of fresh water per hour.[4] 

Pfc. Michael Murphy, an allied trades specialist
with Company B, 348th Brigade Support Battalion
operates a plasma cutter during a metal fabrication
project at Fort Stewart in April 2016.

Company B served as the BSB’s maintenance company providing field-level maintenance support to the 648^th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade and its supported units. Within the maintenance company, an allied trades section was capable of welding and fabricating custom field work.[5]

The 348^th held its first annual training at Fort Stewart in 2010[6] and provided support to the Georgia and Florida National Guard XCTC rotation the following year.[7] In 2013, Soldiers of the 348^th supported the 648^th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade and 2^nd Infantry Division during the largest exercise conducted on the Korean Peninsula since the Korean War.[8] Mobilizing to Camp Dodge Iowa in 2014, personnel of the 348^th trained alongside the 148^th BSB during a Warfighter exercise. Soldiers of the 348^th again supported the 648^th MEB overseas during Operation Saber Guardian 2017 in Mihaesti, Romania.[9] In 2018, the 348^th provided logistical support to the 48^th Infantry Brigade Combat Team during its rotation at the Joint Readiness Center at Fort Polk, La.[10]

As the organic support battalion to the 648^th MEB, the 348^th was in high demand for overseas training missions and provided personnel and equipment to multiple emergency responses at home. Vehicles and personnel of the 348th assisted in the response to two winter storms in January and February 2014. The 348^th also supported the citizens of Georgia following Hurricane’s Matthew, Irma, and Dorian. During Vigilant Guard 2017, a hurricane response exercise, the 348^th demonstrated its water filtration capability to first responders by providing clean water to the Augusta Fire Department as part of simulated response scenario.

The Ellenwood, Ga. headquarters of the 348th Brigade Support Battalion in June 2018. Photo by Maj. William Carraway.

The 348^th BSB was inactivated during a ceremony at the Clay National Guard Center August 22, 2020. The lineage and honors of Headquarters and Company A passed on to Headquarters Company, 648^th MEB while the lineage and honors of Company B were carried on by the Hinesville-based 1788^th Quartermaster Company.[11]

 

Lieutenant Colonel Charles Newton and Command Sgt. Major William Scaggs case the colors of the 348th Brigade Support Battalion during the unit’s
inactivation ceremony at the Clay National Guard Center in Marietta, Ga. Aug. 22, 2020. To the right, Capt. April Johnson and 1st Sgt. Eric Yates case the colors of
Headquarters Company, 348th BSB. Photo by Maj. William Carraway

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[1] OA 250-09 May 3, 2010.

[2] OA 217-10 July 15, 2010.

[3] OA 191-13 Sept. 13, 2013.

[4] William Carraway. Something Cool to Drink.” The Georgia Guardsman. May 2016, 3-4.

[5] William Carraway. “348^th BSB Conducts Annual Training.” The Georgia Guardsman. Summer 2015, 17.

[6] Georgia Department of Defense 2010 Annual Report, 15.

[7] Georgia Department of Defense 2011 Annual Report 15.

[8] Georgia Department of Defense 2013 Annual Report, 15.

[9] Georgia Department of Defense 2017 Annual Report, 18.

[10] Charles Emmons. “Georgia Guard Trains at JRTC. The Georgia Guardsman. Q2 2018, 12-14.

[11] OA 215-20 Nov 13, 2020.

Trailblazers of the 348th BSB Case Colors at Inactivation Ceremony

 By Maj. William Carraway 

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

 

Crest of the 348th BSB
TIOH

The Georgia Army National Guard’s 348th Brigade Support Battalion a unit of the Columbus-based 648th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, was inactivated during a ceremony at the Clay National Guard Center in Marietta Saturday, Aug 22, 2020. Colonel Brian Ellis, commander of the 648th MEB was the keynote speaker at the ceremony.

 

Col. Brian Ellis
Commander, 648th MEB
Photo by Maj. William Carraway

“Today is a somber day as we case the colors of the Trailblazer Battalion, even though it reflects the normal process of change the Army makes year in and year out,” said Ellis. “That is the mechanical and unsentimental process of the Army. Units, however, are more than capabilities and effects that can be achieved on the battlefield. This is especially true of units in the National Guard… Units in the National Guard not only reflect the people that make up the units but the cities, towns and states in which they are organized."

During the ceremony, the battalion command team of Lt. Col. Charles Newton and Command Sgt. Major William Scaggs cased the battalion colors. Captain April Johnson and 1st Sgt. Eric Yates cased the colors of Headquarters Company while the colors of Company A were cased by Capt. Reggie Corbett and 1st Sgt. Olivia Singleton. Each of the commanders addressed the ceremony.

 

“I don’t look at it as an inactivation, said Corbett. “To me, we are dispersing excellence throughout the state. We will be able to carry on what we learned here in the rest of the Georgia National Guard.”

 

Capt. Reggie Corbett and 1st Sgt. Olivia Singleton case the colors of Company A, 348th BSB. Photo by Maj. William Carraway

Charles Newton, the outgoing battalion commander, recognized the Soldiers of the Trailblazer Battalion in his remarks.

 

“I am immensely humbled to have been your commander,” Said Newton. “We come from a proud legacy. We have never dropped a mission; we have served on foreign soil and frequently in partnership with civil authorities. As we complete our last milestone and the Trailblazer colors fly for the last time, I encourage you to remember the experiences and relationships you developed in the 348th. Deliver the Strike.  Trailblazer Six signing off.”

 

Lt. Col. Charles Newton and Command Sgt. Major William Scaggs case the colors of the 348th BSB. To the right, Capt. April Johnson and 1st Sgt. Eric Yates
case the colors of Headquarters Company, 348th BSB. Photo by Maj. William Carraway

The 348th BSB served as the support element for the 648th MEB throughout its existence. In addition to a headquarters company, the 348th BSB was comprised of Company A, a distribution company and Company B, a maintenance Company.

Command Sgt. Major William Scaggs with the colors
of the 348th BSB. Photo by Maj. William Carraway

 The inactivation of the 348th is part of an Army-wide force restructuring and affects all maneuver enhancement brigades in the force. The 348th Brigade Support Battalion was constituted September 1, 2009 in the Georgia Army National Guard with headquarters in Cumming, Ga., Headquarters Company and Company A were federally recognized June 3, 2010 while Company B maintained federal recognition and the lineage and honors of the Liberty Independent Troop of Hinesville. One of the oldest units in the Ga. ARNG, this company carries on the lineage of the Liberty Independent Troop, which was formed in Hinesville, Ga. in 1788, fought in World War I, and served in the Pacific theater of World War II. Company B was reorganized as the 1788th Quartermaster Company October 10, 2019[1] and was transferred from the 348th BSB to the 110th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion April 15, 2020.[2]

 

Throughout its history, the 348th BSB has supported the 648th MEB in training exercises at home and overseas, traveling to Korea, Romania and the country of Georgia. The 348th provided critical assistance to the Macon-based 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team during its train-up for its 2018 Afghanistan deployment and has provided logistical support during hurricane responses in Georgia and Florida. In the final days before its activation, Soldiers of the 348th continued to support COVID-19 response operations.

 

The 648th MEB in formation in 2015 at the National History Museum, Fort Benning, Ga. Left to right are the 878th Engineer Battalion, 1-214th Field Artillery
and 348th Brigade Support Battalion. Photo by Capt. William Carraway

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[1] OA 366-19

[2] OA 090-003