Courtesy Photo | Spc. Kenneth McNay, multi-media illustrator for the 46th Corps Support Group, is...... read more read more
By Capt. Sonise Lumbaca, 1st Corps Support Command Public Affair
FORT BRAGG, N.C. --In a ceremony that will be remembered by thousands of troops from active, reserve and National Guard that served with it, the 46th Corps Support Group, 1st Corps Support Command retired its colors Feb. 15 at the 1st COSCOM Memorial Site.
The inactivation of the 46th CSG is part of the Army's transformation to a modular force.
"Some years ago, our leadership decided that the Army was not properly organized to meet the threat of the 21st century," said Col. Kenneth McMillin, the commander of the 46th CSG. "As a result, we have undergone a comprehensive, sometimes painful, transformation that will ultimately make us more responsive and more efficient."
The inactivation is the first in many steps to transform the 1st COSCOM into the 1st Theater Sustainment Command, a command that will shift from serving under the XVIII Airborne Corps to 3rd Army.
The 46th Corps Support Group, also known as the "Super Group", provided Direct Support and General Support Supply, Service, and Maintenance Support to all non-divisional units, reinforcing support for the 82nd Airborne Division, and backup DS/GS support to divisional units assigned or attached to the XVIII Airborne Corps during contingency operations.
"For the past 70 years, the "Super Group" has supported every major operation without fail," said Brig. Gen. Kevin A. Leonard, the 1st COSCOM commanding general. "During all of these combat and humanitarian operations, this remarkable unit accepted each and every mission and executed them superbly."
The 46th Corps Support Group traces its roots back to 1936, when it was established as the 46th Quartermaster Truck Regiment and activated in 1942 at Camp San Luis Obispo, Ca.
The 46th Quartermaster Truck Regiment was reformed as the 46th Direct Support Group at Fort Devens, Ma., and in the spring of 1972 moved to Fort Bragg, N.C. where it was reorganized as the 46th Corp Support Group under the 1st COSCOM. In March of 1987, the 46th CSG underwent further reorganization as a full range multifunctional combat service support unit.
"Commanding the 46th CSG was a once in a lifetime opportunity," McMillin said.
Past commanders agreed with McMillin.
"This has been a premier command to put our senior officers in," said retired Army Col. Gary L. Juskowiak.
Juskowiak, who had spent his fair share of mission and operational support with the unit, commanded the 46th CSG between 1994 and 1995.
"It's a bittersweet ceremony and hard to see a set of colors with proud lineage go," Juskowiak said.
The corps support group saw its share of combat during World War II when the unit supported U.S. Forces in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, Central Europe and Germany.
Additionally, the 46th CSG successfully participated in a number of other combat operations, which included Operation Just Cause, Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and more recently, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom where it was the first corps support group to cross into Iraq.
McMillin who deployed with the 46th CSG in support of OIF III this past year said that any of the former commanders and command sergeants major would be proud of the way the unit performed during their deployment.
"We had the right focus despite being short on people. A lot of Soldiers stepped up to the plate," McMillin said.
Other operations that the 46th CSG participated in included providing humanitarian aid and relief efforts in the Caribbean Islands during Operation Hawkeye and Operation Safe Harbor. The corps support group also provided support in other disaster relief efforts including Hurricanes Marilynn and Fran. During the humanitarian missions, The 46th CSG provided logistical supplies and services including water purification, fuel distribution, and the receipt, distribution and storage of all classes of supply.
Even while involved in combat operations, the inactivation of the 46th CSG was at the back of everyone's mind, McMillin said.
"There was a lot of uncertainty because [the Soldiers assigned to the unit] didn't know where they were going to work or if they would have to move to another installation," he said.
However, the command was able to lessen the anxiety by prepping the Soldiers in advance for the big change.
"I am excited to see the changes that are going on in the Army," said Spc. Kenneth W. McNay, a 25-year-old multimedia illustrator for the 46th CSG since 2004.
"It's pretty cool to be a part of (the transformation)," McNay said. It is fulfilling and satisfying to see all of the preparation and planning come to fruition at this ceremony, he said.
While the 46th CSG will go away, many of its subordinate units will temporarily remain or permanently transfer to different units that will either fall under the 1st Theater Sustainment Command or the 82nd Airborne Division.
Some of the subordinate units will fall under the 507th CSG, one of the three and the only 1st COSCOM units that will still exist as a Corps asset, instead of under the 1st TSC, said McMillin.
"There are a lot of changes that are still occurring and that will be ongoing," McMillin said. "That's the great thing about the Army, Soldiers are flexible."
Although the unit will no longer exist, it will not be forgotten.
"I think that the "Super Group" is going to be missed because for the longest time our job was to support the brigade separates," McMillin said. " We built a pretty good rapport across (Fort) Bragg and made a lasting impression."
| Date Taken: | 02.16.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 02.16.2006 10:02 |
| Story ID: | 5403 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 526 |
| Downloads: | 16 |
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