Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (United States)
# Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (United States)

The 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Special Troops Battalion is a special troops battalion of the United States Army headquartered at Fort Drum, New York. It is the organization for the command elements of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division. The battalion contains the division's senior command structure, including its Headquarters and Headquarters Company, as well as communication and support elements.

Tracing its lineage back to the mountain warfare training command activated during World War II, the battalion received credit for participation in two World War II campaigns. Formally activated in 2004, it has since seen two deployments supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in support of the 1st Brigade Combat Team.

## Organization

The 1st Special Troops Battalion is subordinate to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, and is a permanent formation of the brigade, as the 1st Brigade Combat Team's command elements are all contained in the STB.

The battalion consists of four companies; the brigade's Headquarters and Headquarters Company, as well as A Company, a Combat Engineer company; B Company, a Military Intelligence company; C Company, a Signal company; and a Military Police platoon. These companies provide services for the other battalions of the 1st Brigade Combat Team. As such, all of the formations are mountain warfare qualified.

## History

Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division traces its lineage back to the 10th Mountain Division's original Headquarters element, which was constituted with the rest of the division in World War II. It was activated 17 September 1942 as the 10th Mountain Training Center. After the training of the Division's soldiers was complete, the Training Center became the division headquarters. The division headquarters then fought through the Italian campaign, earning two campaign streamers during its service.

Upon the return of the division headquarters and 1st Brigade, the 10th Mountain Division began the process of transformation into a modular division. On 16 September 2004, the division headquarters finished its transformation. The 1st Brigade became the 1st Brigade Combat Team, while the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division was activated for the first time. In January 2005, the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division was activated at Fort Polk, Louisiana. 2nd Brigade Combat Team would not be transformed until September 2005, pending a deployment to Iraq.

In late 2004, 2nd Brigade Combat Team was deployed to Iraq supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. The 2nd Brigade Combat Team undertook combat operations in western Baghdad, returning to the US in late 2005. Around that time, the 1st Brigade Combat Team deployed back to Iraq, staying in the country until 2006.

The 1st Brigade Combat Team and the 2nd Brigade Combat Team are scheduled to deploy to Iraq in the fall of 2009, as a part of the 2009–2010 rotation to Iraq. The Army is currently expanding housing at Fort Drum, hoping to relocate the home base of the 4th Brigade Combat Team from Fort Polk to Fort Drum before 2013.

## Honors

The Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division was awarded two campaign streamers in World War II and two campaign streamers in the War on Terrorism for a total of four campaign streamers and two unit decorations in its operational history. Note that some of the brigade's battalions received more or fewer decorations depending on their individual deployments.

### Unit decorations

| Ribbon | Award | Year | Notes |
| - | - | - | - |
| | Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) | 2003–2004 | for service in Afghanistan |
| | Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) | 2005–2006 | for service in Iraq |

### Campaign streamers

| Conflict | Streamer | Year(s) |
| - | - | - |
| World War II | North Apennines | 1944 |
| World War II | Po Valley | 1945 |
| Operation Enduring Freedom | Afghanistan | 2003–2004 |
| Operation Iraqi Freedom | Iraq | 2005–2006 |
| Operation Iraqi Freedom | Iraq | 2007–2008 |
| Operation Enduring Freedom | Afghanistan | 2010–2011 |
