The Babenhausen Kaserne


         41st FA Bde

2nd Battalion 77th Field Artillery


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77TH FIELD ARTILLERY REGIMENT





Distinctive Unit Insignia.

Description:
A Gold color metal and enamel device 1 1/8 inches (2.86 cm) in height overall consisting of a shield blazoned as follows: Gules, five fleurs-de-lis, three and two, Or; on a chief dovetailed at the last a prickly pear cactus Proper; and attached below the shield a Gold scroll inscribed “EN GARDE” in Red.

Symbolism:
The shield is red for artillery. The yellow dovetailed chief symbolizes the formation of the organization from cavalry. The cactus indicates service as cavalry on the Mexican border. The five fleurs-de-lis signify the five major engagements in France in World War I as artillery.


Background:
The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 77th Field Artillery Regiment on 10 December 1929. It was redesignated for the 634th Field Artillery Battalion on 28 July 1944. It was redesignated for the 77th Artillery Regiment on 16 December 1958. It was redesignated effective 1 September 1971, for the 77th Field Artillery Regiment. The insignia was amended to update and clarify the description and symbolism on 12 August 1985.




Coat of Arms.

Blazon:
Shield:
Gules, five fleurs-de-lis, three and two, Or; on a chief dovetailed of the last a prickly pear cactus Proper.

Crest:
On a wreath of the colors, Or and Gules, a mount Vert supporting a falcon Proper.

Motto:
EN GARDE (On Guard).

Symbolism:
Shield:
The shield is red for artillery. The yellow dovetailed chief symbolizes the formation of the organization from cavalry.
The cactus indicates service as cavalry on the Mexican border. The five fleurs-de-lis signify the five major engagements in France in World War I as artillery.

Crest:
The crest is taken from the arms of Montfaucon, as most of the 77th Field Artillery was there when the Armistice was signed.
 
Background:
The coat of arms was originally approved for the 77th Field Artillery Regiment on 10 December 1929. It was redesignated for the 634th Field Artillery Battalion on 28 July 1944. It was redesignated for the 77th Artillery Regiment on 16 December 1958. It was redesignated effective 1 September 1971, for the 77th Field Artillery Regiment. The insignia was amended to clarify the symbolism on 12 August 1985.










The History of the

2nd Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment





 The mission of the 2nd Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment is to trains to meet availability requirements as a light field artillery battalion in direct support of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, and, on order, deploy from Fort Carson, Colorado and provide direct field artillery fires and execute stability operations. The 2nd Battalion, 77th Field Artillery was first constituted on 1 July 1916 in the Regular Army as Troops C and D, 19th Cavalry. It was organized on 11 June 1917 at Fort Ethan Allen, Vermont. The Troops were consolidated, converted, and redesignated on 1 November 1917 as Battery B, 77th Field Artillery, as part of the overall conversion of the 19th Cavalry to the 77th Field Artillery. The 77th Field Artillery as a whole was assigned to the 4th Division on 19 November 1917.

The Regiment participated in heavy combat in 5 campaigns, including the Aisne-Marne campaign and the Battle of Meuse Argonne. After occupation duty it returned home in 1919 and Battery B was inactivated at Camp Lewis, Washington on 21 September 1921. While inactive, the 77th Field Artillery was relieved on 24 March 1923 from assignment to the 4th Division and assigned to the 7th Division. It was relieved on 1 January 1930 from assignment to the 7th Division and assigned to the 4th Division. Battery B, 77th Field Artillery was reactivated on 1 January 1935 at Fort Sill, Oklahoma as a 155mm howitzer regiment. The 77th Field Artillery was relieved on 16 October 1939 from assignment to the 4th Division. The 77th Field Artillery Regiment was assigned to the 18th Field Artillery Brigade, VII Corps on 27 January 1942.
The 77th participated in the amphibious assault on Licata, Sicily 9 July 1943. Then saw combat on the Italian mainland in Naples, Anzio, and Rome. On 24 February, 1944, the 77th FRegiment was broken up with 1st Battalion becoming the 634th Field Artillery Battalion and the 2nd Battalion becoming the 631st Field Artillery Battalion. The unit was reorganized and redesignated on 24 February 1944 as Battery B, 634th Field Artillery Battalion. The 634th Field Artillery Battalion participated in the amphibious assault on Southern France and saw further action in the Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace and Central European campaigns. In total, the unit particiapted in 10 campaigns with the 77th Field Artillery Regiment and 634th Field Artillery Battalion during the Second World War: Sicily (streamer with arrowhead indicating participation in the intial assault), Naples-Foggia, Anzio, Rome-Arno, Southern France (with arrowhead), North Apennines, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe, and Po Valley.

After the end of the Second World War, the unit was redesignated as Battery B, 77th Field Artillery Battalion on 15 May 1945 with the redesignation of the 634th Field Artillery Battalion as the 77th Field Artillery Battalion. Battery B, 77th Field Artillery Battalion was inactivated on 4 January, 1946 at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. It was disbanded entirely on 1 August 1946. Battery B, 77th Field Artillery was reconstituted on 16 July 1957 in the Regular Army. It was redesignated on 1 August 1957 as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 2nd Missile Battalion, 77th Artillery, and activated at Fort Hood, Texas. Its organic elements were constituted on 16 July 1957 and activated on 1 August 1957. The Battalion was inactivated on 2 January 1959 at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. While inactive, the Battalion was redesignated on 23 April 1959 as the 2nd Howitzer Battalion, 77th Artillery, and assigned to the 4th Infantry Division. It was activated on 6 May 1959 at Fort Lewis, Washington. The unit was redesignated on 1 October 1963 as the 2nd Battalion, 77th Artillery.

 The Battalion arrived in Vietnam on 9 October, 1966 and was initially based at Dau Tieng as the direct support battalion for the 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division. The Battalion was relieved on 1 August 1967 from assignment to the 4th Infantry Division and assigned to the 25th Infantry Division. It subsequently moved to Cu Chi in 1969. The 2nd Battalion, 77th Artillery participated in 11 Vietnam campaigns receiving a Presidential Unit Citation for the battle of Soui Tre and 3 awards of the Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm. The Battalion departed Vietnam on 7 December 1970. It was reassigned to the 4th Infantry Division and inactivated on 15 December 1970, at Fort Lewis, Washington. While inactive, the Battalion was redesignated on 1 September 1971 as the 2nd Battalion, 77th Field Artillery.

The 2nd Battalion, 77th Field Artillery was reactivated in Germany on 17 June 1986, having been relieved from assignment to the 4th Infantry Division. There it served as a MLRS battalion assigned to the 17th Field Artillery Brigade, VII Corps. The Battalion was inactivated on 1 March 1988 in Germany and re activated on 16 May 1988 in Germany. It was inactivated again on 1 March 1991 in Germany. As part of the Army's transformation to the modular force structure, the Battalion was reactivated on 16 December 2004, as a self-propelled 155mm howitzer battalion equipped with the M109A6, to assigned provide fires for the newly established 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division at Fort Hood, Texas.

The Battalion was redesignated on 1 October 2005 as the 2nd Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment. As of 14 January 2006, 4th Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, which included 2nd Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, took control of Forward Operating Base Prosperity, located in Baghdad, from 4th Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division. Their mission included training Iraqi Security Forces and maintaining security within the central and southern regions of the Iraqi capital. Upon returning to Fort Hood, Texas from Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Battalion was inactivated on in late 2007 and was reactivated on 9 April 2008 at Fort Carson, Colorado. This was part of a major realignment involving the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.

 The Brigade Combat Team was reflagged as the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. The 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment was reflagged as the 5th Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment. The 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colorado was reflagged as the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. As part of this reflagging, the 4th Brigade Combat Team transitioned from a Heavy Brigade Combat Team to an Infantry Brigade Combat Team. As a result, 2nd Battalion, 77th Field Artillery was reactivated as a light artillery battalion with towed howitzers rather than a self-propelled howitzer battalion as it had been previously Units







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All Pictures by © Gregory Mixon












Spec 4 Mixon 
A Btry 2/77 FA


" yea we arrived in 1986, the unit was reactivated ,
LTC Ferrizan commander (not sure about the spelling of his name) & SGM Covey HQ.

I drove for Capt. Lawrence J. Hoyme, A Btry. 2 / 7 7 till my discharge in 1988 ,they were suppose to be deactivated and reactivated sometime after that, then desert storm started.
We were the first in the new billets.


We were the golden boys of the post, we were the hottest thing, did you know the Green Goose bar outside the gate".

(email Nov. 2012)








Gen. Collin Powell just fired in this launcher
Graf, 1986-87




Graff



Used with permission from Gregory S Mixon ©2012




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