70th Today
Known Units -
Insignia -
Casualties -
AccountsThe 70th Infantry Division was deactivated in October, 1945. In the 1950s the
70th Infantry Division (Training) was formed as part of the Army Reserve and
continued until inactivated in 1996. In 1996 the the 70th Regional Service Command
was activated, then later renamed
70th Regional Readiness Command. In 2007, the 70th RRC was inactivated, In 2008,
the 70th Division Training (Functional Training) was activated. It is this unit
that carries the 70th's colors.
With headquarters at historic Fort Lawton in
Seattle Washington, the 70th Regional Readiness Command (RRC) was one of 10
Major Subordinate Commands of the United States Army Reserve. Each RRC is
responsible for facility support of all USAR units in one of the ten Federal
Emergency Areas. The 70th RRC was responsible for Region X - Oregon, Washington
and Idaho.
In addition to providing facility support for all regional USAR units, the
70th RRC was a Command and Control headquarters for many active reserve units in
the three state area. More than 4000 active reserve soldiers train monthly and
for two contiguous weeks during the year to provide critical skill units for the
total Army in a variety of specialized disciplines. These include hospital,
engineering, transportation (including watercraft), postal and other combat
service support skills. Many of these soldiers have skills and specialties which
are well aligned with their civilian occupations - providing additional benefit
to the Army and the community.
The
70th Regional Readiness Command began as the 124th U.S. Army Reserve Command (ARCOM)
Dec. 13, 1967, with headquarters at Fort Lawton, Wash. Official designation as
the 124th ARCOM was made March 1, 1968, and it was assigned to the Sixth U.S.
Army March 8, 1968. The 124th ARCOM was assigned the mission of preparing its
subordinate units to mobilize and perform wartime tasks.
Prior to the formation of the 124th ARCOM, the subordinate reserve units had
been controlled by Tenth Corps of the active Army. Part-time reserve officers
had been under command of Active Army Officers. When Tenth Corps was
deactivated, the 124th ARCOM was created as the new headquarters for all reserve
units. Initial command of the ARCOM was assumed by Major General Michael B.
Kauffman on Dec. 19, 1967. The 124th ARCOM reported directly to Sixth Army at
the Presidio in San Francisco, Calif., as its next higher headquarters until the
U.S. Army Reserve Command (USARC) was established in Atlanta, Ga., in 1991.
The 124th U.S. Army Reserve Command, by direction of USARC, began
reorganization in 1995, changing from an Army Reserve Command to a Regional
Support Command. In 1996, the 124th Regional Support Command was inactivated and
took up the name and heritage of the 70th Division (Training) and became the
70th Regional Support Command. In addition to this change, the territory of the
command changed from command and control of subordinate units in
Washington-Oregon-northern California to command and control of subordinate
units in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.
The 70th Division (Training) began as the 70th Infantry Division at Camp
Adair, OR, in 1943. The three infantry regiments of the 70th Infantry Division
landed at Marseille, France, 10-15 December 1944, and were formed into Task
Force Herren before the arrival of the remainder of the Division on 18 January
1945. Task Force Herren took over defensive positions along the west bank of the
Rhine, 28 December 1944, in the vicinity of Bischweiler, south of Haguenau
Forest. Elements took part in the fight to stop the German winter offensive, and
struck at the enemy at Phillipsbourg and at Wingen. In mid-January 1945, the
Task Force moved to an area directly south of Saarbrucken, where it carried out
reconnaissance and combat patrols, and improved defensive positions. Upon the
arrival of the remainder of the Division, Task Force Herren was dissolved.
Patrolling and combat raids continued as preparations were made for an offensive
drive in mid-February. On 17 February 1945, the attack jumped off just below the
Saar River. The 70th drove onto high ground overlooking Saarbrucken, smashed
into Forbach, took Stiring-Wendel, and continued across the Saar to take
Saarbrucken, 20 March 1945. Pushing through Siegfried Line defenses along the
north bank of the Saar, the Division took Volklingen and other Saarland cities
and towns. In April it took part in the reduction of the Saar Basin, and after
VE-day was engaged in occupational duties, with CP's at Otterberg, Bad Kreuznach,
Frankfurt, and Oranienstein.
In 1945 the 70th was inactivated at Camp Kilmer, N.J. In 1952 it was allotted
to the Organized Reserve Corps, now known as the Army Reserve. Later the same
year the 70th was redesignated as the 70th Division (Training). It remained in
Detroit until 1968, when it was moved to Livonia, Mich. The 70th Division
(Training) was formally inactivated in Michigan on Nov. 15, 1996. The very next
day, the 70th Regional Support Command was activated at Fort Lawton, Wash.,
bringing the name of the 70th back to the Northwest.
In late 2003 all Regional Support Commands were re-designated to Regional
Readiness Commands.
In its 2005 BRAC Recommendations, DoD recommended to disestablish the 70th
Regional Readiness Command and close Fort Lawton. This recommendation would
support the Army Reserve’s Command and Control restructuring initiative to
reduce Regional Readiness Commands from ten to four.
In 2008 the 70th Training Division (Functional Training) was activated and is
headquartered at Fort Knox, Kentucky.
Known Units -
Insignia -
Casualties -
Accounts
[ Home ]
|