The
1st Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment served with the
2nd Armored Division in Germany and at Fort Hood, Texas, from 1957 - 1991, including service in
Operations Desert Shield and Storm. After a brief assignment (1991-1992) to the 1st Cavalry Division, the battalion returned to the
2nd Armored Division until inactivated in 1996. 1st Battalion of the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment was part of the 2nd Armored Division 1st Tiger Brigade from Ft. Hood Texas. 1-3 FA Battalion deployed to Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Prior to the commencement of the main ground offensive, Bravo Battery provided fire support in the form of Artillery Raids to the 2nd Marine Light Armored Infantry whose mission was to scout out possible alternate breach points, identify and locate Iraqi Artillery for counter battery attack, and to draw attention away from the main forces approach points. 144 Marines along with 2 155mm SP howitzer guns from Bravo 1-3 held off increasingly mounting Iraqi forces from 10:15 am on 21 Feb through 4:00am 24 Feb, using LAV-25's, LAV-TOW's and on call Artillery support. From 29 January to 1 February the battalion would participate in the
Battle of Khafji. Bravo Battery along with A Battery and C Battery 1-3 FA also participated and engaged Iraqi forces leading to the end of hostilities. The 1-3 FA Battalion had a hand in destroying or capturing 181 enemy tanks, 148 APCs, 40 artillery pieces, 27 AA emplacements, and 263 Iraqi soldiers dead with an additional 4,051 captured. The battalion earned The Naval Unit Commendation for Valor for its outstanding performance in combat against the Iraqi army. Upon return to Ft Hood the battalion was inactivated. 1-3 FA Battalion was reactivated in 2022 as a HIMARS battalion under the 17th Field Artillery Brigade and is currently stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. The
2nd Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment served with the
3rd Armored Division from 1957 to 1991, including service in
Operations Desert Shield and Storm. In 1991, the battalion was then reassigned briefly to the
8th Infantry Division and then to the
1st Armored Division in 1992. The battalion served in Bosnia as part of 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division in 1996. The battalion served in
Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2004 to 2005 and 2006–7, before briefly inactivating and being reassigned from the 1st Armored Division to the
1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division and moving to Fort Bliss, Texas, in 2008. At Fort Bliss, the battalion converted from self-propelled to towed howitzers when the 1st BCT was reorganized from an Armored BCT to a Stryker BCT. Since reorganization, the battalion has deployed to Afghanistan to participate in
Operation Enduring Freedom. The
3rd Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment served at Fort Knox, Kentucky from 1958 to 1971, with the
194th Armored Brigade from 1968 to 1971, and again from 1975 to 1983. It was then assigned to the
2nd Armored Division at Fort Hood until inactivated in 1990. during the
1st Gulf War, February 1991. After a brief period in 1960 as a separate missile battalion, the
4th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment served at Fort Hood, Texas, with the
1st Armored Division from 1962 to 1971. Reactivated in 1983 and assigned to the
2nd Armored Division in support of the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Armored Division (Forward), the battalion deployed to
Operations Desert Shield and Storm before inactivating in 1992. 4th Battalion of the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment was part of the
2nd Armored Division (Forward), stationed in Garlstedt, Germany. During the 1st
Gulf War 4-3 FA Battalion was chosen to be the main fire support element of
Task Force 1-41 Infantry. It was equipped with
M-109A2 self-propelled howitzers. 4-3 FA and the rest of the 2nd Armored Division(Forward) were attached to the U.S.
1st Infantry Division during the war. On 15 February 1991 4-3 FA Battalion fired on a trailer and a few trucks in the Iraqi sector that was observing American forces. On 16 February 1991 several groups of Iraqi vehicles appeared to be performing reconnaissance on Task Force 1-41 and were driven away by fire from 4-3 FA Battalion. That same day an Iraqi platoon, including six vehicles, was reported as being to the northeast of Task Force 1-41 Infantry. They were engaged with artillery fire from 4-3 FA. Later that evening another group of Iraqi vehicles was spotted moving towards the center of the Task Force. The vehicles appeared to be Iraqi Soviet made
BTRs and tanks. For the next hour Task Force 1-41 Infantry would fight several small battles with Iraqi reconnaissance units. Task Force 1-41 Infantry fired
TOW missiles at the Iraqi formation destroying one tank. The rest of the formation was destroyed or driven away by
artillery fire from 4-3 FA. . 4-3 FA was the primary fire support battalion for
Task Force 1-41 during the
1st Gulf War, February 1991. On 17 February 1991 4-3 FA Battalion fired on an Iraqi mortar position. 4-3 FA Battalion conducted a significant number of fire missions and artillery raids at the breach of initial Iraqi defenses. Over 14,000 artillery rounds were fired during these particular missions. These missions destroyed the vast majority of Iraq's artillery assets and inflicted heavy casualties on Iraqi infantry units. Iraq lost close to 22 artillery battalions during the initial stages of this barrage. This would include the destruction of approximately 396 Iraqi artillery pieces. The group's commander stated his unit lost 83 of its 100 guns to the artillery preparation. Later that same day 4-3 FA fired on Iraqi defensive positions. , February 1991. Prior to the major ground assault, 4-3 FA Battalion participated in a 90,000 round artillery preparation against Iraqi defensive targets. 4-3 FA Battalion participated in the
Battle of 73 Easting and the
Battle of Norfolk. The Battle of Norfolk has been recognized by some sources as the second largest tank battle in American history and the largest tank battle of the 1st Gulf War. During the early stages of the battle 4-3 FA participated in fire missions against Iraqi targets a dozen miles to the east. At the
Battle of Norfolk 4-3 FA had a hand in the destruction of 60 Iraqi tanks and 35 Infantry fighting vehicles just west of the IPSA pipeline. 4-3 FA Battalion continued to provide fire support for the 2nd Armored Division(Fwd) as the division fought a series of short, sharp battles with Iraqi tank platoons as it moved across the
Wadi al-Batin into Kuwait. 4-3 FA Battalion engaged up to eleven Iraqi divisions and inflicted thousands of casualties on the Iraqi Army and Iraq's elite Republican Guard. 4-3 FA Battalion also had a hand in the destruction of the Iraqi Jihad Corps, which consisted of the 10th and 12th Armored Divisions. The Iraqi
10th Armored Division was considered the best regular division in the Iraqi Army. It had more modern equipment than the other regular Iraqi units. In the
fog of war there were also
friendly fire incidents. The Battery C Advance Party/Reconnaissance Team and other elements of
Task Force 1-41 Infantry managed to hold their position against an Iraqi Republican Guard unit until Task Force 3-66 Armor arrived on the scene which resulted in the defeat of the Republican Guard unit and several Iraqi soldiers becoming prisoners of war. On 27 February 1991 4-3 FA participated in a joint British and American artillery fire mission which destroyed what was left of Iraqi artillery and infantry forces at Objective Tungsten. , February 1991. 4-3 FA Battalion played a significant role in the destruction of four Iraqi tank and mechanized brigades. 4-3 FA battalion and the rest of 1st Infantry Division artillery destroyed 50 tanks, 139 APCs, 30 air defense systems, 152 artillery pieces, 27 missile launchers, 108 mortars, and 548 wheeled vehicles, 61 trench lines and bunker positions, 92 dug in and open infantry targets, and 34 logistical sites. 4-3 FA Fire Support Element earned a
Valorous Unit Award for its performance during combat operations. The unit was deactivated on 15 May 1992 along with the rest of the U.S. 2nd Armored Division(Fwd). The
5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment served as a missile battalion from 1960 to 1963, inactivating at Oakdale, Pennsylvania. The battalion was reactivated and assigned to the
6th Infantry Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, for a brief period in 1967–68. The battalion was reactivated again in 1983 in Germany, serving with the
42nd Field Artillery Brigade there. In 1992, the battalion was reassigned to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and joined the
17th Field Artillery Brigade. The battalion deployed multiple times to
Operation Iraqi Freedom, and moved with the 17th Field Artillery Brigade to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, where it is currently stationed. ==Heraldry==