3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment

3/69 Armor Battalion
Active	July 15, 1940 - Present
Country	USA
Branch	Regular Army
Type	Battalion
Role	Task Force
Garrison/HQ	Fort Stewart
Nickname(s)	Speed and Power
Motto(s)	"Vitesse et Puissance" "Speed and Power"
Colors	Green, White and Black
Engagements	Gulf War Iraq Campaign
Commanders
Current commander	LTC Jessie L. Robinson

The 3/69 Armor Battalion is a United States Army infantry battalion based at Fort Stewart, Georgia. 3/69 AR BN was the first conventional US unit to enter Iraq in 2003, and among the first units to serve three tours in Iraq. Through out Operation Iraqi Freedom 3/69 AR was featured several times on CNN and ABC News, and was made famous for taking the Baghdad International Airport in 2003.

WWII

3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, was originally constituted on 15 July 1940 in the Regular Army as Company C, 69th Armored Regiment, an element of the 1st Armored Division. It activated on 31 July 1940 at Fort Knox, KY, and inactivated there on 10 January 1942.

It reactivated on 15 February 1942 at Fort Knox, KY, ( the 69th Armored Regiment was concurrently relieved from assignment to the 1st Armored Division and assigned to the 6th Armored Division). It was reorganized and re-designated on 20 September 1943 as Company C, 69th Tank Battalion. It was eventually absorbed on 10 July 1945 by the 69th Amphibian Tractor Battalion (the 69th Amphibian Tractor Battalion was concurrently relieved from assignment to the 6th Armored Division). It inactivated on 8 March 1946 at Camp Kilmer, NJ.

Cold War

The former Company C, 69th Tank Battalion, was reconstituted on 21 August 1950 in the Regular Army as Company C, 69th Medium Tank Battalion, an element of the 6th Armored Division. It activated on 5 September 1950 at Fort Leonard Wood, MO. It inactivated there on 16 March 1956.

It was re-designated on 14 January 1957 as Company C, 69th Tank Battalion (the 69th Medium Tank Battalion was relieved on 1 February 1957 from assignment to the 6th Armored Division), and on 15 February 1957 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Medium Tank Battalion, 69th Armor. It was concurrently reassigned to the 25th Infantry Division, and activated to Hawaii (its organic elements concurrently constituted and activated). It inactivated on 1 July 1963 in Hawaii and relieved from assignment to the 25th Infantry Division.

Re-designated on 15 August 1983 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3d Battalion, 69th Armor, the unit was assigned to the 3d Infantry Division, and activated in Germany. It inactivated on 16 April 1986 in Germany and was relieved from its assignment in the 3rd Infantry Division.

The unit was reassigned on 16 October 1987 to the 24th Infantry Division and activated at Fort Stewart, GA. With the inactivation of the 24th ID, and the activation of the 3rd ID at Fort Stewart, the unit was reassigned once more, becoming part of the 3rd Infantry Division, based still at Fort Stewart, GA.

1990's and Beyond

Throughout the 1990s and into the turn of the century, the battalion has deployed in support of numerous war-time missions including Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm (Iraq), Intrinsic Action (Kuwait), Kosovo, and Operation Iraqi Freedom I where it served as the "Point of the Spear" for the 3rd Infantry Division, participating in many 1BCT battles, to include the seizure of Baghdad International Airport. The Speed and Power Battalion deployed again in January 2005, serving as the 1st Brigade Combat Team's and 42nd Infantry Division's main effort during Operation Iraqi Freedom III in Samarra, Iraq. After a successful tour, Task Force 3-69 AR redeployed to Fort Stewart in January 2006.

In January 2007, 3rd Battalion 69th Armor Regiment deployed with the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division to Operation Iraqi Freedom V. The battalion initially was tasked with securing the volatile city of Ramadi, originally dubbed as the "most dangerous city in the world", while forming ties with local Sunni Sheiks including Abdul Sattar Abu Risha. The battalion continued its second half of the deployment in North Ramadi, as well as well as combat operations in Lake Thar Thar, Habbaniyah, and the southern region in Salah ad Din Province. This fifteen month deployment was part of the General Petraeus "surge" of force. After a successful tour Task Force 3-69 Armor redeployed to Fort Stewart Georgia in March 2008, to train in preparation of future operations.

Notoriety

Tanks from C 3/69 AR were the first regular army elements to cross the berm into Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom III. The batallion was tasked with taking the Baghdad International Airport. When the campaign started, 3/69 AR lead the rest of 3ID on the drive to Baghdad. After helping destroy the Iraqi 11th Infantry Division at Nasriyah, 3ID turned north-west, covering unprecedented distance rapidly. It was temporarily stopped south of the Karbala Gap due to instense sandstorms and a need to wait for logistical support. Once the weather improved, the division resumed its advance, clearing the gap and turning north-east towards Baghdad. 3/69 AR captured Baghdad International Airport (BIAP) after limited resistance from elements of the Hammurabi Division of the Republican Guard.

Video Game Reference

Joint Task Force (video game) by Sierra Entertainment features an M1A1 Abrams from Bravo Company 3/69 AR BN on the cover of the box and on all tanks in game. The bumper number reads "B31", as in Bravo Company, 3rd Platoon, 1 track (Platoon Leader's tank).

See also

• Thunder Run: The Armored Strike to Capture Baghdad

References

• Third Infantry Division
• Fort Stewart, Ga • 3D ID
• Baghdad International Airport (BIAP) formerly Saddam International Airport