32d AAMDC

The 32d AAMDC traces its lineage to January 1918 and the formation of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 32d Artillery Brigade, Coast Artillery Corps (at Key West Barracks, FL) under the command of Brig. Gen. William C. Davis. Just nine months after activation, the brigade sailed to France to fight in World War I as a member of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF). The unit arrived in Europe without equipment and weapons and had to borrow 75mm anti-aircraft guns from the French to take into combat. The brigade distinguished itself in combat during the Battle of St. Mihiel Salient, the first AEF operation. The brigade continued to distinguish itself by providing supporting fires during the advance from the Meuse River to the Argonne Forest, the final offensive of WWI. After the war, the brigade spent a short period on occupation duty in France until it was ordered to return home. In January 1919, the brigade demobilized at Camp A. P. Hill, VA. The 32d Artillery Brigade was reconstituted into the Regular Army as an inactive unit in October 1927.

In 1942, the 32d Artillery Brigade, Coast Artillery Corps was reactivated as a Regular Army unit at Fort Bliss, Texas, to participate in World War II. In August 1943, it deployed to the Pacific Theater of Operations where it was re-designated the 32d Anti-Aircraft Artillery Command. It later served as the part of the Sixth U.S. Army, fighting against the Japanese in New Guinea. In October 1944, the brigade participated in the landing on Leyte in the Philippines going ashore just one hour after the first assault. During the Philippine Campaign, the 32d is credited with the destruction of more than 350 aircraft and damaging 129 more. It was estimated that anti-aircraft fire during the Leyte operations caused the loss of more than 300 Japanese pilots, 600 Japanese crew members and 425 Japanese paratroopers. For its efforts in the Leyte Campaign, the 32d Coast Artillery Brigade was awarded the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation. During the post-war occupation of the Philippines, the 32d trained Filipino scouts until its deactivation in May 1947.

In February 1951, the unit was reactivated at Mildenhall, England as the 32d Anti-Aircraft Brigade to defend U.S. Air Force bases from air attack. In June 1957, the brigade deployed from England to Kaiserslautern, Federal Republic of Germany. The following year it was re-designated Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 32d Artillery Brigade. The unit was initially equipped with 75mm and 90mm anti-aircraft guns but acquired the Nike Hercules Missile System in 1960 and the Hawk Missile System in 1961. In May 1961, the 32d was re-designated as the 32d Army Air Defense Command. Subordinate to the 32d AADCOM were the 10th, 69th, 94th and 108th ADA brigades, making it the largest air defense unit in the U.S. Army. As part of USAREUR and Seventh U.S. Army, it maintained a constant watch over West Germany in support of NATO. In November 1975, Headquarters Battery, 32d AADCOM moved from Kapaun Barracks in Kaiserslautern to Cambrai-Fritsch Kaserne in Darmstadt, Germany. In 1985, the Army formulated the Air-Land Battle Doctrine to prepare for what seemed to be and inevitable clash with the Warsaw Pact forces. At that time, the 32d AADCOM Commander, Maj. Gen. Victor J. Hugo, stated "The end result of all these doctrinal and hardware improvements (Patriot and Hawk modifications), will be a Theater Army Air Defense Command that is leaner, prouder, more skilled and more capable to face the threat of 1990 and beyond." The 32d AADCOM's Cold War mission culminated with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the unit was inactivated on March 21, 1995 in Darmstadt, Germany. In August 1996, to meet the growing theater ballistic missile threat, the Chief of Staff of the Army directed the activation of a provisional command that became the foundation of the Army Air and Missile Defense Command and directed the AAMDC to forego the normal force development process and activate as a multi-component unit with both Regular Army and Army National Guard Soldiers. The provisional AAMDC was deployed on short notice to Southwest Asia in February 1998, in support of Operation Southern Watch/Desert Thunder.

On October 16 1998, the 32d AAMDC was officially activated as the Army's first multi-component command, with two subordinate Echelon Above Corps Brigades, 11th and 35th ADA brigades. The 11th ADA Bde was composed of two active component Patriot battalions, 3-43 ADA and 5-52 ADA, the 286th Signal Company, and two Army National Guard Avenger battalions, 1-265 ADA and 2-174 ADA. The 35th ADA Bde was composed of two active component Patriot battalions, 1-43 ADA (forward deployed in Korea) and 2-1 ADA, one Army National Guard Patriot battalion, 1-203 ADA, and two Army National Guard Avenger battalions, 2-263 ADA and 2-265 ADA.

In November 1998, the 32d AAMDC deployed to Kuwait to conduct contingency planning and coordination in support of CTF-Kuwait during Operation Desert Thunder II/Southern Watch. From December 1998 to January 1999, the unit remained in Kuwait to support Operation Desert Fox.

In late 2001, elements of the 32d AAMDC deployed to Southwest Asia in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. During Operation Iraqi Freedom the 32d AAMDC deployed more than 80% of the Patriot force including over 6500 Soldiers to 7 different countries, executed 9 for 9 confirmed warhead kills, executed the largest ADA movement by air and proved without a doubt the effective lethality of the Patriot system. Thousands of coalition and civilian lives were saved through the direct efforts of the 32d AAMDC and its subordinate units. Iraqi freedom's successes were the culmination of thousands of man-hours spent in planning and training through multiple worldwide exercises over the past six years. As part of the Army's Transformation Plan, the 32d AAMDC transitioned from a multi-component force to a completely active component command on September 15, 2004. On this same day, the 35th ADA Bde was detached from the 32d AAMDC and re-assigned as an organic component of the 8th U.S. Army in Korea. On April 16, 2007, the 32d AAMDC assumed training and readiness oversight for all CONUS-based active duty ADA brigades, which include the 11th, 31st, 69th, and 108th ADA brigades.

On October 15, 2008, the 32d AAMDC deployed with elements of the headquarters, the 11th ADA Bde and two Patriot battalions to Southwest Asia in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and currently has more than 2,000 Soldiers deployed worldwide. Today, the 32d Army Air and Missile Defense Command is trained, vigilant and always ready to rapidly deploy anytime, anywhere to conduct joint and combined air and missile defense operations in support of the warfighting combatant commander.

World War I

• St. Mihiel
• Meuse-Argonne

World War II

• New Guinea
• Leyte

• Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, streamer embroidered Oct. 17, 1944 – July 1945
• Army Superior Unit Award, streamer embroidered 1990 – 1991
• Army Superior Unit Award, streamer embroidered 1993-1994
• Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army), streamer embroidered Southwest Asia 2002-2003
• Army Superior Unit Award, streamer embroidered 2015-2017

The red and yellow colors of the 32d AAMDC patch represent the Artillery. The five arrowheads (representing missiles) allude to the air defense mission of the command. Their placement three and two, respectively, refer to the unit's numerical designation.

The star is a symbol of achievement, and represents the command. The five points of the star allude to the organization's participation in World War I (St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne) and World War II (New Guinea and Leyte) as well as the command's Philippine Presidential Unit Citation.