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CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait (February 13, 2008) - Since the end of
World War I, nearly 90 years ago, the circled A shoulder patch has
been associated with Third Army. The proud heritage of the famous
unit continues on today, but under a new name and with an expanded
role for the 21st century.
No longer designated as Third Army, the unit nicknamed 'Patton's
Own' is now US Army Central, or USARCENT.
Although the Third Army name has passed into the rolls of
history, USARCENT commander Lt. Gen. Jim Lovelace expressed
satisfaction that its lineage and honors would continue under the
USARCENT banner. "It is an honor to our lineage and our current
configuration that we retain the patch of the Soldiers who have
served so valiantly in the Nation's major conflicts since 1918," he
said. "USARCENT is a new name for a new mission, but the Soldiers
of this command have the same drive and fighting spirit that have
carried this unit around the world for nearly a century."
In 2006, the Department of the Army decided that numbered Armies
would be redesignated as Army Service Component Commands (ASCC) and
would carry names associating them with the combatant commands they
support. Third Army was the first of these, becoming US Army
Central to highlight its ties with Central Command. The unit's
motto, "Third… Always First," is particularly apt, as it is
breaking trail for other ASCCs to follow.
Becoming a Regional ASCC reflects the nature of the modern
battlefield in that USARCENT is an operational-level Army force
which can conduct missions and operations across the full spectrum
of conflict in the Central Command (CENTCOM) area of
responsibility. This includes the capability of commanding and
controlling Joint and/or coalition forces engaged in sustained
military actions.
According to Lt. Gen. Lovelace, USARCENT has three roles.
"First, we will provide a command and control headquarters able to
handle the full spectrum of operations," he said. "Second, we
conduct theater security cooperation engagements and events,
maintaining relationships and continuing to build trust with people
in this region. And third, we sustain the warfighting force in the
CENTCOM area of operation. And we do all of this while continuing
to take care of Families."
The roots of US Army Central began in November, 1918, when Third
Army was activated to enforce the terms of the armistice bringing
World War I to an end. The shoulder patch reflects that mission,
with the A inside an O referring to Army of Occupation.
World War II brought enduring fame to the unit under the command
of the colorful Lt. Gen. George Patton as Third Army tanks raced
across France and Germany, finishing the war at a point further
east than any other American force. After the war its heritage
continued, again serving as an occupational army in post-war
Germany.
Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm were brought to
successful conclusions under Third Army's management, with the
largest armored battle in the history of warfare. The next 12 years
of uneasy tensions, aggressive moves and countermoves in the Middle
East culminated with Operation Iraqi Freedom, again under the
command of Coalition Forces Land Component Command (CFLCC)//Third
Army. When the conflict ended, CFLCC/Third Army remained in Iraq
until June 2003 when it redeployed to Kuwait and assumed its
current mission.
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