8th TSC

The 8th Military Police Brigade deploys worldwide to conduct Area Security, Maneuver and Mobility Support, Internment / Resettlement, Law and Order, Police Intelligence Operations and CBRN Consequence Management to support the Maneuver Commander with robust combat support Military Police and chemical forces.

The 8th Military Police Brigade (Provisional) was constituted in Korea in September 1984 in response to the need for cohesive command and control element in the event of war, for the numerous non-divisional Military Police units on the peninsula. At the time it consisted of the 94th Military Police Battalion in Yongsan (Seoul) and the 728th Military Police Battalion in Taegu (Camp Walker).

Military Police (MP) in Korea trace their roots back to the Korean War. Throughout the war, MPs played a vital role in the defense of the country. They fought the enemy behind the lines and protected vital roads, installations, equipment, and supplies. Other duties during that time included crime prevention, apprehension of absentees, and traffic accident prevention and investigation. A major mission of MP forces during the war was maintaining security at enemy prisoner of war camps. By early 1951, more than 150,000 communist prisoners were held by the United Nations command. Riots, demonstrations and violence had become common in the camps.

In October of that year, the 8137th Military Police (P) Group was activated to control the growing number of prisoners, a task they performed until the end of the war. MP units were also tasked to conduct search and kill or capture missions against North Korean guerillas who had infiltrated throughout the Republic of Korea rear areas.

The 728th Military Police Battalion received two Meritorious Unit Citations for "ensuring the rapid and orderly movement of troops and supplies over more than 1,000 miles of road, maintaining the security of vital bridges, controlling the movements of refugees and maintaining order in an area encompassing more than 6,000 miles.

The 94th Military Police Battalion was activated October 30, 1950, in Korea. The battalion received the Presidential Unit Citation from 1951 to 1952 for its actions during the Korean War and was then inactivated March 1953. The Battalion reactivated in Germany on June 24, 1959, and served there until 1971. The 94th MP Battalion was reactivated April 16, 1996, in Korea and later relocated to Japan.

In 1995, the concept plan was approved for the activation of a TO&E brigade in Korea. The 8th MP Brigade was officially activated on April 11, 1996, to provide command and control for the 728th Military Police Battalion and the 94th Military Police Battalion in armistice and to serve as the theater miliary police brigade during hostilities. The distinguished Vietnam-era 8th MP Group was chosen to reactivate as the 8th Military Police Brigade.

Historically, the 8th MP Group was part of yet another significant expansion in MP responsibilities. It was formed as part of a brigade in Vietnam for greater command and control purposes, much like the reason for the activation of the 8th Military Police Brigade.

In July 2006, the 8th MP Brigade Headquarters and the 728th MP Battalion were reassigned to U.S. Army Pacific and moved from Korea to Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. In October 2007, the Brigade deployed elements of the 728th MP Battalion to Iraq for 15 months in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Just over one year later, the Brigade and its headquarters deployed for 12 months in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, returning mid-October 2009.

The 8th Military Police Brigade received the Meritorious Unit Citation for, "serving as the liaison and primary advisor to the Iraqi Police,” providing “advice and guidance on training and personnel management for a force with well over 140,000 Iraqi Police divided among six directorate headquarters, 17 district headquarters, and 165 stations." The Brigade is also noted for the successful 2009 Iraqi Provincial Elections by its contributions to the “Iraqi Police, providing critical site security to over 1,100 polling sites and checkpoints throughout Iraq.

Today, the 8th Military Police Brigade consists of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 728th Military Police Battalion, and the 71st Chemical Company.

On a green rectangle arced at top and bottom with a 1/8 inch (.32cm) yellow border 2 inches (5.08cm) in width and 3 inches (7.62cm) in height overall, a yellow sunburst bearing a taeguk all superimposed by a yellow sword. Green and yellow are the colors traditionally used by Military Police units. The upright sword represents total military preparedness, and the sunburst symbolizes knowledge and truth. The taeguk highlights the unit's mission in Korea. The shoulder sleeve insignia was authorized on 16 April 1996. It was amended to change the symbolism on 16 October 2006. (TIOH Drawing Number A-1-820)

A gold color metal and enamel device 1 3/16 inches (3.02cm) in height overall consisting of a green enamel octagon bearing a gold chevron and at the top a gold sunburst extending above the octagon, surmounted overall by a sword point up terminating on the sun with gold hilt and details, all above a gold scroll bearing the inscription, "FIND THE TRUTH," in black enamel letters. The chevron is used to represent the unit's authority to provide crime prevention, survey support, and criminal investigation. The crusader's sword toughing the sunburst alludes to the unit's ability to find the light of the truth. The single sword, in this instance, also refers to the predecessor organization's having been the only United States Army Criminal Investigation Group in the Republic of Vietnam. The octagon is used to further distinguish the brigade's numerical designation. The distinctive unit insignia was originally authorized on 12 November 1969 for the 8th Military Police Group. It was redesignated on 16 April 1996 for the 8th Military Police Brigade.

Newcomers Guide: 8th MP BDE Sponsorship Guide.pdf [PDF - 5.2 MB]

• 728th Military Police Battalion (Schofield Barracks)
• 303rd Ordnance Battalion (Schofield Barracks)
• 125th Finance Battalion (Schofield Barracks)

The 130th Engineer Brigade provides trained and ready engineer modular forces; integrates and provides mission command; deploys and conducts engineer operations (ULO) in a joint, interagency, intergovernmental, and multinational (JIIM) environment.

The 130th Engineer Brigade is a combat engineer brigade of the United State Army. The Brigade left Germany in 2007 and recently transferred from the command of V Corps to United States Army Pacific. The Brigade uncased its colors in Hawaii on Oct. 23, 2008.

History

The 130th Engineer Brigade was originally constituted in the U.S. Army as the 1303rd Engineer General Service Regiment and activated on July 15, 1943, at Camp Ellis, Illinois. The regiment played an important role in World War II with campaign credits for Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe, and the Asian-Pacific theater. The regiment was deactivated on July 8, 1955, and its elements allocated to the regular Army.

It was re-designated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 130th Engineer Aviation Brigade in Japan and subsequently inactivated on June 25, 1956. On June 16, 1969, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 130th Engineer Aviation Brigade was re-designated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 130th Engineer Brigade and activated in Hanau, Germany.

From December 1995 to January 1996 all units in the brigade, except the 320th Engineer Company (Topographic), deployed to Croatia or Bosnia and Herzegovina in support of Operation Joint Endeavor. (The 320th Engineer Company deployed their topographic surveying platoon the following year.) In December 1995, the 502nd Engineer Company deployed to Zupanja, Croatia and placed the historic ribbon bridge over the Sava River. The company operated 24-hours a day for three months crossing critical traffic in support of Task Force Eagle and IFOR. The company also assisted in the construction of the first fixed bridge over the Sava River in Brcko-Gunja. The 502nd Engineer Company redeployed in May 1996, with a rafting section remaining at Slavonski Brod to support the force restructuring of Task Force Eagle.

Units of the 130th Engineer Brigade were deployed to Kuwait in early 2003 and moved into Iraq in March where they supported Operation Iraqi Freedom with bridging and infrastructure support. The 565th Engineer Battalion built the "birthday bridge" – the longest float bridge constructed in a combat theater with a span of 580 meters – over the Tigris River in Tikrit on Sadam Hussein’s birthday, April 28, 2003.

The 502nd Engineer Company also conducted river patrol operations in Baghdad and Tikrit. This new mission for the company was essential for force protection, troop transportation, search and cordon operations and to protect against sabotage on fixed bridges. In September 2003, with the inactivation of the 38th Engineer Company (Medium Girder Bridge), the 502nd Engineer Company became a multi-role bridge company with both float and fixed bridging capabilities and the only bridge company in support of USAREUR.

Brigade units redeployed to Hanau in late 2003 and early 2004. The 502nd Engineer Company became the first V Corp company-size unit to return for a second tour in Iraq when it deployed in September 2004. The company returned to Hanau in September 2005. The brigade deployed to Iraq again in September 2005; and the 54th Engineer Battalion followed in October, returning ill October 2006.

The 130th Engineer Brigade said goodbye to Hanau with a casing of the colors ceremony on Pioneer Kaserne on May 4, 2007. The brigade headquarters became part of U.S. Army Pacific on June 16, 2007. The brigade had originally been slated to relocate to Fort Lewis to replace the 555th Engineer Brigade,

which was scheduled to be inactivated. But with the Army's recent authorized increased end strength the brigade remains on active duty. The 130th Engineer Brigade uncased their colors in Hawaii in 2008.

On an oblong scarlet shield arched at top and base, 2 inches (5.08 cm) wide and 3 inches (7.62 cm) long overall with a vertical yellow bar throughout, three white horizontal tower embattlements each of three merlons; all within a scarlet 1/8 inch (.32 cm) border. Scarlet and white are the colors used for Engineer organizations. The bar refers to a lever, support, fastener or a measuring device and other facets of engineering operations, the embattlements denoting the military aspects of the Brigade. In numerology, three is the symbol for completeness. The shoulder sleeve insignia was approved on 23 September 1969. It was amended to correct the description of the design on 1 October 1969. (TIOH Dwg. No. A-1-525)

A gold color metal and enamel device 1 1/8 inches (2.86 cm) in height overall consisting of a scarlet masoned tower of three merlons, charged in the center throughout with a vertical black spade (with handle extended above the top), extending over a horizontal white bayonet, all above a gold scroll inscribed, "COMBAT READY" in red letters. The embattle tower was suggested by the unit's shoulder sleeve insignia. The 130th Engineer Brigade's five battle honors (Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace and Central Europe) are represented by the three merlons of the tower, the spade and bayonet. The masoned tower with the spade also symbolizes the unit's engineering achievements while the bayonet alludes to the combat readiness of the Brigade. Scarlet and white are the colors used by Engineers. The distinctive unit insignia was approved on 3 November 1969.

• 84th Engineer Battalion (Schofield Barracks)
• 8th Special Troops Battalion (Fort Shafter)

8th Special Troops Battalion provides administrative and logistical support to the 8th Theater Sustainment Command Headquarters, as well as mission command, administrative, and life support to assigned/attached units.

• Headquarters and Headquarters Company (Fort Shafter)
• Transportation Company Pacific (Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam)