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Beans and Bullets: A History of the 77th Sustainment Brigade
(July 8, 2011) | 
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 FORT
MCCOY, Wis. (July 4, 2011) - On the morning of Oct. 2, 1918, more than
500 U.S. soldiers from the 77th Infantry Division began marching into
the Argonne Forest in France. Under the command of Maj. Charles White
Whittlesey, the 77th was to take up the right flank along the Hindenburg
Line while friendly French units were to take up the left. The Allied
forces began what was hoped to be the final offensive of the first World
War.
Upon entering the forest, the soldiers were barraged by
enemy fire. To make matters worse, the left flank was apparently
nonexistent. Whittlesey sent numerous runners to try and acquire
reinforcements only to have them get lost or captured by German patrols.
The 77th had wandered directly into enemy lines; they were surrounded.
For five days they were engaged in battle and were even
bombarded with American artillery rounds. As the supply of ammunition,
food, and water began to dwindle, the death toll climbed and the
soldiers could do nothing but continue to fight on as their comrades'
corpses littered the battlefield.
Whittlesey, as his last and
only option for communicating with friendly units in the rear, sent
several carrier pigeons carrying requests for re-enforcements and to
redirect fire off of his troops.
Although most of the pigeons
were shot and killed before they could make it off the front line, one
finally made it to friendly forces, carrying the message: “We are along
the road parallel 276.4. Our artillery is dropping a barrage directly on
us. For heaven's sake stop it.”
The 77th entered the Argonne
Forest with approximately 554 men - of those only 194 were able to make
it out unscathed, 150 soldiers were either killed-in-action or captured
by enemy patrols; the remaining troops left with injuries.
Despite the hardships, the soldiers of the 77th Infantry Division held
their ground and caused enough confusion for the enemy to allow allied
forces to move through enemy lines. For their valor, several officers
received the Medal of Honor for their role in what has famously become
known as “The Lost Battalion.”
The 77th Infantry Division would
continue to serve with merit through World War I and again in World War
II where they fought in the Pacific theater. For their efforts in World
War II, the unit was honored with 16 Distinguished Unit Citations and
six soldiers received the Medal of Honor.
The legacy of the 77th
has also been honored in several pieces of fiction. The character of
Gatsby from F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and Cotton Hill, the
father of Hank Hill, from the animated series King of the Hill both
served as members of the 77th. There have also been several feature
films and novels based on the division's exploits including Doughboys, a
novella by Christopher Levy.
After being deactivated in 1965, the
77th remained dormant for more than 40 years before being re-designated
in 2006 from an infantry division to its new role in the Army Reserve as
a sustainment brigade. The legacy lives on as soldiers from the 77th
Sustainment Brigade take part in Combat Support Training Exercise 2010
at Fort McCoy, and the expectations are high.
“What I hope for is
that the 77th Sustainment Brigade will join its ranks and take its place
among the best sustainment brigades in the United States Army Reserve
inventory,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Nagee H. Lundee, command sergeant
major of the 77th Sustainment Brigade. “It is an honor to do it, it is a
privilege to do it. So now we've got to get to the end of doing it and
put our name in history.”
Lundee, who thoroughly enjoys history,
says he has a personal obligation to continue a lineage which is so rich
because it is a testament to those who sacrificed so much for freedom
and it allows current soldiers to become part of the past.
The
irony of the 77th's lineage is: what the soldiers in the Argonne Forest
lacked was a solid supply route of food, water and ammunition; while the
soldiers here are in charge of ensuring the supply of food and
ammunition to soldiers on the ground. To ensure that history does not
repeat itself.
“The 77th Sustainment Brigade's mission at the
CSTX is to provide sustainment support in an exercise environment for
CJTF-82 [Combined Joint Task Force 82] in Afghanistan and U.S. forces
under NATO control in Afghanistan,” said Col. Stephen Falcone, commander
of the 77th Sustainment Brigade.
The training the soldiers of the
77th are receiving here is suited for their upcoming deployment to Iraq.
Although they may not be on the front lines like they were in the World
Wars, the realistic atmosphere of down range operations here enables
them to monitor the effectiveness of the training and re-configure or
sustain their standard operating procedures.
“We are able to set
the conditions for success,” said Lundee.
There are two
battalions which fall under the 77th here, the 718th Transportation
Battalion and the 277th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion. They are
in charge of transporting supplies, fuel and ammunition; and
establishing laundry and bath service. With deployment on the horizon
for many of these soldiers, the importance of their mission weighs
heavily on their mind.
“Our mission is important because it gets
us ready for deployment in Iraq,” said Staff Sgt. Rodney Ballard of the
77th Sustainment Brigade. “This is a vital part for us right now.”
In the fall of 1918, more than 500 soldiers from the 77th Infantry
Division marched into enemy territory expecting friendly forces to
bolster the flanks. However, upon their arrival the only forces they
found were enemy forces. After five days, with nearly half the forces
killed and supplies running low, they held their ground until
reinforcements could arrive.
As the 77th Sustainment Brigade
gears up for deployment, the memory of those who wore the patch bearing
Lady Liberty will never be forgotten. The trials they endured through
the Argonne Forest and World War II serve as a platform for the 77th's
new mission. It is a mission which will ensure that those trials are a
thing of the past and serve proof of the importance of sustainment
operations in a time of war. | |
By Army Spc. Timothy Koster
362nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
Copyright 2011
Provided
through DVIDS
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