| Headquarters and Headquarters Company 1st Support Command* (1st Logistical) Lineage and Honors |
Constituted 24 August 1950 in the Regular Army as Headquarters, 1st Logistical
Command
Activated 4 October 1950 at Fort McPherson, Georgia
(Headquarters Company constituted 3 September 1952 in the Regular
Army; activated 8 September 1952 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina; disbanded 1
March 1961 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina)
Headquarters reorganized and redesignated 1 March 1961 as
Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Logistical Command
Reorganized and redesignated 2 July 1962 as Headquarters and
Headquarters Detachment, 1st Logistical Command
Reorganized and redesignated 7 December 1970 as Headquarters and
Headquarters Company and Special Troops, 1st Field Army Support Command
Reorganized and redesignated 22 June 1972 as Headquarters and
Headquarters Company, 1st Corps Support Command
Redesignated 3 April 1980 as *Headquarters and Headquarters
Company, 1st Support Command
Command
Activated 4 October 1950 at Fort McPherson, Georgia
(Headquarters Company constituted 3 September 1952 in the Regular
Army; activated 8 September 1952 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina; disbanded 1
March 1961 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina)
Headquarters reorganized and redesignated 1 March 1961 as
Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Logistical Command
Reorganized and redesignated 2 July 1962 as Headquarters and
Headquarters Detachment, 1st Logistical Command
Reorganized and redesignated 7 December 1970 as Headquarters and
Headquarters Company and Special Troops, 1st Field Army Support Command
Reorganized and redesignated 22 June 1972 as Headquarters and
Headquarters Company, 1st Corps Support Command
Redesignated 3 April 1980 as *Headquarters and Headquarters
Company, 1st Support Command
Campaign Participation Credit
Vietnam
Defense
Counteroffensive
Counteroffensive, Phase II
Counteroffensive, Phase III
Tet Counteroffensive
Counteroffensive, Phase IV
Counteroffensive, Phase V
Counteroffensive, Phase VI
Tet 69/Counteroffensive
Summer-Fall 1969
Winter-Spring 1970
Sanctuary Counteroffensive
Counteroffensive, Phase VII
Vietnam
Defense
Counteroffensive
Counteroffensive, Phase II
Counteroffensive, Phase III
Tet Counteroffensive
Counteroffensive, Phase IV
Counteroffensive, Phase V
Counteroffensive, Phase VI
Tet 69/Counteroffensive
Summer-Fall 1969
Winter-Spring 1970
Sanctuary Counteroffensive
Counteroffensive, Phase VII
| 1st Logistical Command |
No unit was more critical to the buildup of American forces in Vietnam than the 1st Logistical Command. Prior to 1965, the U.S. Army in Vietnam was
supplied by the Army's Pacific Command through the small U.S. Army Support Group, Vietnam, which served under the 9th Logistical Command in
Okinawa. With the deployment of division-sized units, it quickly became apparent that the logistical effort required greater manpower and organization. As a
result, the 1st Logistical Command, which had first been activated during the Korean War, was deployed from Fort Hood, Texas, and arrived in Saigon on
April 1, 1965.
At that time, Vietnam possessed only two ports capable of supporting the ocean-going vessels that brought most American material to Vietnam: one in Da
Nang that the U.S. Navy used to provide logistical support to the Marines in I Corps, the other in Saigon, which was needed to provide South Vietnam with
most of its imported goods. USARV made the critical decision to build a major port at Cam Ranh Bay. Utilizing the DeLong pier, which operated by hydraulic
lifting devices, Army engineers succeeded in completing the port at Cam Ranh in record time. Additional ports were soon constructed at Qui Nhon and a new
one at Saigon, where the facility was named Newport. The results were astonishing. In mid-1965, the 1st Log Command, as it was commonly called, could
process 70,000 tons of incoming material per month. One year later, that figure had risen tenfold, to 700,000 tons a month, not counting critical items
brought in by air.
The development of the ports played a large role in determining the organization of the 1st Logistical Command. Separate U.S. Army Support Commands
were established in Saigon, Cam Ranh, Qui Nhon, and, in 1968, when Army units began to serve in I Corps, in Da Nang. Each support command operated
independently in maintaining a flow of needed goods to the combat zones. The 1st Log maintained overall control and supervision through the Logistical
Operations Control Center located at its Saigon headquarters.
That headquarters was originally located in a single villa, but as the command grew in size, its activities were dispersed throughout the city, making
coordination difficult. In late 1967, 1st Log moved its headquarters to the new compound at Long Binh, thirty kilometers northeast of Saigon, which became
home for USARV. Long before that date, the 1st Log had become the largest single unit serving in Vietnam. By 1968, the number of men in the command
had risen above 50,000.
The diversity of 1st Log activities was astounding. Under its command were truck units, boat companies, railroad facilities, and airlift and airdrop capabilities.
Almost every piece of Army equipment sent to Vietnam was processed, transported, issued, and maintained by the 1st Log. Not only was the 1st Log
responsible for providing the Army troops with the basic weapons of war, but it also clothed and fed them and supplied them with virtually every amenity
available in Post Exchanges.
Many of the administrative functions of the 1st Log were accomplished through the aid of the era's most powerful computers, which attempted to keep track
of the 700,000 tons of "imports" each month, but the size of the undertaking almost inevitably led to problems and abuses.
Among the major problems confronting the 1st Log Command was the responsibility for supervising a large civilian work force made up largely of
Vietnamese citizens. While great care was taken to screen out security risks, inevitably mistakes were made, the extent of which may never be known. Some
supplies intended for American and South Vietnamese troops wound up in enemy hands. In other cases, the lure of high profits on the black market proved
to be too much for hired civilian workers and even U.S. soldiers.
Equipment was also lost simply because the extent of the logistical effort precluded careful tracking of all material. This problem was further exacerbated
during the Vietnamization process when the South Vietnamese proved less than able at mastering American managerial techniques.
Still, when it was finally redeployed to Fort Hood on December 7, 1970, the 1st Log could look back upon more than five years of distinguished service. Two of
its number had won the Medal of Honor, and thousands of others had maintained the distinction of seeing the American Army the best supplied and best
equipped in the world.
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supplied by the Army's Pacific Command through the small U.S. Army Support Group, Vietnam, which served under the 9th Logistical Command in
Okinawa. With the deployment of division-sized units, it quickly became apparent that the logistical effort required greater manpower and organization. As a
result, the 1st Logistical Command, which had first been activated during the Korean War, was deployed from Fort Hood, Texas, and arrived in Saigon on
April 1, 1965.
At that time, Vietnam possessed only two ports capable of supporting the ocean-going vessels that brought most American material to Vietnam: one in Da
Nang that the U.S. Navy used to provide logistical support to the Marines in I Corps, the other in Saigon, which was needed to provide South Vietnam with
most of its imported goods. USARV made the critical decision to build a major port at Cam Ranh Bay. Utilizing the DeLong pier, which operated by hydraulic
lifting devices, Army engineers succeeded in completing the port at Cam Ranh in record time. Additional ports were soon constructed at Qui Nhon and a new
one at Saigon, where the facility was named Newport. The results were astonishing. In mid-1965, the 1st Log Command, as it was commonly called, could
process 70,000 tons of incoming material per month. One year later, that figure had risen tenfold, to 700,000 tons a month, not counting critical items
brought in by air.
The development of the ports played a large role in determining the organization of the 1st Logistical Command. Separate U.S. Army Support Commands
were established in Saigon, Cam Ranh, Qui Nhon, and, in 1968, when Army units began to serve in I Corps, in Da Nang. Each support command operated
independently in maintaining a flow of needed goods to the combat zones. The 1st Log maintained overall control and supervision through the Logistical
Operations Control Center located at its Saigon headquarters.
That headquarters was originally located in a single villa, but as the command grew in size, its activities were dispersed throughout the city, making
coordination difficult. In late 1967, 1st Log moved its headquarters to the new compound at Long Binh, thirty kilometers northeast of Saigon, which became
home for USARV. Long before that date, the 1st Log had become the largest single unit serving in Vietnam. By 1968, the number of men in the command
had risen above 50,000.
The diversity of 1st Log activities was astounding. Under its command were truck units, boat companies, railroad facilities, and airlift and airdrop capabilities.
Almost every piece of Army equipment sent to Vietnam was processed, transported, issued, and maintained by the 1st Log. Not only was the 1st Log
responsible for providing the Army troops with the basic weapons of war, but it also clothed and fed them and supplied them with virtually every amenity
available in Post Exchanges.
Many of the administrative functions of the 1st Log were accomplished through the aid of the era's most powerful computers, which attempted to keep track
of the 700,000 tons of "imports" each month, but the size of the undertaking almost inevitably led to problems and abuses.
Among the major problems confronting the 1st Log Command was the responsibility for supervising a large civilian work force made up largely of
Vietnamese citizens. While great care was taken to screen out security risks, inevitably mistakes were made, the extent of which may never be known. Some
supplies intended for American and South Vietnamese troops wound up in enemy hands. In other cases, the lure of high profits on the black market proved
to be too much for hired civilian workers and even U.S. soldiers.
Equipment was also lost simply because the extent of the logistical effort precluded careful tracking of all material. This problem was further exacerbated
during the Vietnamization process when the South Vietnamese proved less than able at mastering American managerial techniques.
Still, when it was finally redeployed to Fort Hood on December 7, 1970, the 1st Log could look back upon more than five years of distinguished service. Two of
its number had won the Medal of Honor, and thousands of others had maintained the distinction of seeing the American Army the best supplied and best
equipped in the world.
Home Page
Table Of Contents