For its first 47 years, the 3rd Chemical Brigade was designated a battalion, beginning in 1942 as the 3rd Separate Chemical Battalion. It was subsequently redesignated as the 3rd Chemical Battalion, 3rd Chemical Battalion (Motorized), 3rd Chemical Mortar Battalion, then the 3rd Chemical Battalion again in the space of 12 years. It was disbanded for the 10 years between 1989 and 1999, when it was reconstituted and redesignated as the 3rd Chemical Brigade.
The unit was part of the amphibious landing in Sicily that begin on July 10, 1943, accompanying three of the four initial landing teams and providing smoke screens and explosives (and living up to the unit’s "We Cover" motto). After the beachhead was secured, the 3rd Chemical Battalion continued performing missions in the Naples-Foggia Campaign which ran from November 1943 to January 1944.
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3rd Chemical Brigade Patch (SSI)
3rd Chemical Brigade Unit Crest (DUI)During the Rome-Arno Campaign which culminated in the liberation of Rome, members of the Battalion were cast in the role of battle troops facing front-line contact with the German and Italian defenders. It was not the last time the unit, designed to be a rear-echelon element, would operate in the front lines as the need arose to hold gaps in the line against the furious German resistance. With the arrival of VE Day on May 9, 1945, the battalion had logged 477 combat days—more than any other chemical mortar battalion—and fired over 171,000 rounds. In total, the battalion was given offical credit for paricipation in seven campaigns.
Currently stationed at Fort Leonard Wood, the 3rd Chemical Brigade the unit conducts Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training in both Transportation and CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear) Operations. Its CSIB, or Combat Service Identification Badge, features a design that emphasizes the tools with which the unit must work.
The hexagon shape recalls the shape of crystals, which represent chemistry. Scarlet flames superimposed on a purple background suggest the mission of the chemical brigade, while the arrowhead superimposed on the flames symbolizes the unit’s readiness to take part in attacks and in defense. Its triangular shape works in tandem with the numeral "3" on the tip of the arrow, signifying the brigade’s numerical designation. Interestingly, the Unit Crest does not use any of these elements.