Photo By Staff Sgt. Michael Selvage | Col. David Gillum, 10th Mountain Division Sustainment Brigade commander, provided an...... read more read more
FORT DRUM, N.Y. - The Muleskinner brigade is no longer the red-headed stepchild to the 10th Mountain Division (LI).
The 10th Sustainment Brigade was redesignated as the 10th Mountain Division Sustainment Brigade and donned the 10th MNT DIV (LI) shoulder sleeve insignia during a ceremony held in front of the brigade headquarters May 20.
The retired brigade colors were cased by Col. David Gillum, 10th MNT DIV SBDE commander, and Command Sgt. Maj. Ann Sydnor, 10th MNT DIV SBDE sergeant major. The new brigade colors were unveiled shortly after.
Muleskinners can trace their heritage back to the alpine infantryman and the pack mules that formed the mountain medical, quartermaster and ordnance maintenance battalions, which supported the 10th Infantry Division during World War II.
The division trains, as they were called, were organized and assigned to the 10th IN DIV June 14, 1957, and were activated in Germany July 1, 1957.
The division was officially reactivated Feb. 13, 1985, as the 10th MNT DIV (LI) at Fort Drum, New York, and the Muleskinners found a new home after being redesignated as the 10th Division Support Command.
The brigade was redesignated once again in May 2005 and became known as the 10th Sustainment Brigade, but that was not the last time the brigade changed their name.
“We are now the 10th Mountain Division Sustainment Brigade,” said Gillum with pride as he addressed his brigade. “It seems like such a small thing really. A different flag, a new patch, a couple of extra words in the unit’s name. But it means a lot.”
Although the brigade will maintain their general support mission and focus echelons above brigade, the Army has formally directed that the Muleskinners rejoin the 10th MNT DIV.
“I’m proud to the wear the patch of the 10th Mountain Division,” said Sgt. 1st Class Tamla Bumbury, brigade plans noncommissioned officer in charge. “Not to say that I wasn’t proud to wear the 10th Sustainment Brigade patch, but now I feel like a true member of the 10th Mountain Division family.”
Maj. Gen. Jeffrey L. Bannister, 10th MNT DIV (LI) commander, removed the old sustainment brigade patch from Gillum’s shoulder and replaced it with the powder keg and mountain tab. Command Sgt. Maj. Ray Lewis, 10th MNT DIV (LI) sergeant major, did the same for Sydnor.
The Muleskinner command team then patched the battalion commanders and sergeants major who then patched their company commanders and first sergeants.
Throughout the rest of the day, similar ceremonies were held across the Muleskinner brigade as companies donned the new patch.
“Our patch no longer marks us as different,” said Gillum in his closing remarks. “There is no longer ‘Us’ and ‘Them’. While the 10th Mountain Division has always treated us as part of the team, we now wear the same uniform. We will sustain the division under divisional colors and will do so proudly wearing the 10th Mountain Division patch.”
| Date Taken: | 05.20.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 06.03.2015 16:08 |
| Story ID: | 165373 |
| Location: | FORT DRUM, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 2,474 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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