| Quartermaster Corps | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Quartermaster Corps branch insignia | |
| Country |  United States |
| Allegiance | United States Army Quartermaster Corps |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| Role | Sustainment |
| Website | Official Website |
| Commanders | |
| Quartermaster General | COL Jin H. Pak |
The United States Army Quartermaster Corps, formerly the Quartermaster Department, is a sustainment and former combat service support (CSS) branch of the United States Army. It is also one of three U.S. Army logistics branches, the others being the Transportation Corps and the Ordnance Corps.
The U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps mission is to support the development, production, acquisition, and sustainment of general supply, Mortuary Affairs, subsistence, petroleum and water, and material and distribution management during peace and war to provide combat power to the U.S. Army. The officer in charge of the branch for doctrine, training, and professional development purposes is the Quartermaster General. The current Quartermaster General is Colonel Jin H. Pak.[1]
The Quartermaster Corps is the U.S. Army's oldest logistics branch, established 16 June 1775. On that date, the Second Continental Congress passed a resolution providing for "one Quartermaster General of the grand army and a deputy, under him, for the separate army".
In 1802 under President Thomas Jefferson the size of the US Army was reduced with the Quartermaster Department being disbanded. In its place the nation was divided into three departments, each with its own agent and subordinates who were responsible for quartermaster functions within each Department[2] The Quartermaster Corps was re-established in 1812.
From 1775 to 1912, this organization was known as the Quartermaster Department. In 1912, Congress consolidated the former Subsistence, Pay, and Quartermaster Departments to create the Quartermaster Corps. Quartermaster units and soldiers have served in every U.S. military operation from the Revolutionary War to recent operations in Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom) and Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom).
The function of the Quartermaster Corps is to provide the following support to the Army:
Former functions and missions of the Quartermaster Corps were:
Quartermaster detachments, companies and battalions are normally assigned to corps or higher level commands. Divisions and smaller units have multifunctional support battalions which combine functional areas from the Army Transportation Corps, Army Quartermaster Corps, Army Ordnance Corps, and the Army Medical Service Corps.
Quartermaster organizations include field service, general supply, petroleum supply and petroleum pipeline, aerial delivery (rigger), water, and mortuary affairs units. Most are company level except petroleum and water, which has battalion and group level units. There is one Bulk petroleum Company on Active Duty.
The nine Quartermaster Enlisted Military Occupational Specialties (MOSs) are:
The five Quartermaster Warrant Officer Military Occupational Specialties (MOSs) are:
The three Quartermaster Officer Areas of Concentration (AOCs) have been merged into 92A as Additional Skill Identifiers (ASIs)
The officer in charge of the branch for doctrine, training, and professional development purposes is the Quartermaster General. The current Quartermaster General is Brigadier General Michelle Donahue. The Quartermaster General does not have command authority over Quartermaster units, but instead commands the United States Army Quartermaster Center and School, located at Fort Gregg-Adams, Virginia, near Petersburg. This school provides enlisted advanced individual training (AIT) and leader training for Quartermaster officers, warrant officers and non-commissioned officers.
For a list of US Army Quartermasters General, see Quartermaster General (United States).[7]
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See also: U.S. Soldier's Creed, Ranger Creed, Airman's Creed, Rifleman's Creed, and Sailor's Creed |
I am Quartermaster. My story is enfolded in the history of this nation. Sustainer of Armies...
My forges burned at Valley Forge. Down frozen, rutted roads my oxen hauled the meager foods a bankrupt Congress sent me... Scant rations for the cold and starving troops, gunpowder, salt, and lead.
In 1812 we sailed to war in ships my boatwrights built. I fought beside you in the deserts of our great Southwest. My pack mules perished seeking water holes, and I went on with camels. I gave flags to serve. The medals and crest you wear are my design.
Since 1862, I have sought our fallen brothers from Private to President. In war or peace I bring them home and lay them gently down in fields of honor.
Provisioner, transporter. In 1898 I took you to Havana harbor and the Philippines. I brought you tents, your khaki cloth for uniforms. When yellow fever struck, I brought the mattresses you lay upon.
In 1918, soldier... like you. Pearl Harbor, too. Mine was the first blood spilled that day. I jumped in darkness into Normandy, D-Day plus 1. Bataan, North Africa, Sicily. I was there. The 'chutes that filled the gray Korean skies were mine; I led the endless trains across the beach in Vietnam.
By air and sea I supported the fight for Grenada. Helicopters above the jungles of Panama carried my supplies. In Desert Storm, I was there when we crossed the border into Iraq...sustaining combat and paying the ultimate sacrifice as we liberated Kuwait.
I AM QUARTERMASTER. I can shape the course of combat, change the outcome of battle. Look to me: Sustainer of Armies...Since 1775.
I AM QUARTERMASTER. I AM PROUD.
The Quartermaster Corps established this private order on 7 February 1997. The emblematic figure is of Saint Martin of Tours.[8] The medal, for Quartermasters either on Active Duty, in the Reserves, or Civilian status, is awarded in three grades:
An updated list of recipients is maintained on the Association of Quartermasters website.
The Military Order of Saint Martin is awarded by the Association of Quartermasters and not the United States Army.
