Need to know how a particular U.S. Army unit should be categorized...

Question

 

The unit in question was called 1st Logistical Command during the Vietnam War; its current name is 1st Sustainment Command (Theater), and is active in the current conflicts in Southwest Asia. (See  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1st_Sustainment_Command_(Theater)  &  http://www.knox.army.mil/partners/1tsc/  for more info.) Its first deployment was to France during the Berlin Crisis in 1951.

 

What I can't determine from the available info is whether it should be classified as a Corps, a Land Division or a Regiment in the WikiTree military category tree.

 

Answer 1

This is coming from the U.S. Army Center of Military History. I hope this helps you.

https://history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/spt/0001sstcmd.htm

Answer 2

I served in the 1st Logistical Command between 1968 and 1969. 1st Log was not a Division, Regiment, or Corps. It was a Command, established directly under the Department of the Army.

In Vietnam, it reported directly to USARV, the overall command for all forces in Vietnam. It was larger than a Division. There were several sub area commands under 1st Log. There were more support troops in Vietnam than there were combat troops.

Logistics services were not organized like combat units. Subsidiary organizations were called 'Sub Area Commands,' and operated within a geographic area. For example, my unit was included within the Cam Ranh Bay Sub Area Command. This sub command oversaw the operation of maintenance brigades, field hospitals, ammunition facilities, transportation units, and quartermaster supply organizations that operated within the II Corps Tactical Zone.

Comments

Thank you; that explains very well how a Command fits in the U.S. Military hierarchy.

I'll still need help from categorization to put it in the correct place in the WikiTree categories, though. Perhaps it should be United States Army --> United States Army Commands --> 1st Logistical Command, United States Army ? Or United States Army --> United States Army Commands --> 1st Sustainment Command (Theater), United States Army ?

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Yes, a Command is bigger than a Corps or Division (or Army, just to confuse you, e.g., The Fifth Army out of Ft. Houston, Texas).

The US Army > Command > Army > Corps > Division

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Actually, it has had five names over the last 68 years. It should be placed subordinate to the US Army itself. When deployed, it supported all units from all divisions, regiments and other forces, including foreign units under US Army command.

Here is the lineage of the unit:

 

24 August 1950 to 6 December 1970 as 1st Logistical Command.

7 December 1970 to 21 June 1972 as 1st Field Army Support Command.

22 June 1972 to 2 April 1980 as 1st Corps Support Command

3 April 1980 as 1st Support command

And now (unknown date) the 1st Sustainment Command.