Question for Military members (former or current)

[brutal]

I'll break down the Army from the individual Soldier up to the Brigade

Soldier
Team: 3-5 Soldiers
Squad: 2-3 Teams
Platoon: 4-5 Squads
Company: 4-5 Platoons
Battalion: 4-6 Companies
Brigade: 4-6 Battalions

Think of about 3500-4000 Soldiers for a Brigade.

There are several different types of brigades: Infantry Brigade Combat Teams, Armor Brigade Combat Teams, Stryker Brigade Combat Teams, and even Combined Arms Brigade Combat Teams. Each has their own specific strengths and weaknesses, and one of those is personnel and manpower strengths. A Brigade Combat Teams usually deploys as a self contained unit, meaning the Brigade as a whole just gets up and goes.

There are also separate Brigades, such as Fires Brigades, Sustainment Brigades, and Signal Brigades. These types are extremely modular. The Sustainment Brigade that I was in had individual deploying units down to the Team level. A Battalion HQ element can deploy while all of the Companies assigned to it stay in the rear. That modularity is 'on purpose' to fulfill the Combatant Commander's requirements.

To complicate the structure of things, soldiers are often attached or TDY to other units.

I was Signal Corps and belonged to either a Signal Company (in Germany) and respective Signal Battallion/Brigade, and in the US to the Signal Battallion/Brigade, no Company per se, but was attached to other Battalion/Company/Platoon/Squad in support of the cohesive unit. An Artillery (nukes) unit in DE, and to the Logistics Company at Ft Riley's 1st ID.

Can be kinda fucked up at times. Our TOE came from the Signal Battalion, but they didn't have all our required gear to issue, like GP hex small tents, etc. and we always caught hell from the damn grunts running the field exercises for sleeping in our temp controlled maintenance van and not a flippin tent.

[jerrymrc]

To complicate the structure of things, soldiers are often attached or TDY to other units.

I was Signal Corps and belonged to either a Signal Company (in Germany) and respective Signal Battallion/Brigade, and in the US to the Signal Battallion/Brigade, no Company per se, but was attached to other Battalion/Company/Platoon/Squad in support of the cohesive unit. An Artillery (nukes) unit in DE, and to the Logistics Company at Ft Riley's 1st ID.

Can be kinda fucked up at times. Our TOE came from the Signal Battalion, but they didn't have all our required gear to issue, like GP hex small tents, etc. and we always caught hell from the damn grunts running the field exercises for sleeping in our temp controlled maintenance van and not a flippin tent.

Yep. Outside of true combat Brigades many of us got loaned out to all kinds of units. In Central/South America I had 1st Maint teams that I ran and my squad was a bunch of 63B's.

In DS1 I was loaned to the 21st out of bliss and then worked for a Marine unit doing EOD because of my electronics and X-ray background. In the late stages (sept-nov) it was common for me to go to KKMC/KKAB or back up to Kuwait to work a day or two for the AF or hop on a chopper to go out to a ship. I did get to meet many people and have many memories.

I deployed with 1st ID out of Riley but already had orders for the 22nd Support Battalion out of Dhahran. Got to live in Khobar towers for a few months.

[brutal]

Yep. Outside of true combat Brigades many of us got loaned out to all kinds of units. In Central/South America I had 1st Maint teams that I ran and my squad was a bunch of 63B's.

In DS1 I was loaned to the 21st out of bliss and then worked for a Marine unit doing EOD because of my electronics and X-ray background. In the late stages (sept-nov) it was common for me to go to KKMC/KKAB or back up to Kuwait to work a day or two for the AF or hop on a chopper to go out to a ship. I did get to meet many people and have many memories.

I deployed with 1st ID out of Riley but already had orders for the 22nd Support Battalion out of Dhahran. Got to live in Khobar towers for a few months.

I ETS (terminal leave Dec 1987) Jan 1988. I was due for a short tour (Korea), then back to Junk City for another 3 years. Missed DS1 by >< that much and thankful. I maintained the systems that ordered bullets and beans and paid GI's. REMF for sure, but still the suck with the Big Dead One.