3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery

“Macte Nova Virtute”
(Go Forth With New Strength)

The 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment was first constituted on 1 July 1916, in the Regular Army as Battery C, 16th Field Artillery. The unit was organized on 21 May 1917 at Camp Robinson, Wisconsin. On 19 November 1917, the 16th Field Artillery as a whole was assigned to the 4th Division. The unit participated in numerous campaigns during World War 1, including Aisne-Marne, St. Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne, and Champagne 1918. The unit was inactivated 21 September 1921 at Camp Lewis, Washington. On 24 March 1923, the 16th Field Artillery was relieved from assignment to the 4th Division and assigned to the 8th Division.

On 13 January 1941, the unit was reorganized and redesignated as Battery C, 16th Field Artillery Battalion. In June 1942, the Battalion was again reorganized and redesignated as Battery C, 16th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, an element of the 9th Armored Division. During World War II, the 16th Field Artillery Battalion demonstrated its abilities at Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace and Central Europe. The 16th Armored Field Artillery Battalion was inactivated on 10 November 1950, at Fort Hood, Texas.

On 1 July 1957, the Battalion was redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery, with its organic elements concurrently constituted and activated. Deploying from Fort Hood to serve in Vietnam, 3-16th Field Artillery was credited with participation in the Counteroffensive Phase I, Tet Counteroffensive, Tet 69 Counteroffensive, and the Sanctuary Counteroffensive. The Battalion’s decorations included the Presidential Unit Citation, and the Republic of Vietnam Cross-of Gallantry with Palm. Additionally, Battery A was awarded the Valorous Unit Award for participation in the Quang Tin Province.

Reactivated on 15 December 1995 as the 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery at Fort Hood, Texas and assigned to the 4th Infantry Division.

Deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom on 27 April 2003, where it subsequently supported the 4th Infantry Division Artillery’s execution of Task Force Gunner and provided fires in direct support of TF 3-67 Armor and TF 2-8 Infantry.

Following redeployment to Fort Hood from OIF I the unit was reorganized on 1 August 2004 becoming the first modular “Fires Battalion”.

On 1 January 2006, the 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment, now an element of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, again deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.  During this tour, the unit was tasked with training Iraqi Security Forces.

In May 2011, 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment deployed to Afghanistan in the RC-South and RC-West areas of operations.  The Battalion returned to Fort Carson in May 2012.

In October 2013 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment deployed to Kuwait to conduct Operation Spartan Shield in Support of Operation enduring Freedom and returned to Fort Carson in June 2014.

In May 2015 the 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment reflagged to the 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regimen and was assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas.  The 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment, “Rolling Thunder” then deployed to the Republic of Korea with the Black Jack Brigade in support of the first Rotational Brigade Combat Team from July 2015 to February 2016.

The Rolling Thunder Battalion continues to train and prepare to provide accurate and timely fire support for the 2nd Brigade Combat Team and win our nation’s wars.