Quartermaster Corps (United States Army)



The United States Army Quartermaster Corps is a Sustainment (formerly 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.

History
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." 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 current operations in Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom) and Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom).

Functions
The function of the Quartermaster Corps is to provide the following support to the Army:


 * general supply (except for ammunition and medical supplies)
 * Mortuary Affairs (formerly graves registration)
 * subsistence (food service)
 * petroleum & water
 * field services
 * aerial delivery (parachute packing, air item maintenance, heavy and light equipment parachute drop, rigging and sling loading.)
 * shower, laundry, fabric/light textile repair
 * material and distribution management

Former functions
Former functions and missions of the Quartermaster Corps were:


 * military transportation (given to the newly established Transportation Corps in 1942)
 * military construction (given to the Corps of Engineers in the early 1940s)
 * U.S. Army Remount Service horses/ war dogs (military dog training given to Military Police Corps in 1951)
 * military heraldry (given to the Adjutant General's Corps in 1962)

Units
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 Department.

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 & water which have battalion and group level units.

Military Occupational Specialities
There are nine Quartermaster Enlisted Military Occupational Specialties (MOSs):


 * 92A – Automated Logistical Specialist
 * 92F – Petroleum Supply Specialist
 * 92G – Food Service Operations
 * 92L – Petroleum Laboratory Specialist
 * 92M – Mortuary Affairs Specialist
 * 92R – Parachute Rigger
 * 92S – Shower/Laundry and Clothing Repair Specialist
 * 92W – Water Treatment Specialist
 * 92Y – Unit Supply Specialist

There are five Quartermaster Warrant Officer Military Occupational Specialties (MOSs):


 * 920A - Property Accounting Technician
 * 920B – Supply Systems Technician
 * 921A – Airdrop Systems Technician
 * 922A – Food Service Technician
 * 923A – Petroleum Technician

The three Quartermaster Officer Areas of Concentration (AOCs) have been merged into 92A as Additional Skill Identifiers (ASIs)


 * 92A – Quartermaster, General
 * R9 – Aerial Delivery and Materiel (formerly 92D)
 * R8 – Petroleum and Water (formerly 92F)

Leadership / School
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 Gwen Bingham. 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 Lee, 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 Quartermaster Generals see Quartermaster General (United States)

In the media
The Quartermaster Corps provides a host of vital services to the U.S. Army. But because these jobs are often not glamorous very little is mentioned about Quartermaster soldiers in the mainstream media. The Global War on Terrorism, the 11 September attack on the Pentagon as well as operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have brought several Quartermasters briefly into the spotlight. Here are a few that have recently gained attention.


 * MAJ Steve V. Long, a Quartermaster Officer who was serving as Secretary of the General Staff Office of the Commanding General US Total Army Personnel Command, was one of the casualties of the 11 Sept. 2001 attack on the Pentagon.


 * Members of the 507th Maintenance Company which was ambushed at An Nasiriyah, Iraq on 23 March 2003, during Operation Iraqi Freedom:
 * Sergeant (SGT) Donald Walters, Killed in action – Silver Star recipient
 * Specialist (SPC) Edgar Hernandez, Captured
 * Specialist (SPC) Shoshana Johnson, Captured
 * Private First Class (PFC) Howard Johnson II, Killed in action
 * Private First Class (PFC) Jessica Lynch, Captured
 * Private First Class (PFC) Lori Piestewa, Killed in action
 * Private (PVT) Brandon Sloan, Killed in action
 * Private (PVT) Ruben Estrella-Soto, Jr, Killed in action


 * During Operation Desert Storm the 14th Quartermaster Detachment, a U.S. Army Reserve unit from Greensburg, Pennsylvania, gained world wide media exposure. The 14th suffered the greatest number of casualties of any allied unit in the war due to a SCUD Missile attack on 25 February 1991.

Military Order of Saint Martin
The Quartermaster Corps established this military decoration on 7 February 1997. The emblematic figure is of Saint Martin of Tours. 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.
 * Ancient Order of Saint Martin (gold medallion)
 * Distinguished Order of Saint Martin (silver medallion)
 * Honorable Order of Saint Martin (bronze medallion)