UNIT HISTORY
The history of the 63d Signal Battalion began when it was constituted in the Regular Army on July 1, 1940, and later activated on June 1, 1941 at Camp Claiborne, LA. The battalion was reorganized and redesignated the 63rd Signal Operations Battalion March 1, 1945, while in Europe.
The 63d Signal Battalion went through multiple activation and deactivation cycles between the years of 1950 and 1989 before being activated for a final time at the start of Operations in the Middle East.
During Operations Desert Storm/Desert Shield, 63d Signal Battalion installed, operated and maintained a significant portion of what was, at that time, the largest, most technically complex Echelons above Corps communication network ever developed.
After serving in Desert Shield and Desert Storm, the re-stationing of the 63d Signal Battalion from the 7th Signal Brigade in Europe to a new home station at Fort Gordon, Georgia, was announced on 12 November 1991. The battalion was assigned to the 11th Signal Brigade, effective March 16, 1992. The 63d deployed companies to Somalia in 1992 and 1993 in support of U.S. humanitarian and peace keeping operations.
The resolve of 63d Signal Battalion was challenged once again when it was called into action for Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom in Southwest Asia on February 16, 2003. Some of the many sites the 63d supported were Camp Arifjan, Camp Virginia, Camp Victory, Cedar I and II, Tallil Air Base, LSA Bushmaster, LSA Resolute, Camp Bucca Theater Internment Facility, Basra International Airport, Baghdad International Airport, and two former Iraqi Presidential Palaces. After successfully deploying and accomplishing the mission, the 63d brought every Soldier home to Fort Gordon, Georgia on February 19, 2004. In March 2007, the 63d Expeditionary Signal Battalion realigned under the 35th Tactical Theater Signal Brigade.
The 63d Signal Battalion deployed again in January 2005 in support of the Combined Forces Land Component Commander (CFLCC) during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM III. The battalion provided all communications support for Kuwait and provided CFLCC on call contingency communications capabilities. The battalion served as Kuwait Directorate of Information Management (DOIM), the Area Support Group Kuwait (ASG Kuwait) S6, and the Systems Control (SYSCON) for Kuwait and Southern Iraq. The battalion provided communications to over 40,000 permanent subscribers in Kuwait and to 150,000 subscribers during the 2005 surge operations. The 63d served as the force provider headquarters for all signal infrastructure projects across Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan providing the command and control of an additional seven signal companies to meet these requirements. After successfully completing the mission, the Soldiers of the 63d once again safely redeployed home to Fort Gordon, Georgia on January 19, 2006.
In March 2010, the 63d Signal Battalion deployed for a 12-month rotation to Afghanistan, with the companies being dispersed throughout FOB Shank, FOB Ghazni, FOB Sharana and Bagram Airfield.
In December 2012, Soldiers from the 63d Signal Battalion deployed to Iraq, to support main backbone communications with their troposphere communications platforms. They spent 9 months providing service and returned home in September 2013. In the summer of 2015, the 63d Signal Battalion began moving from Fort Gordon, Georgia to Fort Stewart, Georgia. A year later the 63d Expeditionary Signal Battalion assumed the “Defense Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Response Force” (DCRF) mission and supported response efforts for Puerto Rico and Texas in the Fall of 2017 and border support missions in 2018. The battalion then provided support to COVID-19 Pandemic Response efforts across the country from 2020-2021.
From 2022 to 2024 the battalion supported Joint Special Operations task Force – Somalia in support of Counter Terrorism EXORD – AFRICOM with a Signal Detachment consisting of two twelve-month deployments.
In May 2023, Soldiers across the 63d Signal Battalion were assembled for Task Force Spur to deploy in support of Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve. For nine months they served as the lone expeditionary signal company that provided signal support to units in Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Kuwait. The Soldiers returned home to Fort Stewart in February 2024 and immediately began preparing for the Expeditionary Signal Battalion-Enhanced (ESB-E) conversion with an effective date of 17 June 2024.
The redesignation of the 63d ESB to and ESB-E officially marks the beginning of a new chapter in the battalion’s storied history. As of 17 June 2024, the battalion has been fielded and trained on a new fleet of equipment that provides more agile, diverse, and flexible signal support options for military forces. The battalion also underwent a significant MTOE restructure that significantly reduced the assigned personnel while increasing the number of points of presence from 30 to 48. The battalion is preparing to deploy an ESC in Fall 2024, again in support of Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve.
Crest History
The unit crest was originally approved for the 63d Signal Operations Battalion on the 23rd of January 1952. The colors, orange and white, are the traditional colors of the Signal Corps. The four bandlets represent the four battle honors awarded to the organization during World War II. The silhouette of the mosque is taken from the shoulder sleeve insignia of the Fifth Army and represents the units service in North Africa. The green boot represents its subsequent wartime service in Italy. The battalion motto “AB INITIO” translates to “FROM THE BEGINNING,” which is a reference to the 63d’s participation in the United States Army’s initial campaign in World War II.