68th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion (United States)

68th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion
4th Infantry Division shoulder sleeve insignia
Active	1936–1945 1966–present
Country	USA
Branch	U.S. Army
Role	Mission Command of support and sustainment units
Size	Battalion
Part of	4th Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade
Garrison/HQ	Fort Carson
Motto(s)	"Wheels of Distinction"
Anniversaries	1 May 1936 unit constituted
Decorations	Joint Meritorious Unit Award Meritorious Unit Commendation Meritorious Unit Commendation
Battle honours	World War II Operation Desert Shield Operation Desert Storm Operation Iraqi Freedom
Commanders
Current commander	Lieutenant Colonel Gilliam
Command Sergeant Major	First Sergeant Gonzalez
Insignia
Distinctive unit insignia

The 68th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion is a U.S. Army support battalion stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado. The Battalion motto is "Wheels of Distinction". The battalion's current call sign is "Stagecoach". The 68th has deployed overseas to India, Burma, Somalia, Cuba, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

The 68th CSSB is currently assigned to the 4th Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade. Subordinate elements of the 68th are:

Constituted 1 May 1936 in the Regular Army as Headquarters, 2d Battalion 45th Quartermaster Regiment (Truck-Army) and allotted to the Eighth Corps Area. Redesignated 29 September 1939 as Headquarters, 2d Battalion 45th Quartermaster Regiment (Truck-Corps). Redesignated 8 January 1940 as Headquarters, 2d Battalion 45th Quartermaster Regiment (Truck). Redesignated 1 April 1942 as Headquarters, 2d Battalion 45th Quartermaster Truck Regiment.

Activated 9 May 1942 at Camp John T. Knight, Oakland Sub-Port of Embarkation, California. In January 1943, the battalion proceeded to Camp Stoneman, Pittsburg, Northern California where they participated in numerous training exercises in preparation for deployment. The Battalion delivered by convoy large numbers of vehicles to ports of embarkation up and down the Pacific Coast from the to Vancouver, Washington, Port Hueneme, California and Los Angeles, California.

In September 1943 the Battalion boarded the transport George Washington in San Pedro (Submarine Base, Los Angeles), California and voyaged for 6 weeks to Bombay, India. After 4 days in Bombay, the Battalion boarded the British transport Nevasa and sailed to Calcutta, India. The 2nd Battalion remained in Calcutta to clean up the bottleneck of supplies that had developed from incoming ships and barges. With this mission accomplished, the Battalion joined the rest of the 45th Quartermaster Regiment in Ledo, Assam.

On 1 December 1943, the Battalion was redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 68th Quartermaster Battalion, Mobile with subordinate companies redesignated as the 3465th, 3466th, 3467th and 3468th Quartermaster Truck Companies.

The duties of the Battalion consisted of rail unloading and convoying supplies forward for the Chinese Army in India and Merrill's Marauders. The convoying continued in ever-increasing distances as the length of the road was extended until it linked up with the Burma Road in Wanting. The Battalion was one of the first units to be put on Burma Convoy Duty delivering vehicles to the China Theater Headquarters at Kunming. While the Japanese attempted to break out into the Imphal Plain, the battalion was called on to assume infantry duty to protect the Ledo Base in the event of a possible attack. However, not a single Japanese showed up and the Battalion returned to convoy duty.